ENGLISH PROJECT

( 2020-2021)

TOPIC: Sarojini Naidu

Class-XII, Section-Commerce
ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL
SUKNA
 GROUP MEMBERS:

1. Rithika Chhetri: About the author, Publication dates&

details, Bangle Sellers, In the bazzars of Hyderabad
2. Shradda Limbu: The Queen’s Rivals, To A Buddha Seated
On A Lotus
3. Riya Biswakarma: The Coromandel Fishers, Indian Weavers,
The soul’s Prayer
4. Nirjana Chettri: Humayun to Zobeida, Autumn Song,
Ecstasy
 Publication Date & Details
work Publication dates

1. To Youth 1905 (Golden Threshold)

2. The Poet to Death 1905 (Golden Threshold)

3. My Dead Dream 1905 (Golden Threshold)
4. To the God of pain 1905 (Golden Threshold)
5. The Royal Tombs of Golconda 1905 (Golden Threshold)
6. Street Cries 1905 (Golden Threshold)
7. To my children 1905 (Golden Threshold)
Sarojini Naidu
(1879 -1949)
About Sarojini Naidu
• Sarojini Chattopadhyay Naidu was an Indian political activist and poet. A proponent of civil
rights, women’s emancipation and anti-imperialistic ideas. She was an important figure in
India’s struggle for independence from colonial rule. Naidu’s work as a poet earned her the
sobriquet “Nightingale of India” by Mahatma Gandhi.

• She was born in a Bengali family in Hyderabad, Naidu was educated in Madras, London and
Cambridge. Following her time in England, where she worked as a suffragist, she was drawn
to ‘Indian National Congress’ movement for India’s Independence from British rule. She
became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and his idea of Swaraj.

• She was appointed the president of the India National Congress in 1925 and later became the
governor of United provinces in 1947.
About Sarojini Naidu
• Becoming the first woman to hold the office of Governor in the Dominion of India.
Naidu’s poetry includes both children’s poems and other written on more serious
themes including Patriotism, romance and tragedy. Published in 1912, “In the Bazars of
Hyderabad” remains one of her most popular poems. She was married to Govindarajulu
Naidu, a general physician, and had five children with him.

• She died of a cardiac arrest on 2 march 1949.

BANGLE SELLERS
Publication Date & Details
• The poem Bangle sellers was first published in 1912 by Sarojini Naidu,

• In her collection of poems called “The Bird of Time”. Naidu’s poetry is loved for her use
of imaginary and contemporary Indian themes and Bangle Sellers is one of her best
known poem.
Introduction
• The entire poem has a structure where each stanza focus on a particular theme.

• The first stanza depicts the merchants touting at the temple fair to attract the
attention of the people passing by. The consequence stanzas focus on bangles of
various colours the seller have for women of all different ages.

• It is important to note here that though the speakers of the poems are several, it
appears as if there is a single speaker. This is due to the fact that they all have the
same purpose and are thus seen singularly as ‘class essence’. Also, the bangles here
are called ‘lustrous tokens of radiant lives’. It shows us the Indianness of the poem,
where bangles are brought on special occasions and are associated with happiness
and prosperity.
Theme
• The poem is truly Indian in nature.

• It vividly describes different stages in the life of a traditional Indian woman through
various colours of bangles that she uses to adorn her wrist. Each stage of an Indian
woman, from a dreamy maiden to an excited bride and finally to a mature matriarch is
described according to the colour of bangle suitable at that stage.

• The poem throws light on Sarojini Naidu’s conception of Indian woman. Thus, the main
theme of poem is, CELEBRATION OF INDIAN WOMANHOOD.
Character details
• Bangle sellers: The poem revolves around bangles and bangle sellers. The poem is a song
sung by the men who sell glass bangles at village fairs or markets that are organized near
temple during festival. They sell all kind of bangles which are suitable for all kind of women
of different ages or different stages of womanhood and patriarchy in Indian society.

• In the poem the bangle sellers are shown very hard working, like on their way to the temple
fair, they call out to customers advertising their different kind of bangles that they are
carrying to sell and urge people to buy bangles for their daughter and wives like silver, blue,
red and shining green are for maidens, some bangles are golden yellow and fiery red are for
young bride, while some bangles are purple and gold flecked grey are for middle aged
women. The narrator in the poem are bangle sellers themselves.
Character details
• They pronounced ‘we’ to describe themselves and to tell in one voice to the readers of the
poem about who they are and what they sell. In the poem the

• Bangle sellers: bangles are described as “our shining loads to the temple fair...” the word
‘loads’ are used for bangles but even though bangle sellers are carrying loads of colourful
bangles yet they are happy to carry them “for happy daughter and happy wives”.
Summary
• The poem begins with the speaker introducing themselves as bangle sellers who sell their
article at the Temple fair. They call out to the people to buy their bangles as delicate, bright,
rainbow tinted circles of light. They advertise by questioning who will buy these bangles for
their daughters and wives.

• The second stanza onward, the speakers talk of the kinds of bangles they have. Some of
these bangles are suited for a maidens that is a young unmarried woman’s wrist. They are
silver and blue in colour like the mountain mist. Some of theme are ‘flushed’ that is pink
and light red in colour like flower buds growing beside a woodland stream. Still others are
green and glowing like the transparent beauty of new born leaves.

• Bangle Sellers carry bangles for women of all ages without any discrimination.
Summary
• Present before us an image of young girls dreaming of marriage. In this stanza, the poet presents
the stage of youth in a woman’s life.

• In the third stanza, the bangle sellers say that some of their bangles are yellow like ‘fields of
sunlit corn’. Bangles of this colour are perfect for a bride on her bridal morn. Some of the
bangles they have are bright red. They represent the flame of a newly turned brides marriage fire,
that is the passion of her newly made relation. The red bangles also stands for her heart’s desire.
The bangles are ‘tinkling, luminous, tender and clear’.

• In the final stanza of the poem the bangle sellers, the speaker continue to advertise their bangles.
They shout that some of their bangles are purple and gold flecked grey. These are suited for a
middle –aged woman who has ‘journeyed through her life’.
Summary
• In the last stanza, the poet writes down what she perceives as the quality of a good wife.
Such a woman is truly deserving the purple and gold flecked grey bangles in her eyes.
• Here we should pay attention to the word ‘sons’ used to mean offspring. While it could
be a happy coincidence, it could also suggest the ingrained attitude of male preference in
the society of Sarojini Naidu’s times.

• Indian society, bangles have an important cultural and religious place. Different coloured
bangles are worn by women in different stages of life. Blue, silver and green are
generally worn by young maidens. It is interesting to note that the poet here uses the
words ‘flushed like the buds that dreams’.
Literary devices
• Simile: Since the poem associates the colors of bangles to the stages of women, we
could see a lot of comparisons being made by the poet. In the second stanza, while
describing the colors suitable for young maidens she uses the similes “Silver and blue
as the mountain mist” and “Some are flushed like the buds that dream.” Again, in the
third stanza too, the poet compares the colors of bangle for a bride to the “fields of
sunlit corn,” and “flame of her marriage fire.” The simile used in the last line of the
third stanza “bridal laughter and bridal tear” comprises the joy and sorrow of getting
married.

• Metaphor: The poet has employed Metaphors also to make comparisons. Compared to
the simile’s they are crisp and direct. In the first stanza she addresses the bangles as
“Rainbow-tinted circles of light,” and the heaviness of their life and the bangle is called
“shining loads.” In the second stanza, the young maiden’s are compared to the “buds
that bloom” to picture the color “rosy-red.” 
Literary devices
• Imagery: Besides the use of simile and metaphor the poet has skillfully employed ‘Imagery.’
Her adept use of words creates images in the mind of the readers. One could visualize the
“mountain mist,” “buds that dream”, “new born leaves” and “flame of her marriage fire” and
the ‘tinkling’ sound. They beautifully describe the scene.

• Alliteration: Alliteration is a poetic device denotes the consonant sounds that are repeated in

two or more words in a sentence. In this poem, we could see that the sound ‘h’ is repeated in
two lines that are located next to or near each other. “Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s
desire” and  “Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest”.

• Anaphora: The poet has used the rhetorical device anaphora when describing the ideal wife
or a complete woman.
IN THE BAZZARS OF HYDERABAD
Publication Date & Details
• The poem In the bazzars of Hyderabad was first published in 1912 by Sarojini Naidu,

• in her collection of poems called “The Bird of Time”. Naidu’s poetry is loved for her use
of imaginary and contempory Indian themes and In the bazzar of Hyderabad is one of
her best known poem.
Introduction
• In this poem Sarojini Naidu describes the magnificent things of life along with common
scenes in the bazaars of Hyderabad;

• The poem is set in the form of conversations between customers and vendors. Sarojini
Naidu has repeatedly asked questions in every stanza about the different kinds of goods sold
in the bazaar. 

• Naidu presents the scene of the music produced by traditional instruments played by the
musicians and the chantings of the magicians, the various fruits being sold by the fruit-men,
the weighing of saffron, lentils and rice by the vendors, and other depictions of different
wares which are sold in the bazaar.
Theme
• Folklore is one of the central subjects in the poetry of Naidu. In The Bazaars of Hyderabad
is associated with one such subject, the charm and enthusiasm of a traditional Indian bazaar
in the city of Hyderabad are presented in this poem.

• Naidu had enthusiastically described the Bazaar with merchants and vendors selling a
diverse range of wares. The poet stops over at the galleries arranged by garlands, fruits, and
children crowding near the magicians the merchants, traders, hawkers, goldsmiths, fruit
sellers, peddlers, magicians, musicians, and flower girls.

• The poet describes the experience of conversation between the seller and the buyer, here
the poet questions the sellers about what they are selling and who in turn answer politely,
explaining their products.
Theme
• Life while The sorrow and sadness is witnessed when common public kitchens are arranged
when the nobles or soldiers die and when flower girls are seen weaving masses of white
flowers to be used for the dead people’s grave.

• Another theme in the poem is the Swadeshi movement, though not specifically mentioned
in the poem. The poem was written during the Indian independence movement.

• By this poem Naidu proves that India is rich in tradition and there is no requirement of
foreign products. Through the poem, Naidu encourages the Indians to buy goods from their
traditional bazaars and she urges the country men to take part in the Swadeshi movement
and boycott all foreign goods.
Character details
• Customer: the poet herself act as a customer in the poem “In the Bazzars of
Hyderabad” where she goes to the different sellers in the old bazzar of
Hyderabad and ask them about the goods that they have displayed in their stalls.

• Merchants: merchants were selling crimson, silver colored turbans, mirrors with
drawers of amber [an expensive Indian stone] and daggers with handles made of
jade.

• vendors: the poet now moves to another stall and asked the vendor about what
they are weighing to sell. Saffron, lentils, and rice replied the vendors.

• Maidens: The poet asks the same question to maidens about what they are
grinding and she gets a reply that they are grinding henna, sandalwood, and
spices.
Character details
• Gold smith: The poet moves to a jewelry shop in the third stanza and asks the goldsmith
what ornaments they manufacture. They reply; necklace, bracelets, anklets, rings, and
continued to say that, they also make bells for blue pigeons that are tied to their feet. The
bells are as delicate as a dragonfly's wing. Simultaneously they make gold girdles for
dancers and scabbards for the kings to keep their swords.

• Flower girls: The final stanza is about the flower girls who are asked what they are
weaving with strands of colorful flowers. The flower girls answer that they are making
garlands for the bride and groom to be decorated during the wedding night. Alternately
they also weave sheets of white flowers that are placed on graves for fragrance purposes.
It is a beautiful last line as it ends (although not ominous) on the note of death, rather
like life itself.
Summary
• Written with a prime purpose in mind, Sarojini Naidu (also known as the Nightingale of
India) was an activist during the Nationalist Struggle in India.

• This poem was written in the nineteenth century, in order to capture and direct every
Indian’s attention to the In the bazzars of Hyderabad. Basically an attempt to advise all
Indians to buy and use Indian products and a part of the larger Boycott movement initiated
by many nationalist leaders, including Gandhiji.

• The entire poem is written in a question-answer format and it is commendable as to how

Naidu has designed this in a poetic manner. The poem is divided into five stanzas, each
stanza is evoking a question at a new stall in the bazaar
 Summary
• Through the poem In The Bazaars of Hyderabad Sarojini wanted to convey the message that
India is rich in tradition and they don’t need the foreign products. So, she goes on to give a picture
of a bazaar where traditional Indian products are ruling.

• The poem begins with the poet’s question to the merchants about what they are selling. She sees
that the goods are displayed nicely to attract the buyers. The merchants reply that they are selling
crimson (deep red)  and silver coloured turbans, purple brocade tunics, mirrors with amber-frame
and daggers with handles made of jade (a green stone).

• The poet now goes up to the goldsmiths and asks them what they are making. They are making
wristlet, anklet and ring to adorn us and bells to be tied to the feet of blue pigeons. And the bells
are as thin and lightweight as the wings of a dragonfly. They are also making golden girdles for
the dancers and golden sheaths for keeping the king’s swords
Summary
• The poet then visits the vendors, the maidens and the pedlars (salesmen). She asks the
vendors what they are weighing for sale. The vendors reply that they are weighing
saffron, lentil and rice. The poet then asks the maiden girls what they are grinding. the
reply comes that they are grinding sandalwood, henna and spices. And now the pedlars
are asked what they are calling as their trade cry. They say that they are selling chessmen
and dice made from ivory for the game of chess.

• The poet in the poem In The Bazaars of Hyderabad now asks the fruit sellers what fruits
are they selling. They answer that there are citron, pomegranate and plum. Now as the
poet asks the musicians what instruments they are play, they reply that they are playing
on sitar, sarangi and drum. After that poet goes to the magicians and asks them what they
are chanting. The reply comes, he is chanting the spells to bring in aeons (a divine
power) who would help him perform his magical tricks.
Summary
• In the last stanza of the poem the poet asks the flower girls what they are weaving with the
azure (deep blue) and red tassels (strands of flower). The flower girls are making garlands
for the bride and the groom and to adorn their bed for the wedding night. They are also
making sheets of newly brought white flowers for use on the dead man’s grave for
fragrance.
Literary devices
• Alliteration: each stanza starts in a similar manner, with “what are you selling?” and “o ye”
common in each stanza. This also establishes the rhyming scheme tone, and beat of the
poem. This creates a sort of rhythmic and musical effect in the poem and also when at the
starting of each stanza, the poet repeats the question, it emphasizes on the main purpose of
the poem.

• Paradoxes: (of life and death when the poet talks to the flower girls) and imagery at various
places in the poem. Last but not the least, the question answer format of the poem renders a
feeling as though the reader is present in the bazaar and experiencing whatever is described,
themselves.

• Imagery: the poet has added human body and various bright colours.
Literary devices
• Imagery: crimson red, purple, amber, blue, azure, red and white. They all render
different kinds of images, starting from the festival of colors, Holi which is
celebrated across the country to the colors one would see on a bride or a
married woman, a young girl to an old man who might be dead. The poet also
enhances the aural factor of the poem by describing the music produced by the
Sarangi, the Sitar and the drums along with the chanting of spells by the
magicians. The mention of the fragrances of sandalwood, henna, and flowers
sold by the flower girls of different kinds invoke the olfactory senses of the
reader. The description of fruits like lemons, pomegranate, plums and famous
Hyderabadi specials like lentils and rice awaken the gustatory glands. Another
palpable imagery is produced by the bells made for the pigeons in the course of
the poem. Thus, the poem hits all the five senses of a human being, which also
accounts for a factor of as to how the poem is stylized.
The Queen's Rivals
Publication Date & Details
• Sarojini Naidu was a great patriot, freedom fighter and poetess of modern India. She was
influenced by English romanticism as well as by Persian and Urdu poetic traditions.

• Her first volume of poetry The Golden Threshold was published in 1905. This was followed by
The Bird of Time, The Broken Wing and The Sceptered Flute. Known as the 'Nightingale of India'
she composed poetry in which swift thoughts and strong emotion sprang into lyrics by themselves.
She has given expression to joys as well as to the sorrows of life. She was sensitive to the beauty of
living thing.
Introduction
• The Queen’s Rival has a wispy plot drawn from Persian legend, told in the narrative vein of the
folk-ballad. It deals with a single situation, revealed dramatically, with the utmost simplicity and
economy of expression.

•  Yet, in its wistful sense of aspiration, melancholy and pathos, in the midst of super abundant
opulence, splendour and glory, the poem is a lyric with balladlike overtones. Readers are plunged
into the action.

• The conclusion avoids a supernatural intervention, but propels the natural towards a magical
return to origins, which outclasses life from the ordinary with joy and fulfilment.
Theme
• Queen Gulnaar is tired of her beauty, the empty splendour and shadowless bliss of her sheltered
royalty. Her peerless beauty has made her a lonely, tantalized figure. She must have a rival,
discover an objective correlative in experience other than her own body, measuring against which
she can achieve self-definition and estimate her own real worth. She is like Nilambuja of the
poet’s prose fantasy, standing in the desert of her own lonely temperament, seeking a foothold in
the eternal of the universe, but unable to overcome the pattern of interrupted acts her life had
assumed.

• This poem is of romantic superfluity, colourful fancy and pleasing conceit. It has the dazzle of
a multicoloured jewel, the tremulous pattern of a seven-petalled rose and the colour symphony of
a painted natural scene
Character details
•  Queen Gulnaar’s state of mind touches on the abnormal. It passes from the consciousness of the
possession of beauty to the conceit about the possession of beauty. In the poem, the
action moves progressively from narcissistic desire towards hieratic power, from self to breed.

• The conceit destroys her happiness and all the resources of a kingdom do not restore it to her.
The poem suggests the deeper meaning that ultimately satisfaction for a frustrated soul comes
from within
Summary
• The Queen is tired of her beauty, tired of the empty splendour around her, tired of the shadow less
bliss. There is nobody to envy her, to contradict her, to press her own claims against her. She
wants someone to feel jealous of her charms, of her magnificence, of the unbounded love, which
King Feroz bestows upon her. What she wants is a rival to compete with her, clash with her,
because competition and complicit add to the zest and saves the life. Therefore, the queen,
Gulnaar sighs like a murmuring rose, and asks the King to give her a rival.But King Feroz, in his
passionate infatuation for his Queen, does not understand what the Queen, out of her oriental
modesty, is hinting at.He sends for his chief advisor and orders him to search for seven
beautiful brides for him. King Feroz acquires seven handmaids for his Queen. Gazing in the
aphrodisiac mirror, she still finds in it only her narcissistic image, evanescent, partial
andincomplete and aliented. The Queen is sternly unsatisfied. The real cannot match the ideal. It
has no continuity. It stands on its own pedestal of accumulations and lacks succession, relation
and meaning.
Summary
• Prior to the concluding part of the poem, the poetess highlights a delicate psychological point
that power, prosperity or beauty if vested in one person becomes the cause of dissatisfaction at
long. Rivalry in any field or aspect of life is the most essential factor for mental happiness and
satisfaction. Monopoly, at long last, becomes like boredom. Human mind always longs for
competition. It is the human nature that wishes that the efficiency, richness, strength, capability
or beauty should be challenged by somebody.

• One should have opportunity of being tested one’s own worthiness of merits. Here, the Queen
Gulnaar is unhappy in absence of any rival in case of her beauty. Her competitor is nobody else
but her two years old daughter herselff. One day, Queen Gulnaar’s two year old daughter was
adorned with precious dress. The child, like a fairy in a forest, rushed to the Queen and snatched
the mirror away from her hand.. Then the child quickly wore her mother’s hair-band. Suddenly,
with a child-like move, she planted happily a kiss on the mirror.
 Summary
• Then the poem dramatically ends with the reality of life that the parents are always happy when
they see their young ones playing and doing various innocent actions and tricks around them. The
poetess has successfully presented the psychological point of mothering and motherhood through
these sonnet-like three parts of the poem.

• It’s no secret that the bond between a mother and daughter can be stronger than either might like;
and this relationship is where a daughter first feels safe enough to really test her skills at self-
assertion. Children come into this world fully dependent on others to meet their basic needs;
however, the drive for independence asserts itself early and most of us spend the rest of our lives
learning to balance our innate drives for dependence and independence.

• The ballad structure, with the iterative situations, repeated words, images and symbols, the
incremental refrains, the free flow of the verse.
Literary Devices
• The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; her, thy, seven, like,
and are repeated.

• The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word like is
repeated.

• The author used the same words when, quickly at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas.
The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.
To A Buddha Seated On A Lotus
Publication Date & Details
• Sarojini Naidu published her first book in 1905, under the title of  "Golden Threshold" in
Hyderabad ,To A Buddha Seated On A Lotus is one of her poem under this title .
Introduction
• Poems” section of The Golden Threshold concludes with the poem. “To a Buddha Seated on a
Lotus’, poem has found a place in two anthologies of English poetry published in England; The
Oxford Block of Mystic Verse and the Modern Muse.

•  Here we do not have a prayer, no blessing is sought, no favour is asked. The poet simply
contrasts the peace and perfection of the Buddha with the mutability and sorrow of human life.
Theme
• Sarojini Naidu is found to pray for the spiritual peace, for Moksha or Nirvana, the highest and
ultimate aim of human life in “To a Buddha Seated on a Lotus” Here she concludes that human
life is full of sorrows.

• For her, life is a constant succession of pains. Despite his helplessness, man continues to desire
for the mystic bliss which is available in his union with the divine.

• To a Buddha Seated on a Lotus by Sarojini Naidu is one of those poems of the poetess which
take us back to the days of yore, to the land of Buddha and Buddhism, Buddhist art and
architecture, how did they make the statues of Buddha, craft and chisel from art materials and
substances, Buddhas cast in gold, Buddhas made from baked clay, Buddhas as art-models and
symbol.
.
Theme
• Life is so full of troubles and tribulations. Tomorrow’s unborn grief takes over the grief of today
and if misery and sorrow seem to be a part of life then what to say it more, this is what the poetess
means to present it here. One dream after another dream keeps it unfolding the doors of dreams
and as thus the story of our attachment keeps doing the rounds. But death is the ultimate reality
which we cannot refuse to accept it. Our ordeals of fate we have to take to the test ourselveves.

• But we the human beings live with the frailties, follies and foibles of our own. We want to be
perfect, but we can never be as we of the baser things have to return to dust and clay from where
we are and our needs tend to be to. Our wants and desires are many and we cannot limit them. Our
wishes too are  not sublime and good. We are concerned with ourselves merely. We want to attain
moksha, but this too cannot be so easily. We want to ascend the diviner summits. Nirvana is the
most sought after, but few can meddle with it.
Character details
• The first four lines tell of the calmly poised image of Buddha so full of mystic rapture, serenity
and bliss divine:

Lord Buddha, on thy Lotus-throne,

With praying eyes and hands elate,
What mystic rapture dost thou own,
Immutable and ultimate?

•  Buddha, the statues of his, so panoramic and serene and lovely to look at made by artisans, artists
and sculptors, is really a joy to view Buddha art and artifacts, relics and carvings, sculptures and
figurines. What it appalls us is the Divine Grace around Lord Buddha.
Summary
• Sarojini Naidu was an Indian independence activist, poet and politician. A renowned orator and
accomplished poet, she is often known by the moniker ‘The Nightingale of India‘. 

• In the first stanza is described the idol of Lord Buddha which the poetess had seen recently and a
question is asked. Lord Buddha is shown in the idol seated crossed-legged on a lotus which forms
his throne. His eyes are half uplifted as if blessing his devotees. There is a look of deep bliss,
profound exultation on his face as if he has attained the mysterious oneness with the diving which
has been the quest of sages. Speak of the mystic experience in his Tintern Abhey and The
Prelude. It is a feeling of bliss possible for him alone who goes to nature in a mood of “wise
passivity” and then can become one with “the soul of all the world”, and then he can see into,
“the heart of things.” All desire this mystic oneness but few can attain it. The poetess call Lord
Buddha unchangeable and perfect, for he has achieved eternal peace and freedom from the cycle
of birth and death. The poetess asks Lord Buddha the secret of the mystic bliss which he has
attained, for the soul of all hunger for that bliss.
Summary
• In the second stanza ,Sarojini Naidu contrasts the fever and fret of the human condition with the
peace and tranquillity expressed by the idol of Lord Buddha. Human life is full of toil, noise and
bustle, and the lot of helpless men is everchanging. One grief gives way to another and thus human
life becomes a chain of sorrows continuing from the past into the future. There is a constant
succession of sorrows. They work hard to attain their goals but are constantly defeated despite their
strenuous efforts. Their hopes do not come to flowering, and their efforts do never bear fruit. They
are never able to attain that perfect peace and tranquillity, that perfect bliss which is expressed by
the face of Lord Buddha as he sits on his Lotus throne. Human beings also desire that bliss, that
spiritual peace, but all their efforts to attain it are futile and vain. It always remains beyond their
reach. Human beings always try to attain spiritual peace, that union with the divine which Lord
Buddha has attained, but the effort is too much for them. Soon their faith weakens, their feet get
tired and so they fail. But nothing can control or overcome their desire for the attainment of the
divine. Despite their failure, they continue to yearn for the mystic bliss which results from an
experience of oneness or union with the divine. This heavenward hunger of the human soul always
persists.
Summary
• The end the union with the divine always remains beyond the reach of men, but they are always
tempted to continue their efforts, They are like thirsty travellers in a desert who are beguiled by mirage
and follow it with their ever thirsty souls. The divine always seems to call them from afar. Indeed,
human life on this earth is nothing but a short period of separation from the infinite. That is why the
urge for union is strong in the human soul. The poetess, in the end, again repeats her question. She
again asks Lord Buddha to tell her the way which leads to salvation or Nirvana or Moksha

• This fine reflective lyric has been highly praised by one critic after another. James cousin says that it,
“discloses a fine power of the phrase, clear energy of thought, a luminosity and reserve that reach the
level of mastery.” The remarks of P.E. dustoor are also significant: “A realization of the helplessness of
herself and her kind before the wind of change, which blows across the ways of men and blows away
one sorrow only to bring another, enters into the profoundly moving poem. …..What mystic rapture,
what peace, unknown to the world of men. She asks, is the secret of Lord Buddha, seat4ed on his
Lotus throne? She recalls by way of contrast the sufferings and strife. “the strenuous lessons of
defeat,” the hope deferred, the futile striving of the spirit, the unsatisfied hunger of the soul, which are
our common human destiny.” Others have praised it for its unity of structure, and its spontaneity.
Literary Devices
• The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of is repeated.

• The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word the is
repeated
The Coromandel Fishers
Publication Date & Details
• Sarojini Chattopadhyay Naida was a Indian political activist and poet .

• Her book the golden threshold was published by Good Press in 1905.
Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre.
Though the poem is written for the fisherman, it metaphorically focuses on
the Indian people.
Introduction
• Her poems were written for children and her poems praised the nature, nation. Her
poem are filled with patriotism.

• Coromandel fishers is a poem the focuses on the fisherman . Sarojini Naidu

motivates the people through this poem.

• Through this poem, she has intiated the feel to protest for the freedom struggle. She
wants the fisherman to explore till the sea’s end.
Theme
• The hard life style of the fisherman and their meager earnings are beautifully
portrayed by her . She also focused on the social-political status of the freedom
struggle.

• Sarojini Naidu used this poem to take a call to awaken the people of India to come,
fight for the right of their nation from the Britishers. She also describe the daily
routine of the fisherman.

• In this poem, a fisherman encourages his other fellow fisherman to get to work by
the drawn. It gives us a beautiful dream of the seas .
Character details
• poet: In the poem “Coromandel Fishers” she(Sarojini Naidu) addresses the fishermen as
brothers. She call to the fishermen to gather their nets and set to said to catch fish.
Addressing them as their comrade, she calls them to join her on the fishing
expedition the poet says that the shade of the coconut glade, the scent of mango
groove and the sands at the O’ the moon with the sound of the voices they love are
sweet and enjoyable but these joys are temporary.

• Rather they should go for the kiss of the spray (the water drops falling on the face while
sea) and the dance of the foam’s glee (the foam which forms by the up-down movement
of the tides) which according to the poet are sweeter and work-struggling.
Character details
• In the last line, she asks the fishermen to depart for the point in the sea where the
sun meets the sky.

• The sky prays to the morning light. The wind sleep in the arms of the dawn. She
compares the wind with the child.

• The fisherman gathers their nets from the shore and set their catamarans free. They
capture the wealth of the sea.
Summary
• Sarojini Naidu in the poem ‘The Coromandel Fishers’ has described the beauty of
the nature and the folk culture of the Coromandel coast of India. It depicts the
relationship between fisherman with nature. Nature stands as a symbol of beauty
that expresses the optimistic view of life.

• She ask the fisher folk to wake up and offer their prayers to the morning light. The
wind is calm and quiet like a child the sleeps soundly after crying the whole night.
She ask the fishermen to gather the nets and set their catamarans free and set out
into the sea to gather the leaping wealth of the tides as they are the king of the sea.
She ask the fisher folks not to delay and quickly set the forth in the track of the sea
gulls call.
Summary
• The narrator hurried his colleagues because they should follow the sea gull’s call.
The Sea gull is an animal that knows where the fishes are. The sea, the cloud and
the waves all are close to fishermen like mother, brother and friends. The sea god
is the controller of the sea.

• The fishermen also loved the land. The shade of the mango grove, the sweet
smell of the mango grove and sounds in the nature. But the waves and the foam
of the sea is more appealing to them. The sun is setting and it is the time to go
bake to land. So brother, row the boat to the edge of the sea

• The strength, unconditional love and devotion of these son of the sea towards
their brethren were at its peak when a deluge mercilessly hit our state Kerela after
ninety-five years.
Summary
• According to the poet, the fishermen should collect their nets from the sea-shores and
take their boats because the tide is full of wealth (fishes, sea-gulls etc) and they are the
kings. They just need to go to the sea to capture the wealth that is theirs. Hence they
should hurry.

•  She asks the fishermen to depart for the point in the sea where the sun meets the sky i.e.
horizon. Symbolically it refers to infinity or a place without end. In this perspective, she
asks the fishermen to dive into the infinite sea.
Literary Devices
• The poet used personification in the poem eg: The wind lies asleep in the arms of
the dawn, like a child that has cried all the night.

• In the above lines dawn has been personified as a mother.

Indian Weavers
Publication Date & Details
• The poem has been taken from the first volume poetry ‘The Golden Threshold’,
published in1905.

• It consists of the three stanzas, or quatrains, with two rhyming couplets each.
Introduction
• This poem is the metaphor for the three stages of human life – birth, youth and death.

• The poet depicts Indian weavers, who weave tirelessly at different times, while
simultaneously describing the three stage of human life , from birth to death, just as
the weavers from dawn tonight.

• The poet chooses three different time setting, the weavers weave the new born baby’s
garments in the early morning, the queen’s marriage-veils in the evening and the dead
man’s shroud at midnight.
Theme
• The central theme of the poem ‘ The Weavers’ is the parallelism that the poet
beautifully draws between the three parts of the weaver’s workday and the three stage
of human life.

• The style used in the poem is simple and lucid, with each stanza beginning with the
question to evoke the reader’s interest. It relates to the childhood of a person.

• In the another way it tells about the life-cycle of a human being. The poetess says that
weavers started their works in early morning and they make bright garments in blue
colour as the wings of kingfisher. The childhood is more attractive like blue colour.
Character details
• Sarojini Naidu’s poem ‘Indian weaver’ highlights the craft and skill of the Indian
weavers. The poem has a number of images of human life.

• Weaving is one of the most important of the folk vocation in India, and the weavers
are important folk character.
Summary
• The ‘Indian Weaver’ is a small lyric in three stanzas of four lines each included in
the ‘Folk Songs’ section of The Golden Threshold. In each stanza, a question is asked
in the first two lines. The poet has skillfully retained the simplicity and lilting music
of the folk song, even though the lyric has a symbolic significance and a rich texture
having layers within of meaning.

• The poem describes the different stages of human life, Birth, Marriage and Death.
In the early morning they make the blue colour and when the poet ask them the
question they tell that they weaving the garments of a new born baby.
Summary
• In the night time the weavers weaving attractie garments in purple and green
colour like the plums of peacock. When the poetess ask the question, they tell that
it’s a marriage veil of a Queen. This suggests the youth of a human being. Youth is
the golden time of the life, energetic, enjouable and attractive. So that’s why the
expression ‘The plumps of a green peacock, purple and green’ used.

• In the moonlight light the weaver’s attitudes changed they become serious and
calm. The garment is white colour like feather and cloud. They are weaving the
cloths of a Dead man’s funeral shroud. It clearly indicates the old age of a person.
The colour feather and cloud are carrying to the statement that the end of the life,
feather had come out from the wing now it has no use and the cloud is moving
after few minutes we can’t see the cloud in the actual place.
Summary
• The poem is a lyrics type. The poem is an imaginary conversation between the
conscience and the God. It is an autobiographical poem in which the poetess has shown
the inquisitiveness of a depressed human being to know the various metaphysical aspect
of life.

• As the title suggests, the poet's idea is a discussion between the speaker and God about
the nature of existence, questions that would be most likely offered during a prayer.  The
speaker is searching for "the inmost laws of life and death," seeking answers to questions
that strike at the heart of living and consciousness.

• The poem is dealing with a emotion of single person

Literary devices
• The poet has used the Simile in’ blue as the wing of a halcyon wild’.

• The poet has used the Metaphor in ‘break of day’ to comapare it to

‘childhood’.

• The poet has used Alliteration in repetitive consonant sounds of ‘we’

• throughout the stanzas or ‘p’ in ‘purple peacock’,

• The poet has also used the repetition of the word ‘weaver’, ‘weaving’ and
‘weave’ across the poem.
The Soul’s Prayer
Publications Date & Details
• It was published in 1905 under her one of the famous book The Golden
Threshold which was followed by the Bird of Times.

• She has given a expression to joys as well as to the sorrows of life.

Introduction
• The poet represents the metaphysical rumination of Sarojini Naidu as the soul
endeavours to communicate with the almighty.

• The innocence and purity of a child’s pride as the poetess beseeches with god to
enlighten her on the most basic and innermost laws of life and death.

• She wants to have an in-depth comprehension on the twin-sided aspects of life.

Inherent in the prayer is the feeling that god has entrusted her with his faith as she is
born out of his own breath.
Theme
• The fundamental theme of the poem lies in the premise of a child, a devotee,
speaking to God. There is a level of purity presents between the devotee
asking questions of existence to god.

• In the metaphysical exchange between God and speaker, the poem’s themes
lie in the discussion of life and the experience of consciousness. The poem
is the exploration of this dichotomy in the dialogue between devotee and
God.
Character details
• The two characters show in the poem is God and the Devotee. It reveals the poetess’s mystic vision
dealing with problems of life and death. The conscience pleads God to reveal the meaning of life and
death.

• God:  Lord answers her prayer. Before this, He has stated that He would not disregard encounter both
passionate rapture and despair at the same time but promises her to provide her everything, that her
soul will "know all passionate rapture and despair...drink deep of joy and fame...love shall burn thee
like a fire, and pain shall cleanse thee like a flame." Here God makes us clear that when we go through
the experiences of desiring joy, fame and love, we feel very good at the beginning but as the time
passes our desire pushes us into manipulation which comes at the price of expectation and ends in
resentment when outcomes are not met. Desire, then, is not desirable. It always implies suffering as
well as other dirty little tricks like judgment and punishment. We have to go through the pain in life but
eventually we learn a lesson that – pain “cleanses us like a flame, purging the dross from our desire”.
As the lines reveal the idea:…. pain shall cleanse thee like a flame, To purge the dross from thy desire
Character details
• Devotee: Sarojini Naidu calls herself the innocent child of God and feels pride to take birth
from His breath but suddenly prays to be blessed with the power of tolerate like her master
and has keen desire to taste the both aspects

• In this way she thinks that if God tells her the laws and mystery of life and death, she may
get ready to bear the bitter experiences of life as joys and sorrows of human life with the
greatness of God as she appears saying to, “Give me to drink each joy and pain:” The
poetess prays to God to feel everything in the whole world, all life's joys and pain at the
most intense levels. Not only she craves for bliss in life, but she is ready to keep abreast of
every pang of strife and struggle.
Summary
• Sarojini Naidu’s poem the ‘The Soul’s Prayer’ deals with the problem of life and
death as the life is full of pains, sorrow, confusions and problems. With the problem
of life and death Naidu prefer to address God who is the maker of this world and
creator of life and death. She writes this poem with the voice of a child who is a girl
of 13 years old. Child is none but the poetess herself.

• The poem presents her faith in God and feels pride to be his innocent child. The
child make a blind prayer to God and plead with him to reveal the various
metaphysical aspect of life and the nature of existence or the law of life and death.
Here the speaker is searching for the inmost laws of life and death, seeking answer to
question that strike at the heart of living and consciousness.
Summary
• The poet ask the God not to give her gift or grief. She is delighted because the soul
might not have come back to deal with vagabond issues. The lord answer her prayer.
Before this, he has stated that he would not disregard encounter both passionate
rapture and despair at the same time. Here god make clear that we go through the
experiences of desiring joy, fame and love, we feel every good at the beginning nut as
the time passes our desire pushes us into manipulation and ends in resentment when
outcomes are not met.

• In the fifth stanza God promises the child to provide everything for what she prays.
She is innocent. She doesn’t for what she is pleading . She blindly prays for having the
experiences of both good and bad. God informs that after having experience of all the
love, joys and highs and lows of life, her soul would not be satisfied but it will yearn
to be released from the blind prayer .
Summary
• In the fifth stanza God promises the child to provide everything for what she prays. She
is innocent. She doesn’t know for what she is pleading. She blindly prays for having the
experiences of both good and bad. God informs her that after having experience of all the
love, joys and highs and lows of life , her soul would not be satisfied but it will yearn to
be released from the blind prayer and then tired and forgiven her soul will beg to learn
about peace ,instead of intensity. It will want to know how to leave the fire and flame
behind, the burning and cleansing, and simply experience quite, underrated peace.  .

• None never actually needed to learn through pain, and there was never anything to fear.
Mystic mystery is a simple secret, nothing more. It’s God’s peace. At last the poet finds
solace in the knowledge that Life and Death are merely the two faces of God-His Light
and His Shadow. As the lines show:
Literary Devices
• 28 line poem divided into 7 quatrains
• Rhyming scheme for each quatrain
• Simile: a figure of speech involving comparison of two things using as or like.. ‘ And
love shall burn thee like a fire, And pain shall cleanse thee like a flame’ in both of
these lines the literary device simile is used as the word ‘like’ is used to compare.
Humayun To Zobeida
Publication Date & Details`
• The poem Humayun To Zobeida was first published in 1912 by Sarojini Naidu.

• In her collection of poems called “The Bird of Time”. Naidu’s poetry is loved for her use
of imaginary and contemporary Indian themes and Bangle Sellers is one of her best
known poem.
Introduction
• The Theme of Sarojni Naidu was mostly about kids, nature, nationalism, romance and demise.

• The Golden threshold includes the lovely 'Indian love -songs' along with a several other
poignant poems. Every poem offers a sense of comprehension into the thoughts and the feelings
of this widely foremost and inspirational women.

• The overall theme of the poem can be seen in this concept, that perspective and representation
sway the outcome of a circumstances. Just as the narrators intentions are hidden through the
limited perspective of early stanzas, facts can be mangled with tunnel vision in regards to a
controversy's participants .Essentially, it pays to know all of the relevant and necessary details
before forming an opinion on guilt and blame.
Theme
• 'Humayun to Zobeida' by Sarojni Naidu is a six stanza work that depicts a man who is
upset with a women he adores who will not allow him to further their relationship with so
much as a 'kiss'. The verb choices within early stanzas work to solidify these notions so
strongly the reader begins to feel the narrators sorrow.

• In later stanzas, however the tone of the poem changes so that the narrator is shown to be
dramatic and harsh in a way that hints a lack of credibility toward all of hid claims. In fact
at this point the reader can notice there is no indication of the women's feelings regarding
the narrator or the narrator provides on her behalf, which taints the situation with
uncertainty. What had previously been a heartfelt cry of longing becomes a work that
showcases pressure and ill intent from what had been an innocent narrator before smaller
details arose.
 Character details

•The reader can notice there is no indication of the woman’s feelings regarding
the narrator or the scenario outside of the elements that the narrator provides
on her behalf, which taints the situation with uncertainty. What had previously
been a heartfelt cry of longing becomes a work that showcases pressure and ill
intent from what had been an innocent narrator before smaller details arose.

•In essence, to fully capture the appeal of this woman, the narrator has to reach
for concepts that are renowned for their goodness. Few things, for instance,
are as noted for “beauty” as a “rose,” and “the swan” can be considered the
epitome of “grace.” Just like a “dawn,” this woman can bring the narrator
newness, and her ability to bring him “sweetness” and comfort are as surreal
as the song of a “nightingale.” All of these details create a vision of wonder.
Character details
• “Humayun to Zobeida ” by Sarojini Naidu. The speaker of the poem is often times also
the active character. The poem is about a man courting a girl called Zobeida , praising her
delicate beauty hidden behind a veil.

•  Zobeida , in turn , answers that she cant show her face to her suitor, she sits behind a
veil. The poem is subtitled as being a translation from urdu
Summary
• This stanza conveys the appel of the woman of the narrator’s interest by offering natural elements
as comparative concepts. These things include “the rose,” “the dawn,” “the nightingale,” and “the
swan,” all of which conveys serenity, comfort, “grace” and “beauty”. All together, the situation is
a fortress of lovely commentaries that grant the reader the impression that his woman is so
wonderous that she transcends the comman nature of humanity in general.

• In essence to fully capture of these woman, the narrator has to reach for concepts that are
renowned for their goodness. Few things, for instance, are as noted for “beauty” and “rose”, and
“the nightingale”. All of these details create a vision of narrator, however doesnot treat these or
humility with the approach.

• Once more, the verb choice in the stanza shows accusation since the person “haunts” the narrator,
but the more traditional approach.
Summary
• There is no modesty or humility with that approach Once more, the verb choice in this stanza shows
accusation since the person “haunt[s]” the narrator, but the more traditional approach of comparing with
“like” is employed.

• With that strategy, the meaning becomes more solid and concrete, which could be a reflection of the
change in perspective.

• In the first stanza, the narrator is commenting on how the woman “flaunt[ed]” her positive traits, so
having to make less concrete commentaries is understandable since the narrator cannot know precisely
what is going on in her head. In this second stanza, the narrator is addressing his own reactions, meaning
that something more certain can be stated.ch, which makes the compliments feel like accusations
Summary
• Also interesting is that the narrator is claiming this “flaunt[ing]” is happening “in the
rose” and so forth, rather than the more standard comparative tool of “like” or “as.”
This woman is not “beautiful” like a flower, but her “beauty” is “flaunt[ed]” “in the
rose.”

• If “the rose” actually represents the person’s “beauty,” then the beginning words could
be a declaration that only in that physical nature does this woman’s “beauty” manifest.
From there, “the glory” could be focused on the newness of life that the narrator feels,
like a “dawn.” Furthermore, the “sweetness” of the woman could only be present in her
ability to soothe like a “nightingale,” and her elegance may only be present in her regal
“grace” that is akin to a “swan.”
Literary devices
• Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phase is applied to an object or action to
which it is not literally applicable. In the poem “Humayun To Zobeida” the line” you
flaunt your beauty in the rose, your glory in the dawn” Metaphor is used where beauty is
compared to rose.

• Simile: A figure of speech involving the comparision of one thing another thing using as
or like. Similarly in the poem “Humayun To zobeida” the word like is used to compare.
Autumn Song
Publication Date & Details
• The poem Autumn Song was first published in 1912 by Sarojini Naidu.

• In her collection of poems called “The Bird of Time”. Naidu’s poetry is loved for her use
of imaginary and contemporary Indian themes and Bangle Sellers is one of her best
known poem.
Introduction
• ‘Autumn Song’ by Sarojini Naidu is a poem that presents a universal theme of change during the
autumn. Change is the nature of life. The subjective voice of the poet brings objectivity to the
poem.

• The poet places her pains apart from her heart and observes it from a distance. The ambiance of
autumn reminds her of the upcoming winter. There is a sense of joy but it’s dim like the setting
sun. The poet knows she should not think about such things; “why should I stay behind?”, the
message is clear. She wants to leave such thoughts and fly away like the “fluttering leaves” in the
wild gust of wind. However, the essence of Indianness in the poem brings a local flavor to the
poem.
Theme
• Autumn Song by Sarojini Naidu is a metaphorical poem in which the poet compares the season of
autumn with the condition of her heart after losing a dream; probably someone she loved. Finally,
she decides to move on.

• The poem consists of two stanzas having five lines each. The rhyme scheme is XABBA XABBA.
The poet uses a number of literary devices like Simile, Personification, Alliteration in the poem.
Character details
• In ‘Autumn Song,” Sarojini Naidu uses lyrical language with simple end rhymes in order to
parallel personal loss and loneliness with the beautiful frailty of autumn. She capitalizes on
wind as a metaphor for change and loss of “joy” in the fair frailty of Autumn. The change
from the invocation of nature to the personal address in the last stanza, specifically in the last
line, gives the speaker urgency to move on from the loss and not linger in sorrow that she
hears in the “wind.”

• The subjective voice of the poet brings objectivity to the poem. The poet places her pains
apart from her heart and observes it from a distance. The ambiance of autumn reminds her of
the upcoming winter. The poet knows she should not think about such things; “why should I
stay behind?”, the message is clear. She wants to leave such thoughts and fly away like the
“fluttering leaves” in the wild gust of wind. However, the essence of Indianness in the poem
brings a local flavor to the poem
Character details
• The poem “Autumn Song” is a short poem that contains the description of the beauty and
the sadness of the coming autumn. This sadness is in relation to the sadness of the
speaker’s heart, since this is a character whose dreams are lost and who is in despair
because of that.
Summary
• Autumn Song’ by Sarojini Naidu like an ode medi The poet is talking about autumn itself, not
about the impression it casts on her mind. tates in autumn. As a song it’s brief. The vastness of
ode cannot depict what autumn really is.

• According to the poet, autumn is like the short phase of a day when the sun is about to set. It
brings joy but not a permanent one. She can see the farmer’s sheaf is separating the autumnal
crop. Suddenly, the “wild wind” comes from nowhere and her thought fades away.

• The wind makes her heart “weary and sad and alone” as it tells her of the approaching winter.
The poet seems to be troubled by this thought. But she doesn’t want to wait behind as her heart
knows, “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”
Summary
• "Autumn” in this poem means that we should never look back into our past life & we
should make use of our present life to the fullest so that our past life do not reflect our
future life. Naidu has defined a perfect picture of a season by capturing the bitter-
sweet anxiety that colors the change between the lively summer season & the deathly
winter season.

• 'Like a joy on the heart of a sorrow… Of fair and frail and fluttering leaves…’

• Naidu has movingly described guilt in “Autumn” song. It is an outstanding

achievement in terms of evocation and tone.
Summary
• Autumn song is wonderfully written from the view point of a human being in the autumn
of his/her life. It describes a situation where people wonder why they have actually out-
lived their dreams. In this song Naidu has used lyrical language and simple end rhymes to
parallel personal loneliness & loss with beautiful fragility of autumn. As we all know
autumn is a beautiful season which everyone admires.

• Hence Naidu has explained the view, the nature, the feelings, what she is able to hear and
has described it wonderfully
 Literary devices
•‘Autumn Song’ by Sarojini Naidu begins with two figures based on similarity. The first line begins with the word “Like”. It means there is a simile and the
comparison becomes in the second. The poet compares the “sunset” with a kind of dim “joy” and the “cloud” to her “heart” in the first two lines.

• The use of imagery in the second line sets the mood of the poem. However, there is also a metaphor in the phrase, “the heart of a sorrow”. Here the poet refers to her
sad heart. The poet also personifies “sorrow” in this phrase. There is a metonymy in the phrase “golden storm”. The poet uses a metaphor of storm to present the idea
of separation of grains from the sheaves. “The wild wind” presents an alliteration at the end of the first stanza.

•There is a personification at the beginning of the first stanza. The poet implicitly personifies nature in the first line. It might be also a reference to the wind’s calling.
The poet uses polysyndeton in the third line of the stanza by using the conjunction “and” twice. In “my heart” the poet actually talks about herself. It is a use of
synecdoche and the variety is “part for the whole”. The next line presents a simile and the poem ends with an interrogation.
Ecstasy
Publication Date & Details
• The poem Ecstasy was first published in 1912 by Sarojini Naidu.

• In her collection of poems called “The Bird of Time”. Naidu’s poetry is loved for
her use of imaginary and contemporary Indian themes and Bangle Sellers is one of
her best known poem.
 Introduction
• The 'Ecstasy' is a short poem. It consists of 17 lines. Its rhyme scheme is abab. It is remarkable for
its lucidity of diction and spontaneity of expression. It is important for the richness of melody,
emotional intensity and Indian imagery. Through the repetition of phrase and exclamatory
sentences, the poet expresses her joyous experience of the spring. The use of imperative sentences
expresses the poet's ecstatic response.

• The use of various rhetorical devices enhances the charm and gravity of this poem. Thus 'Ecstasy'
is a fantastic poem by Naidu. It presents the beauty of nature and spellbinds the readers.

• Sarojini Naidu is a great nature poet. Her 'Ecstasy' is a marvellous piece of work. It is taken from
her collection of poem entitled 'The Bird of Time'. The joyous experience of the spring season
echoes in this poem. The poem reveals her aesthetic and sensuous attitude towards nature. When
the poet beholds the beauties of spring, her heart leaps up.
Theme
• Sarojini's 'Ecstasy' is an expression of her abundant joy at the arrival of the spring. It can be
divided into two parts on the basis of its theme. The first part deals with the joys offered by the
spring. The second part exhorts us to forget the grief and pain of our worldly existence.

• Sarojini says that at the arrival of the spring flowers bloom everywhere. The cuckoos pour the
songs of joy and happiness. The peacocks dance and the earth becomes the heaven. She advises
that we should forget the grief and pain and we should enjoy the pleasures of the spring.
Character details
• The first part deals with the joys offered by the spring. The second part exhorts us to
forget the grief and pain of our worldly existence. Sarojini says that at the arrival of the
spring flowers bloom everywhere. The cuckoos pour the songs of joy and happiness.
The peacocks dance and the earth becomes the heaven. She advises that we should
forget the grief and pain and we should enjoy the pleasures of the spring.

• The 'Ecstasy' is a short poem. It consists of 17 lines. Its rhyme scheme is abab. It is
remarkable for its lucidity of diction and spontaneity of expression. It is important for the
richness of melody, emotional intensity and Indian imagery. Through the repetition of
phrase and exclamatory sentences, the poet expresses her joyous experience of the
spring. The use of imperative sentences expresses the poet's ecstatic response.
Character details
• The use of various rhetorical devices enhances the charm and gravity of this poem.

• Thus 'Ecstasy' is a fantastic poem by Naidu.

• It presents the beauty of nature and spellbinds the readers.

Summary
• We, two lovers, each thinking of the other as the best person in the world, sat on the river-bank
which was raised high like a pillow to enable the reclining heads of violet flowers to rest on it.
Our hands were firmly grasped and from them a strong perfume emanated.

• Our eyes met and reflected the image of each other. It appeared as if our eyes were strung
together on a double thread. Our hands were firmly clasped together and this was the means of
bringing us close to each other. Our eyes reflected our images and this was the only fusion of our
love.

• Just as when two equally powerful enemies fight each other while fate holds the victory in a state
of balance, undecided which way to turn the scale, in the same way, our souls, which had left our
bodies to sublimate to a state of bliss, hung between the two of us uncertain of their future.
Summary
• If any stranger, whose soul had been purified by a similar process had stood beside our
souls, and had been capable of understanding the language of the souls his purified
mind would have forgotten the existence of the body and enlightened and sharpened the
faculties of his mind, such a soul may not have understood the conversation of our souls
because both our souls meant and spoke the same thing, but that soul might have
undergone a fresh process of purification and felt more refined than before.

• Our souls have reached a state of ecstasy which revealed to us what we did not know
earlier. We realised that love was not sex experience. We discovered the first time that
love really is a matter of the soul and not of the body. Souls are made of various
elements of which we have no knowledge.
Summary
• While our souls, communicated with each other in this situation, we lay quiet and
motionless like statues built over the monument of the dead. All thought the day our
bodies continued to remain in the same position without movement or speech.
• If any stranger, whose soul had been purified by a similar process had stood beside our
souls, and had been capable of understanding the language of the souls his purified mind
would have forgotten the existence of the body and enlightened and sharpened the
faculties of his mind, such a soul may not have understood the conversation of our souls
because both our souls meant and spoke the same thing, but that soul might have
undergone a fresh process of purification and felt more refined than be
Literary devices
• Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View

• Metaphors and Similes

• Irony