Very Short Summary
The Palanquin Bearers (Sarojini Naidu)
The poem "Palanquin Bearers" has been written by Sarojini Naidu. She is called the Nightingale of India. In this poem, she gives the imagination of feelings of palanquin bearers about the bride while carrying her to her in-laws. The bearers say that the bride is like a flower in the wind that sways while they carry her in the palanquin. She is like a bird on the foam of a stream, like a laugh that floats from the lips of dream and she is very soft and delicate as a pearl on a string that is why they carry her lightly. They go on carrying her on their shoulders enjoying the travel by singing happily on the way.
The bearers in the poem compare the bride with the dew of their song that shines like a star. They also compare her with the ray of the curved tide that springs when the sunlight falls on it. It seems no burden on their shoulders. They sing and move easily to carry her along the way to her in-laws. The poem shows the conjuncture or critical moment for a bride and her parents
Questions of Palanquin Bearers
Q.1. What are the feelings of the palanquin bearers as they carry the princess inside the palanquin?
Ans: The palanquin bearers are delighted as they are carrying a royal bride to her in-laws. As they walk, they feel that she is as delicate like a flower who sways at their song. The palanquin bearers are so careful when they carry her as if she were a pearl on a string. This showcases that they have gained some respect towards her and actually treat her and her emotion delicately.
Or
The palanquin bearers feel the princess like a pearl on the string which light, soft and delicate. The compare her with a flower, a bird on the foam of stream. They lightly and softly carry her along the way without making her feel that she is leaving her parents and her childhood home.
Q.2. "Lightly, O lightly we bear her along; she sways like a flower in the wind of our song." What are these opening lines suggestive of? Do you think the palanquin bearers are sensitive to the presence of the bride?
Ans: These lines suggest that the bride inside the palanquin is very delicate and light. She is invaluable and also it is the most sacred and auspicious occasion for her.
The palanquin bearers are very sensitive to the presence of the bride as they handle her like a very precious jewel. They are so careful when they carry her as if she were a pearl on a string.
Or
These opening lines suggest that there is something delicate in the palanquin that needs to be carried carefully. These lines show the conjuncture moment for the bride and her parents. Yes, the palanquin bearers are sensitive to the presence of the bride in the palanquin that is why they carry the palanquin very lightly and softly
Q. 3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Ans: The rhyme scheme of the poem is aa, bb, cc The rhyming words are along - song, stream - dream, sing - string, tide-bride.
Or
The poem has an 'aa bb cc' type of rhyme scheme. Following are the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Along Song
Stream.........Dream
Sing. .String
Tide..............Bride
Q. 4. In line 4 the poet says, 'She floats like a laugh from the lips of a fa dream' and in line 10 she writes, 'She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.' Do you think that the poet has deliberately used the device of contrast? Why has she done so?
Ans: The contradiction is when the poet describes the bride as "she floats like a laugh" and then she writes "she falls like a tear". It is deliberate because the bride is in tears at her separation from her family. But she smiles because she is happy over going to be united with the love of her life and start a fresh and exciting life.
Or
The first line shows the innocence. The bride does not know what is going to be next because dreams are imaginary, they are not real. In the next line, the bride knows she has to leave everything and has to live a new life in a new home until her death. The poet is a lady herself. She might have gone through this situation so she makes the readers realize the feelings of a bride.
Q.5. Simile: A figure of speech used to compare the qualities of two objects or things using words such as 'like' or 'as'. For example
a. The poet compares the bride to a flower.
b.She hangs like a star in the dew of a song.
The poem is full of similes. Pick out all the similes used by the poet in the poem.
Ans: The poet has used various similes in the poem as given here as under:
1. She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;
2. She skims like a bird on the form of a stream,
3. She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
4. We bear her along like a pearl on a string
5. She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;
6. She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,
7. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride,
Or
Flower, bird on the foam of a stream, pearl on a string, star in the dew of song beam on the brow of the tide, and tear from the eyes of a bride are the similes used by the poet in the poem.
Q.6. Refrain: poets often use the device of the refrain. The refrain is a line or a part of a line or a group of lines repeated in the course of a poem. Did you notice that some words, lines/parts of lines are repeated in the poem?
Pick out these words or lines that are repeated. What effect does such repetition create in the poem?
Ans: The lines and words that are repeated in the poem are:
i. Lightly, O lightly we bear her alone.
ii. We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
iii) Softly O Softly
iv) Gaily O gaily
The refrain gives us the impression of a constant and balanced movement of the palanquin. It also adds in the rhythm of the poem. Moreover, it bestows music to the song of palanquin bearers.
Or
Following are the lines or words repeated in the poem:
(Lines)
we bear her along Lightly, lightly We bear her along We bear her along like a pearl. We glide and we sing
(Words)
Like, gaily, lightly, softly, song, etc.
Q.7. You have studied in the last poem about images. Read the poem and complete the following table by matching lines from the poem with the related images conveyed by them. The line from the poem Image conveyed
Ans: Skims like a bird = gliding movement of a bird flying over a stream
Sways like a flower = movement of a flower moving from side to side due to breeze
Floats like a laugh = laughter on the lips of a person during a dream
Hangs like a star = Be calm and heads down like a star over
Springs like a beam = sparkle like a ray of light
Falls like a tear = dropping of tears from bride's eyes at the time of marriage
Q.8 Read the extract given below and answer the following questions:
Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing.
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Softly. O softly we bear her along.
She hangs like a star in the dew of our song:
i) What is the emotion expressed by the poet in the line "We bear her along like peart of string"?
ii) Explain the image expressed in the line "We bear her along like a peart of string".
iii) Do the palanquin bearers consider the maiden to be burden? Why/Why not?
iv) Name the poetic device used in the above lines. What effect does it have on you as a reader?
v) Why has 'she been compared to a star?
Ans: (1) The palanquin bearers are conscious of the privilege they have been accorded of carrying the maiden sitting in the palanquin.
ii) The parangan is as precious and beautiful as a peart for the palanquin bearers and the handles of the palanquin are like the string on which she is handing.
iii) The palanquin bearers do not consider the maiden to be a burden. They feel privileged to carry her and do so joyously, singing memily They do not plod along weanty the carrying a burden but guide over the road lightly.
iv) The poetic device used as refrain (repetition. The ret ran adds rhythm and music to the poem and reinforces the gentle rhythmic movement of the palanquin it also emphasizes the ides that the palanquin bearers are conscious of the fact that they are carrying a person passenger.
v) She is compared her to a star because she is as radiant and beautiful as a star.
Q. 9 What is the central idea of the poem?
Ans. This poem, by Sarojini Naidu, is about an age-old custom when brides and women of high birth were caired in a palanquin in the poem, the palanquin beaters are carrying a beautiful laity The poetess has exquisitely depicted the movement of the palanquin and the glowing beauty of the lady She begins with a description of a gently swaying palanquin moving in rhythm to me song of the bearers who are very caretal, as they want to protect the lady from any jerky movements.
Short Type Questions & Answers:
Q1: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
"Lightly, O lightly we bear… … … … … … ..
like a pearl on a string."
(a) What is this song about that the palanquin bearers are singing?
Ans: The palanquin bearers' song is all about the bride, where she is described very gloriously.
(b) Why do the Palanquin Bearers carry the bride "lightly"?
Ans: The Palanquin Bearers carry the bride 'lightly' because she is very precious and also it is the most auspicious occasion for her. So they handle here like a very precious jewel.
Q2: How does the poet describe the emotions of the palanquin bearers?
Ans: The poet describes emotions of the palanquin bearers as being full of joy and pride.
Q3: Read the passage given below and answer the following questions:
"Lightly, O lightly we bear………………..in the wind of our song."
(a) Who are the speakers of the above lines and who are they bearing along?
Ans: The speakers of the above lines are the palanquin bearers. They are bearing the bride along.
(b) Which words in the above lines tell us that it is easy for the palanquin bearers to carry the palanquin?
Ans: The words 'lightly o lightly' and 'sways like a flower' in the above lines tell that it is easy for the palanquin bearers to carry the palanquin.
(c) Where are the palanquin bearers taking the palanquin?
Ans: The palanquin bearers are taking the palanquin to the bride's husband's home.
(d) Which word in the above lines means 'swings'?
Ans: Sways
(e) Why do you think they sing as they bear her along?
Ans: The palanquin bearers engage themselves in cheerful singing to amuse them and move in harmony while carrying out their difficult and responsible job of transporting something very valuable, in this case, the bride from one place to the other.
Q 4: Explain the comparison 'She sways like a flower'.
Ans: The bride is compared to a flower as she is very delicate, fragile and beautiful like a flower, which moves or sways in the air.
Q 5: How does the poet describe the bride?
Ans: The poet draws a very vivid description of the bride. She states that the bride is 'like a flower', 'a bird', 'a laugh', 'a star', 'a beam', and 'a tear'. The poet's intention of using such similes is to get across that the bride is very fragile but precious and needs to be handled with care.
Q 6: How do the palanquin bearers make their task joyful?
Ans: The palanquin bearers take pride in caring the young bride to her house. They sing along in harmony with their movement to make their task joyful.
Q7: Identify figures of speech in the following lines:
(a) Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing.
Ans: Alliteration
(b) Softly, O softly we bear her along.
Ans: Repetition
(c) She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.
Ans: Simile
(d) She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
Ans: Personification
Q 8: How do the palanquin bearers describe the manner in which they are carrying the bride? Are they proud to be carrying her?
Ans: The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin very gently and are moving very softly. As they are carrying the bride to her in-laws' house, they are singing along and don't feel it as a burden. They are proud to be carrying her.
Q9: The poem has shown two contradictory feelings of laugh and tear. Why do you think the poetess has done this?
Ans: The bride has mixed feelings. She is happy as she is going to start her new inning with her beloved. At the same time, she has tears in her eyes as she is leaving her parents behind and going to her in-laws' place.
Q10: Why the poetess has used so many similes in the poem?
Ans: To give more effect to her words, she has used so many similes in the poem.
Q 11: Why is the bride referred to as 'pearl on a string'?
Ans: The bride is compared to a pearl on a string since she is precious and like delicate like a jewel.
Q 12: List the words from the poem that describe the movement of the bride.
Ans: Skim, sway, float and spring are the words that describe the movement of the bride.
Q 13: Which lines from the poem tell you that the palanquin bearers are happy, and they care about the palanquin?
Ans: The line, 'Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing' tells us that the palanquin bearers are happy. The line 'we bear her along like a pearl on a string' tells us that the palanquin bearers cared.
Q14: What do the tears in the eyes of the bride say about the bride's feelings?
Ans: The tears in the eyes of the bride say that the bride is sad about leaving her parent's house. The tears are also the tears of joy because she will be soon united with her husband. The tears in the poem depict the mixed emotions of the bride in the palanquin.
Q15: What is the poem "Palanquin Bearers" about?
Ans: It is a folk song of the palanquin bearers, typically sung while carrying a newlywed bride. While carrying her to her father's home to the groom's home, bearers often sang such songs in order to cheer the bride up. This song features a variety of epithets used to adorn the delicate beauty of the lady.
Q16: Why is the bride referred to as "a pearl on a string"?
Ans: By using this phrase, Naidu describes how precious the bride is for the bearers. She is like a pearl, hanging delicately from a string. Here, the string is metaphorically compared to either the palanquin or the bearers. Collectively, they form a pendant and the pearl enhances the value of the chain.
Q17: What is the meaning of "Palanquin Bearers"?
Ans: The term "Palanquin" originated primarily from East India. It means a covered box, often used for a single passenger. The large box is carried on two horizontal poles by four or six bearers. In this poem, Naidu features the song of such bearers while carrying a lady in the palanquin.
Q18: In which year the "Palanquin Bearers" was published?
Ans: The poem was first published in London, the United Kingdom in 1896 and later it was published in 1905 in Hyderabad. It appears in Sarojini Naidu's first poetry collection The Golden Threshold.
Q19: Who sang the poem the "Palanquin Bearers"?
Ans: In this poem, the palanquin bearers sang the song while carrying the bride.
Q20: What is the tone of the poem "Palanquin Bearers"?
Ans: The tone of this piece remains cheerful, cajoling, and heartwarming throughout. It changes slightly to a sad one in the fourth line of the second verse. However, the poet stylistically maintains the overall tone.
Q21: What is the mood of "Palanquin Bearers"?
Ans: The mood of this poem is high-spirited, light, and celebratory. This song is sung to cheer the lady up while traveling to her destination.
Q22: Why do the palanquin bearers carry the bride lightly?
Ans: The bearers, by no means, want to make the bride feel tiresome throughout the journey. Hence, they sing a song while carrying the palanquin as lightly as they can.
Q23: Why do the palanquin bearers sing?
Ans: The bearers, by no means, want to make the bride feel tiresome throughout the journey. Hence, they sing a song while carrying the palanquin as lightly as they can.
Q24: How do palanquin bearers carry the bride?
Ans: They carry the bride lightly and softly. Besides, they sing a beautiful song that adorns her features.
Q25: Who is being carried in the palanquin?
Ans: A newly married lady is carried in the palanquin.
Q26: How do the palanquin bearers feel while carrying the bride?
Ans: The bearers feel happy in the whole process. They gaily carry the bride as she is a precious gift given to those humble men to take care of.
Q27: Why is the bride compared to a "flower" and a "bird"?
Ans: The bride's calm and soft features are compared to that of a flower. Besides, the way the palanquin is carried makes it feel that the lady is gliding in the air like a bird.
Q28: What are the two adverbs used to describe the way the palanquin bearers were carrying their passenger?
Ans: The two adverbs that are used to describe the movement of the bearers are "Lightly" and "Softly".
Q29: How do we know that the palanquin bearers think that the bride is delicate and must be treasured?
Ans: From the last line of each verse "We bear her along like a pearl on a string", it becomes clear that the bride is delicate and must be treasured.
Q30: What is the meaning of the expression "a tear from the eyes of a bride"?
Ans: This expression hints at the mental state of the bride. She sheds tears as she is leaving her father's home.
Q31: What is the message in "Palanquin Bearers" by Sarojini Naidu?
Ans: Through this poem, Naidu conveys an interesting message to readers. It concerns how precious a bride is for the palanquin bearers. They feel blessed to bear her.
Q32: What does the phrase "brow of the tide" mean?
Ans: This phrase refers to the upper portion of a tide. "Brow" means the summit or peak. It is also a reference to an eyebrow. Hence, this phrase can be interpreted in two ways.
Q33: What do the palanquin bearers want to mitigate?
Ans: They want to mitigate the bride's sadness as well as her weariness by singing the song.
Q34: Do you think the palanquin bearers are sensitive to the presence of the bride?
Ans: They are indeed sensitive to the presence of the bride. She is a pearl for them that they are given to take care of.
Q35: Where are they carrying the palanquin?
Ans: They are carrying the palanquin to the home of the bride's husband.
Q36: How does the poet describe the movement of the palanquin?
Ans: The poet describes the movement of the palanquin by comparing it to a beam gliding over a stream.
Q37: What purpose do similes serve in the poem "Palanquin Bearers"?
Ans: In this poem, similes are used to describe the delicacy, softness, and embalming beauty of the lady.
Q38: Why does the poet refer to bridal laughter and bridal tears?
Ans: The poet refers to the bridal laughter as well as her tears in order to depict the state of a bride's mind. She is happy to begin a new journey. Besides, she feels sad to leave her home for the first time.
Q39: Why do the palanquin bearers say they carry the palanquin lightly?
Ans: They carry the palanquin lightly as the passenger sitting inside is like an invaluable pearl for them.
Q40: Why do the palanquin bearers feel privileged?
Ans: They feel privileged to carry the bride. Along the journey, there is none from her family to take care of. Only the bearers are there to protect, cheer and take care of her.
Q41: What does the poet mean by "lips of a dream"?
Ans: The lady is as transient as a dreamer's laughter. Before marriage, she brought a smile to her parent's faces. After marriage, her presence will bring a smile to her husband's face. In this way, she floats like a peal of laughter from one's face to another's.
Q42: For what purpose were palanquins used in the past?
Ans: Palanquins were used for transportation in the past. Newly married brides, kings, and queens traveled to faraway places by palanquins.
Very Short Question Answer
Q1. Pick out the words from the poem which describe the movement of the bride.
Ans: The words that describes the movement of the bride are sway, skim spring, float and glide.
Q2. How do the palanquin bearers carry the bride?
Ans: The palanquin bearers carry the bride slowly and smoothly.
Q3. Why do you think the palanquin bearers are carrying the palanquin lightly?
Ans: The palanquin bearers are carrying the palanquin lightly because they do not want to hurt the bride due to misbalance.
Q4. What are the emotions that the bearers feel as they carry the palanquin?
Ans: The bearers are happy and singing song while bearing the palanquin.
Q5. Why is the bride compared to a flower and a bird?
Ans: The bride is compared to a flower because she is beautiful like a flower and compared to a bird because she is very light and delicate.
Q6. Explain the image in "She sways like a flower."
Ans: When the bride is sitting in the palanquin and the palanquin is moving, the bride in the palanquin is also swaying like flowers sway due to wind.
Q7. who is being carried by the Palanquin Bearers?
Ans-The Palanquin Bearers carried the light weight bride.
Q8. what are the two adverbs used to describe the way the Palanquin Bearers were carrying their passengers?
Ans-The two adverbs used in the Poem are "lightly" and "gaily".
Q9. where do you think they Are going?
Ans-The Palanquin Bearers Carried the bride to bride's husband home
Q10.Find a word from the Poem that indicates the Mood of palanquin Bearers?
Ans-The word "gaily" indicates the mood of the palanquin bearers.
Q11.why has the word 'lightly' been used in the poem?
Ans-The word' lightly 'has been used by the Palanquin bearers because the bride's lightweight as they can bear her weight easily.
Q12. Explain the phrase" like a Pearl on a string"?
Ans-The bride is compared to a Pearl on a string since she is Precious and like delicate like a jewel.
Q13.what has her movement just been compared with?
Ans-Her movement has been Compared with a pearl on the string.
Q14.what does the phrase" brow of the tide "mean?
Ans-In the poem Palanquin Bearers the phrase "brow of the tide" is used to describe the act of carrying the princess by the Palanquin bearers.. The palanquin Bearers Were in the joy that they did not feel her weight when they carry her in the palanquin on their shoulders.
Q15. Which beam is being referred to here? Explain the figure of speech in the given lines?
Ans- The bride is so brightly dressed that she appears to be like a shining Beam of light that is reflected from the surface of the wave. The figure of speech is a simile.
Q16.What does the word "gaily" means?
Ans- The word "gaily" means. happily.
Q17.What does the word "Sways "means?
Ans-The word "sways" means to move from side to side.
Q18.What does the word" skims" means?
Ans- The word "skims" means to move on the surface.
Q19.What is simile?
Ans- It is a figure of speech which directly compares two things. It can use words such as "like as", then, etc. to convey the comparison.
Q20. How similes did the poet use in the poem The Palanquin Bearers?
Ans. The poet used seven similes in the poem, The Palanquin Bearers.
Q21. What is the significance of the word 'lightly' in the first line of the poem?
Ans. The repetition of the word suggests softness and weightness of the bride.
Q22. How does the bride sway in the palanquin?
Ans. The bride sways like a flower in the wind.
Q23. What does the poet mean by "the foam of the stream"?
Ans. The bride is here compared to a bird that flies over the foam of the stream. The word, 'foam,' suggests tenderness and delicacy
Q24. How are the bearers carrying the bird?
Ans. The bearers are carrying the bride lightly, gaily and softly like a pearl on a string. They are carrying as well as singing.
Q25. Why does the poet compare the bride to a pearl?
Ans. The poet compares the bride to a pearl as she is precious and delicate as 112 pearl. Again, the pearl suggests the beauty and dignity of the bride.
Q26. "She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride"-Explain.
Ans. Here the bride is compared to her own tears. The image suggests the lightness of touch and creates a dream-like atmosphere. The image upholds the typical Indian emotion of the bride. She is sad for her parents whom she is leaving behind and, on the other hand, she excited about her new home.
Q27. Give two examples of alliteration from the poem The Palanquin Bearers?
Ans. We find some examples of alliteration in the poem The Palanquin Bearers. like- 2/2 "a laugh from the lips," "Gaily, o Gaily we glide" and "a beam on the brow."
Q28. Whom are the bearers carrying in the palanquin?
Ans. The bearers are carrying a bride in the palanquin.
Q29. Why has she been compared to a star?
Ans: The bride has been compared to a star because she is bright like a star
Q30. Why do you think the poetess has used two contradictory feelings of "laugh" in the fourth line of the first stanza and "tear" in the second line of the third stanza?
Ans: It is because of the contradictory feelings of the bride where she is happy for getting married and sad for leaving her father's house.
Q31. Why do the palanquin bearers sing while carrying the bride? What do you think this song is about?
Ans: The palanquin bearers are taking the bride from her parent to her husband's house and hence they are happy on this happy event. They are singing because it is a source of encouragement for them to carry the palanquin till the destination.
Q32. The poem is full of similes. Why do you think the poet has used so many similes in the poem?
Ans: The poet wants to show the beauty of the bride; hence he is using similes, similes are also used to show emotions of the bride.
Q33. Some words and lines are repeated in the poem. Why do you think the words are repeated?
Ans: Some words and lines are repeated in the poem and it is because these lines are effective and energetic.
Q34. Name the poet of 'The Palanquin Bearers'.
Ans: Sarojini Naidu.
Q35. Sarojini Naidu was called as
Ans: The Nightingale of India.
Long Type Question Answer
1. Write a brief summary of the poem "The Palanquin Bearers'.
Ans: The poem is written as if it is being chanted by the palanquin bearers, who have been entrusted with carrying the newly wed bride on her journey towards her new home. She sways with the movement of the palanquin, just like a flower sways in the wind. She is so light that they compare her to a bird that skims on the foaming froth of a stream. She is extremely delicate, just like a tender laugh that emerges from the lips of a person. The palanquin bearers are happy to carry the bride and they sing along. The bride within is compared to a beautiful and precious pearl on a string.
From another perspective, the poem reflects about Indian marriages and Indian culture. The poet has deliberately used the contradictory feeling of laughing and weeping. The bride is sad and is crying as she is separated from her family. But simultaneously she is also happy to step on to a new world, to commence a family of her own.
Palanquin bearers is melodious and one of the most appealing poems of Sarojini Naidu. The poem is written in such a way that one can see and feel as if the palanquin is moving. The poet brings in so many images describing the movement. The words the poet uses and the rhythm of the verse re-creates in our minds an image of a moving palanquin.
2. How do the palanquin bearers carry the bride?
Ans: The Palanquin bearers carry the bride very gently and they move very softly. They sing a song as they go along. The theme of the song is about the marriage of the bride. They sing that they are bearing the bride lightly and slowly. The bride is moving from si side like a flower in the wind. She glides like a bird on the froth stream. She is floating like a laugh from the lips of a dream. They carry her like a pearl on a string like she is precious and The bride is hanging like a star in the dew of their song. She appears to be jumping like a ray of light seen on the top of a tide. She falls like a tear from the eye of a bride.
3. What are the similarities and differences between the present marriage system and the one described in the poem?
Ans: The poet has deliberately used
the contradictory feeling of laughing and weeping. The bride is sad and is crying as she is separated from her family. But simultaneously she is also overjoyed as she is starting a new family.
In Indian culture earlier women were considered as a burden. But when the palanquin bearers carry the bride as she is married they feel no burden because of the ecstatic. environment. In older times each and every parent wanted to get their daughters happily married. Carrying a palanquin of a bride was considered as a privilege.
4. Give a brief description about Sarojini Naidu.
Ans: Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13th 1879 in Hyderabad, she was a political activist and played an active role in the freedom struggle of India. She was the first Indian woman to become the president of the Indian National Congress in 1925. In 1947 she became the governor of the United Provinces (U.P.), a position she retained till her death in 1949.
Very Long Type Question Answer
Q.1. What is the writing style of Sarojini Naidu?
Ans: Many of Naidu's poems are about everyday life or the natural world. Many are infused with her patriotism and her desire for India's freedom from British rule.
Naidu's writing style is traditional and simple, with use of such literary devices as imagery and alliteration. Imagery is description using any of the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Naidu's poems are rich with imagery. For instance, in "Autumn Song," she describes a sunset as follows:
A golden storm of glittering sheaves, Of fair and frail and fluttering leaves,
The wild wind blows in a cloud.
We can picture the clouds, colored gold by the setting sun, like sheaves of wheat or golden fall leaves. Naidu also uses alliteration in this poem. Alliteration occurs when words beginning with the same consonant are placed close together: in the passage above, we hear the "f" in "fair," "frail," and "fluttering," and "w" in "wild" and "wind."
Likewise, in "Indian Weavers," Naidu uses imagery and alliteration, as well as traditional end rhymes:
What do you weave in the moonlight chill?...
White as a feather and white as a cloud,
We weave a dead man's funeral shroud.
We can feel and see the cold moonlight, which is compared to a feather and a cloud. The alliterative use of "w" in "what," "we," "white," and "weave" create a sense of rhythm. We note too the simple, direct diction of this poem.
Naidu writes traditional poems that use imagery, rhyme, and alliteration and convey her emotions in simple language.
Q.2. What are the major themes in Sarojini Naidu's poetry?
Ans: Sarojini Naidu was a poet and political activist from India. Her poetry is known for its powerful use of imagery and lyricism and its universal themes.
Her early writing was profoundly influenced by Western themes like love and nature. For example, her poem "Spring" reflects the celebration of the natural world seen in the poetry of Romantics like Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Wordsworth. Her descriptions of the "vivid air thrills" and the "luminous blue of the hills" make this poem a true celebration of nature.
Naidu was also influenced by transcendentalism, the philosophical movement that emphasized the importance of spiritual experiences. Consider the following line from her poem entitled "The Joy of Springtime":
Springtime; O Springtime, what is your secret, The bliss at the core of your magical mirth.
Here the speaker seems to believe that nature has a powerful mystical quality. This poem thus reflects the transcendentalist ideas that people should seek wisdom through experiences in nature.
Over time, however, Naidu transitioned to more Indian themes in her poetry, such as patriotism and the role of women in Indian society. For example, in her poem "The Bangle Sellers," the bangles represent significant stages in the life of an Indian woman. Also, her poem "The Gift of India" shows readers how much India has given to the rest of the world.
Q.3. Discuss the romantic element of Sarojini Naidu's poetry.
Ans: If we were to speak from a general point of view about Naidu's work, I think that we can draw some references from Romanticism. The lyrical nature of her work is highly Romantic. When she asserts that her voice is akin to birds' singing, one is reminded of how the Romantic thinkers saw poetry, nature, and individual voice as nearly inseparable. The fact that Naidu did not flee from her culture and integrated it openly in her writing is also Romantic. It is akin to Romanticism because it seeks to bring the subjective experience into one's work and because it. also does not hesitate to bringing a new narrative into the discussion, widening the understanding of the discourse. Romantic thinkers were driven and animated by the idea of including more voices and Naidu sought to bring her Indian voice into her work. Finally, similar to Lord Byron and other Romantic thinkers who pledged their loyalty to political causes as an extension of their work, Naidu was highly active in the Indian struggle for Independence and the need to bring unity to the struggitinent schism between Hindus and Muslims.
Q.4. Write the Critical Analysis of the Poem "Palanquin Bearers".
Ans: It is the opening poem of 'The Sceptred Flute, a collection of Sarojini's poems. The palanquin bearers who sang this song are usually two or four when they carry in the 'Palki a young, noble lady. It was common in the 19th century, or even early 20th century when cars had not been in everyday use in almost all the cities of Northern India, particularly Hyderaba to see noble ladies visiting places and their relative's homes in veiled palkies.
In this particular case, a noble lady, most probably, (as it has not been mentioned in the poem), a newly wedded bride, is being borne to her husband's house in a veiled palki. The palki palanquin-bearers sing this song in rhythmic harmony with their footsteps as she is carried along. The scene of the young lady assumed to be beautiful and in her full bloom, the veiled palki; the palki bearers colourfully and gaily attired, and singing a song in adoration of the young beauty they bear along is romantic, breathing an air of the days-gone-by. There are two stanzas in the poem, each of six rhymed verses.
The first and the fifth verse in each stanza serve as a refrain, begin with a dactyl and softly deviate into anapaests, and the other verses begin an iamb and glide into anapaests. The palanquin sways along with swift movement with a rise and fall in the palanquin-bearers footsteps, which the poetess defty catches by using a rhythm of comparatively swift movement with stressed and unstressed sounds so that strict correspondence is maintained between the swift movement of palanquin bearers movement and the rapid rhythm of the poem. The tune and the movement are simultaneously felt. The kinetic image-the image of felt motion, to use a rhetorical phrase, is presented here the Poet's craftsmanship is borne out by creating the required rhythm and tune with words picked up and combined with the sureness of the much of an artist. There is full rapport between the tone of the palanquin bearers in "Lightly, O lightly, we bear her along; O Softly, we bear her along," and the heartbeats of the lady seated inside. The one is destitute of the metaphysical' irony of the 'progressive' dissatisfaction. The sense of mutual belongingness only is felt in the process of the palki, the bearers, the inmate inside, the song and the springly move ment, all synchronising and fusing into one another. The emotion of the event is successfully caught and poetess seems lost in the poem.
There are as many as seven similes-a sumptuous (rich) fare- which are stated as under: The lady sways like a flower hangs, hengs like a star, springs like a beam on the brow of the tide and falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride and the palanquin-bearers bear her along like a pearl on a string.
It may seem to some critics that the images inherent in 'singing', 'skimming', 'floating', 'hanging', 'springing' and 'falling' are apt kinetic images (images of seen motion). Still, there may be others who regard swaying in the wind of our song and floating from the lips of a dream as vague. There may be others who might take them to be examples of highly imaginative perceptions. Notwithstanding, the two images, viz, 'she falls like a tear from the eye' of a bride and 'she springs like a beam on the brow of the tide are remarkable and bespeak of the poet high sense of craftsmanship. Except for the lady falling (for why should she fall?), the first image bears out the age-old story of an Indian bride's sadness, whatever be the reason, separated from the parents or the husband or any other thing. It may be nostalgic but approximates closely to the Indian experience. The other image of a beam of light flashing across the 'brow' of a tide is apt in so far as it suggests a psychic and spiritual illumination, a ray of hope through despair, a beam of delight through sorrow, a flash of light through the darkness. 'Brow' is, indeed, appropriate, for it alone wears one's wreath or sorrow or sadness.
The remarks of James H. Cousins on the poem are significant Palanquin-bearers……rest on no more substantial basis then the likening of a lady in a palanquin to a flower, a bird, a star, à beam of light and a tear: there is not thought in it: it is without the slightest suspicion of literature, yet its charm is instantaneous and complete.”
"Palanquin-Bearers," says Dr P. E. Dustoor, "is a representative utterance of the poet's," as it is the verse-pattern, having a musical quality, the rhythm having the lilt and liquidity of song, that is most characteristic of her and are most readers favourites which this poem contains.
5. "Lightly, O lightly we bear... like a pearl on a string."
Ans: The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin very gently and are moving very softly. As they are carrying the bride to her in-laws' house, they are singing along and don't feel it as a burden. They tell that the bride is so light to carry and it feels like the princess is swaying with the movement of the palanquin and the palanquin bearers' song just like a flower sways in the wind.
Here the movement of the bride is compared to a bird that skims on the foaming froth of a stream. The bride is so delicate to carry and resembles that bird and she is said to be floating like a dreamy smile from the lips of a person who dreams. The bride is leaving her parents behind and is going to start her new inning with her beloved so, she has mixed feelings. She is ethereal just like a tender laugh that energies from the lips of a person. The palanquin bearers say that they are happy to carry the bride in the palanquin with pride just as some rich women would wear a pearl necklace around her neck and carry. Here the bride is compared to a pearl on a string since she is precious and delicate like a jewel.
6. "Softly, 0 softly we bear……………………..like a pearl on a string."
Ans: The palanquin bearers further describe the delicate and tender bride saying that they carry her softly on their shoulders. Here, the bride is compared to a star that is reflected in the soft dew drops. She is so brightly dressed that she appears to be like a shining beam of light that is reflected from the surface of the wave. She appears to be jumping just like that. Yet, at the same time, she is so tender and delicate that they compare her to a gentle drop of tear that falls from her eyes as she is leaving her loved ones to start a new life.
The palanquin bearers sing happily as they smoothly carry the palanquin bearing the bride so that she would not feel the journey strenuous. They carry her along as if she were a precious jewel to be possessed by her husband.
7. Lightly, O lightly we bear her along,
Ans: The pellucid style and the cadence of a collective song fill the ambiance of "Palanquin Bearers". Naidu speaks in this poem from the perspective of the bearers carrying a lady to a place. She does not delve into any personal details. Rather her focus solely lies on the agility of their movement and the way they appreciate the passenger.
The repetition of the term "Lightly" in the very first line describes how softly they bear the palanquin. For the passenger sitting inside, the journey does not seem tiring at any point. The bearers are so swift and light in their movement that it seems they are floating, not treading on the ground.
8. She sways like a flower in the wind of our song; She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream, She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
Ans: In the following lines, Naidu uses a number of metaphors, presented with similes. Firstly, the lady is compared to a flower. By using this comparison, the poet describes how soft the lady is. For the poet, it seems as if the lady is nodding her head as a flower does in the mild air current. Furthermore, the flow of the bearers' song is compared to the wind. So, the lady is swaying with the rhythm of their song.
In the next line, the lady is compared to a bird. The movement of the palanquin seems like the waves and the lady, like a bird, touches the foam while gliding over them. The beautiful metaphor of a stream not only describes the wave-like movement of the palanquin but also depicts how swiftly the bearers carry it.
The third line contains another thought-provoking comparison between the lady and a laugh. According to the speaker, she floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream. In "lips of a dream", the poet uses synecdoche to invest an abstract with a concrete attribute. Here, "dream" represents a dreamer. The lady is like a happy dream of a person. Her transience is compared to the temporary happiness of a dreamer while having a vision of the lady.
9. Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing, We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Ans: The fifth line begins with a repetition of the term "gaily". It refers to the cheerful mood of the bearers. They are more than happy to carry the lady to her destination. Naidu describes their movement as if they are gliding with the wind. So, here the poet metaphorically compares the bearers to birds or a ship.
While carrying the passenger, they sing to unburden them from weariness. Besides, they bear her like a "pearl on a string". This phrase has two metaphors. First of all, the lady is so precious to the speakers that they think it is like a pearl. This pearl hangs on a string, a metaphorical reference to the poles of the palanquin or the bearers. Imaginatively, the bearers are like a string and the lady, the central attraction, is the pearl hanging on it. So, the bearers along with the passengers depict an image of a pendant.
10. Softly, O softly we bear her along,
She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;
She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,
She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.
Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing, We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Ans: The second stanza of "Palanquin Bearers" begins with a refrain. In the beginning, Naidu uses the phrase "Softly, O softly". This line describes how soft the bearers' movement is.
In the following lines, the poet presents a series of comparisons as present in the first stanza. Firstly, the speakers compare the lady to a star. Their song is described as a "dew". Here, the reflection of a star in dew is portrayed. As the dew trembles, it makes the reflection tremble. While the palanquin moves, the passenger's body also shakes in this manner.
Then she is compared to a "beam", meaning a ship or a ray of light. Like a ship sails on the tide, the palanquin is carried. The lady is portrayed as a ship or a light beam that springs on the "brow of the tide". Here, Naidu uses a personal metaphor in the quoted phrase.
In the next line, Naidu hints at the lady's mental state. She is newly married and leaving her home. That's why the poet uses an image of a bride in tears. Apart from that, the last two lines are repeated for the sake of emphasis.
Q. Poem Palanquin-Bearers- Summary and Critical Analysis.
Ans: Introduction of the Poem: The poem entitled "Palanquin Bearers" is the opening poem of "The Sceptered Flute", a collection of Sarojini's poems. The poetess vividly recreates the scene of the 19th century and the early decades of the present century when the cars were not in fashion for carrying the brides to their husbands' house. On those days even the ladies of royal families were carried in the palki to their relatives. The brides too were carried in the palki. In any city of Northern India, particularly in Hyderabad palki was in fashion. The curtains were hanging as windows through which the ladies and brides could get the glimpse of outside. Palkis were carried on shoulders of two or four persons using bamboo- sticks for support. In order to avoid the physical tiredness and boredom of the way, the palanquin bearers used to sing.
In this fine lyric, the palanquin bearers sing a melodious song, as they carry a young bride or maiden. The bearers sing song in rhythmic harmony with their footsteps. They are conscious of the beauty and tenderness of the lady they are bearing.
Critical Points of the Poem:
1. The palanquin sways like a bird, floats like a laugh and looks like a pearl on string.
2. She looks to be hanging like a star on a dew drop.
3. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.
4. The bearers sing to relieve themselves of the tedium of the journey.
5. While carrying the palanquin, the palanquin bearers feel happiness and sing song.
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1: The palanquin bearers carry the palanquin, with bride inside it, very lightly. The poetess compares the palanquin to a flower and song of the bearers to the wind. The palanquin moves to and fro like a flower in the wind. The palanquin glides along in the air as a bird moves on a stream. She floats in the air as laughter in dream. The palanquin bearers sing joyfully while they carry the palanquin. The poetess compares the palanquin with a pearl of string.
Stanza 2: The palanquin bearers carry the palanquin softly. The palanquin hangs like a star in the dew of the song of the bearers. She jumps like a ray of light. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride. The palanquin bearers sing while marching forward. The palanquin looks like a pearl hanging on a string.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem: Introduction: Poem "Palanquin Bearers" is the opening poem of "The Sceptred Flute" In the present poem, the poetess depicts those days when the palanquin was in fashion and the brides and the ladies of noble families were carried from one place to another place by the palanquin. The tradition of palanquin was in fashion in the 19th century or even early 20th century. In Hyderabad, the palanquins were used to carry the noble ladies to their relatives of distant areas.
Thought Content: In the present poem, the poetess has described the scene of palanquin bearers. The poetess also describes the actions of the palanquin bearers who carry the palanquin. The poetess has given a life description of a palanquin. The poem itself reveals that it is about the palanquin itself.
Style and Form: There are two stanzas in the poem, each of six rhymed verses. The first and fifth verse in each stanza serves as a refrain, begin with a dactyl and softly deviate into anapests, and the other verses begin with an iamb and glide into anapests. The palanquin sways along with a swift movement with a rise and fall in the palanquin bearers' footsteps, which is deftly caught by the poetess by using as rhythm of comparatively swift movement with stressed and unstressed sounds, so that strict correspondence is maintained between the swift movement of the palanquin-bearers and the rapid rhythm of the poem. The tune and movement are simultaneously felt.
The poem is very simple. The sweet melody of the poem and gentle touch of imagination have added to the beauty of the poem. The smooth lines and the lilting rhythm produce pleasing musical effect. The poetess has given a graphic picture of the movement of the palanquin. There are glimpses of simile in the lines "She sways like a flower"; "She skims like a bird"; "She floats like a laugh"; "We wear her along like a pearl on a string." The poetess uses tle pronoun "she" for the palanquin. It is good idea to show respect. The poetess has also used the figure of speech metaphor in the line "the brow of the tide".
Imagery: The poem is an exquisite piece of poetic art. It expresses the feelings and admiration of the bearers. The theme of the poem is purely Indian. Sarojini wrote in English but she invariably chose her themes from the Indian life. This poem also shows Indian tradition. By presenting the image of palanquin, she presents the simplicity of Indian life. It may be called a representative poem of the poetess. The scene and song of the palanquin bearers provide a kind of peace and relax. The two images "she falls like a tear from the eye of a bride" and "she springs like a beam on the brow of the tide" are indeed remarkable and bring us close to the Indian experience. The first image bears out the age-old story of an Indian bride's sadness, whatever be the reason, on being separated from the parents or the husband or any other thing. It may be nostalgic, but approximates closely to the Indian experience. The other image of a beam of light flashing across the "brow" of a tide is apt in so far as it suggests a psychic and spiritual illumination, a ray of hope through despair, a beam of light through sorrow, a flash of light through darkness.
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