UNIT 24 RABINDRANATH TAGORE

AND SAROJINI NAIDU

Structure
24.1 Aims and 'Objectives
24.2 Introduction
24.3 Rabindranath-Tagore
24.4 "I ask for a moment's indulgence to sit by thy side"
24.5 "This is my prayer to thee my Lord"
24.6 Sarojini Naidu
24.7 "Palanquin Bearers"
24.7.1 Interpretation
24.7.2 Images
24.8 "The Bird of Time"

24.9 "Bangle skllersH

24.9.1 Interpretation
24.10 Let Us Sum Up
24.11 Comprehension ~xerdises
24.12 Suggested Readings

24.1 AIMS AND OBJECTNES

> I
This unit is the first unit from Block 7 which deals with Indian Poets writing in
English. The two poets that we intend to discuss in this unit are ~abindranaih
Tagore a ~ I dSarojini Naidu.
The 6bjectives of this unit are to enable you
i) -to comment on two pbems of Rabindranath Tagore and three of Sarojini Naidu
ii) 'to examine the development of imagery in the pokms, and
iii) to establish the link between the different parts of the poem.
By the end of this unit you should be able to understand well, the poems taught in
this unit and also to have a fair understanding of Rabindranath Tagore and Sarojini
Naidu as poets. You should also be able to read their poems and appreciate their
language, imagery and form.
U

24.2 INTRODUCTION
'

We begin this Block on Indian poets yith a dudy of twopoems of Rabindranath

Tagore and three poems of Sarojini Naidu.
The comprehension exerQses given at the end of this unit will add to your in-depth
underst'anding gf the poems in the course. The difficult words of the poems have
been explained in the glossary which is given after every poem.

1
24.3 RABIN~RANATHTAGORE
Tagore is the most outstanding name in modern Be~igaljlite'ratuie, and he was the
one writer who first gained for modern India, a place on the world literary scene.
The award of the Nobel Prize for Literature placed not only Tagore but also Indian
literature on the world map. He was a great poet and agreat man andbe has left
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behind him a great institution at Shantiniketan, I

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 Tagwe wrote primarily in Bengali, but had a mastery of English also. He translated
, many of his poems and plays into English, often changing, telescoping or
transforming the origin8ls. Occasionally he even wrote a poem in English in the first
instance (for example, The Child). Besides, he lectured in English to audiences
outside India or outside Bengal, and he also wrote many letters in English.
Therefore, we should not consider him only as a Bengali man of letters. He belongs
unquestionably to Bengali literature, but he also belongs to Indian literature.
Although Tagore was a poet, dr4matist, novelist, short-story writer. musician,
painter, critic philosopher, educationist, still the man himself both included and
exceeded these diverse manifestations of his genius. A great worshipper of nature,
Tagore was by and large a mystic poet. He always felt that he had a communion with
the divine being. his spiritual consciousness hovers around all his works and a net
of mysticism is cast all around.
Gitanjali or..Song-offerings is the most famous of Rabindranath Tagore's English
works; it is probably his best. When it was first published in 1912-1913, it created a
sensation amongst the English and European reading public.
~ h e s prose
e poems are on the very ancient themes of man's wbrship of God. The
ideas are simple and the images are familiar, and they are full of surprises at every
turn of thought and phrase. Their impression of uniquerfkss remains as fresh as ever.
The two poems that we are going to deal with in detail i.e. "I ask for a moment's
indulgence to sit by thy side", and "This is my prayer to thee my Lord" are part of
this iarger work Gitanjali. To be. able to understand the two poems prescribed, it is
necessary to get an overall picture of Gitanjali.
The poems of Gitanjali are so arranged, so that one idea gently glides off into
another and is an impression of variety in unity. A group of poems leads naturally on
to its successor and even within a single group, every-poem has its individual charm.
Inthe first 7 poems, the poet deals with the relationship between God and himself.
1; the next group (8-13) the same idea is carried forward and the stress is laid here .
on the proper realization of God. The poet is eager to unite himself to God and
poems 14-36 deal with his eager waiting and the obstacles'that handicap him.
In poems 37-57, the union with God has become a reality and new aspects of their
relationship are revealed. The dominant note in the poems 58-70 is a nore'of ,
joyousness.
_ _ L e tus begin by reading the first poem prescribed for you.
 1I

,24.4 'I ASK FOR A MOMENT'S INDULGENCE TO

SIT .BY-
THY SIDE'
I ask for a moment's indulgence to sit by thy side. The
works that I have in hand I will finish afterwards.
Away from the sight of thy face my heart knows no
rest nor respite, and my work becomes an endless toil
in a shoreless sea of toil;
To-day the summer has come at my window with its
sighs and murmurs; and the bees are plying their
minstrelsy at the court of the flowering grove.
Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee,
and to sing dddication of life in this silent and over
flowing leisure.

Glossary
indulgence: something which you allow yourself
respite: relief or rest from pain, worry or hard-work
toil: work that is very tiring
shoreiess: unending
plying: to do a particular kind of work regularly.
minstrelsy: (in medieval times) a singer or musician L-

, grove: group of trees close together

Interpretation
'
The poem "I ask for a moment's indulgence to sit by thy side" is the fifth poem in
Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali. It basically deals with the relationship between
God and the poet. It emphasizes the intimate relationship of lave existing between
the poet and God.
The imagery of this song is based in nature -which is always so prevalent in
Tagore's poetry.
To sit face to face with the Lord of love and to sing the mystic Muse of life,
necessitate an atmosphere of serene silence for the poet. He awaits the summers
(the season of fulfilment of the longings ofkhe thirsty heart), pining for the sweet
music of bees in the flowering grove. Here the dramatic atmosphere is painted in the
mystic words of the Muse.

24.5 THIS IS MY PRAYER.TO THEE MY LORD

The second poem which we will now take up is 'This is my prayer to thee my Lord'.
Let us begin by reading the poem.
THIS is my prayer to thee, my lord--strike, strike at the
root oi penury in my neart.
Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and
sorrows.
~ i v me
e the strength to make my 'love fniitful in
service. ,. "
Give me the strength never to disown the poor or
b e d my knees before insolent might.

Give me the strength to raise my mind high above

daily trifles. - ,

And give me the strength to surrender my stfength . .

to thy will with love. '
he lndivn PWIS Glossary - -

penury: great poverty ..

insolent: rude or impolite
Y trifles: of little importance or significance

Interpretation
Song 36 is an expression of the will of shedding of the life of alienation led by a single
individual. It is a prayer to the Lord to remove the traces of ignorance from the
heart of the poet. The poet wishes that he is granted strength not only to bear up to
his joys and troubles but also to be able to selflessly serve the Lord with a humane
heart. The poet also asks to be gifted with fortitude to serve and love the poor and
unfortunate and never to be a coward in the face of the rude and mighty. In the last
two lines, the poet asks for strength and courage to elevate his mind above prosaic
and insignificant things. And finally to have the strength to merge with the will of
God with love and devotion.

2'4.6 SAROJINI NAIDU

Like Tagore, Sarojini Naidu too was more than a poet. She was one of the most
illustrious Indians who contributed to the cultural, political and social advancement
o f the nation in numerous ways.
Even before plunging into the freedom movement, she had impressed the West by
her remarkable poetic genius. It was the poet and critic Edmund Gosse who
implored Sarojini Naidu to reveal "the heart of India" in her poems. Her earlier
compositions were entirely "Western in feeling and imagery", and "totally without
individuality:'.
Sarojini Naidu took his advise seriously and =onsequently her three volumes of
poetry The Golden Threshold, The Bird of Time and he Broken Wing, are
essentially Indian in tenor and tone.
Sarojini Naidu wrote poetry where images and metaphors came readily,out of her
imagination. Her poetry is intensely emotional and passionate. The influence of the
gritish Romantic poets can be perceived in her poetry, but what makes it interesting
and relevant to the Indian tradition is the sustenance from the twin indigenous
sources. Her poetry cdntidues to delight the readers by its sheer simplicity and .
sweetness.
-r
Sarojini Naidu's poetry presents a Kaleidosbpe of Indian scenes, sights, sounds and
experiences transmuted into a fantastic vision of colour and rhythm. Her themes are
mostly familiar and even insignificant. But they are vivified through the magic glass
of her imagination. There are in her poetry, Indian dancers, wandering singers,
fishermen, palanquin bearers and bangle-sellers and snake-charmers to mention
only a few.

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SAROJINI NAlUU
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Her poems are available in 4 volumes - The Golden Threshold (19051, The Bird of Rsbladnnath T
- ud &b6;
Nrldv
Time (1912), The Broken Wing (1917) and The Feather of Dawn (1961)
(posthumously).

24.7 PALANQUIN BEARERS

Let us' take the 'Palanquin Bearers'. First of all let us read the poem
Lightly, 0 1ightly;we bear her along,
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.
Gaily, 0 gaily we glide and we sing,
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Softly, 0 softly we bear.hei 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, 0 lightly we glide and we sing, .
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

Glossary
sways: lean or swing from side to side.
skims: moving fast just above the surface.
, springs: bounces
beam: ray of light
brow: the top part

24.7.1 Interpretation
'Palanquin Bearers' is the first poem in the first section of he Golden Threshold
which has three sections i.e. Folk Songs, Songs for Music and Poems.
'Palanquin Bearers' was composed on Aug. 7, 1903, as is borne out by the facsimile
of the poem in Sarojini Naidu's handwriting.
'hanging', 'sptinging', and 'falling7are fine kinetic images. The poetess perceptions
become highly imaginative with the help of these images.

24.7.2 Images
'Palanquin Bearers' gains richness through the images which lie inherent in the
native consciousness. It explodes with lovely romantic images. The quick succession
of images shows the Shelleyan impact. No fewer than seven similes emphasize her
beauty, she "sways like a flower", "skims like a bird", "floats like a laugh", "hangs
like a star", "springs like a beam" and "falls like a tear"; the bearers of her
palanquin bear her along like a "pearl on a st.ring7'
Here we have both concrete and abstract images. There are vivid and concrete
images executed with gnomic terseness like skimming on the foam of a stream, a
beam springing on the brow of the tide and a tear falling trom the eyes of a bride.
There are also some vague images in the manner of the Pre-Raphaelites, like a laugh
. from the lips of a dream, swinging like a flower in the wind of a song and hanging
like a star in the dew of a song.
T M image "She falls ... bride" is highly imaginative and suggestive. It embodies the
agcs'old story of an Indian bride's sadness, whatever be the cause -separation from
the parents etc.
This characteristically Indian poem takes us back to the India of the beginnipg of the
present century, when palanquins were a common sight in the Indian Streets. The
streets of Sarojini's home-town Hyderabad must have been full of them at that time.
One might even todav go to remote Indian villagesgfarrernoved from the modem 9
I
 means of conveyance, and observe the palanquin-bearers carrylng in the palki a
young lady most probably to her husband's house. The palanquin-bearers usually
sing songs in rhythmic harmony with their footsteps.
The whole setting of this poem is romantic. The movement of the poem suggests the
rhythmic march of the palanquin-bearers through the streets. The bearers sing gailj
of the beauty of the lady. A soft music leaps up in the air as the palanquin-bearers
bear the blooming beauty along. The tone here is in complete rapport with the heart
beats of the beauty inside. The palanquin, the bearers, the inmate inside, the song
and the springy movement all fuse into one another. #
The poem consists of 2 stanzas each of six rhymed lines. ~he'firstand the fifth lines
in each stanza serve as a refrain. The rhythm is of comparatively swift movement
corresponding with the swaying movement of the palanquin, and the rise and fall
(the stressed and unstressed sound) of the bearers' footsteps.
The tune and the movement go together in this song, where we have what is
rhetorically called, the kinesthetic image, or the image of felt motion 'swaying',
'skimming', 'floating'. It may sound nostalgic but it is very true to the Indian
experience.
The images indicate a lightness of touch, a buoyancy, and create a dream like
atmosphere.
J.H.Cousins remarks that "there is not a thought" in thls poem, "Yet its charm is
instantaneous and complete". The poem can thus be enjoyed for the sake of words
and its swingy movement and perpetual music.
Even though the setting of the poem 'Palanquin Bearers' is specifically Indian, it
acquires its appeal from a certain exoticism of setting or certain ideals or emotions
which inspire them. The emotions suffusing 'Palanquin Bearers' is not confined to
India alone. The sadness of a departing bride and the joy of those escort'ing her to
her new home and unravelling, like divine agents, the stages of the inexorable
march of human life, is expressed through a rocking rhythm and cosmic imagery.
The poem seems to be an allegory on the movement of time gleefully carrying man
towards an unknown but inevitable destiny, which can either be "like a laugh from
the tips of a dream" or "like a tear from the eyes of a bride". Possibly both.

24.8 THE BIRD OF TIME

Now let us take up the second poem 'The Bird of Time'.
I
0 Bird of Time, on your fruitful b g h
What are the songs you sing?. ...
Songs of the glory and gladness of life,
Of poignant sorrow and passionate strife,
And the tilting joy of the spring;
Of hope that sows for the years unborn,
And faith that dreams of a tarrying morn,
The fragrant peace of the twilight's breath,
And the mystic silence that men call death.
0 Bird of Time, say where do you learn
The changing measures you sing?
In blowing forests and breaking tides
In the happy laughter of new made brides,
And the nests of the new-born spring;
Irl the dawn that thrills to a mother's prayer,
In the dawn that shelters a heart's despair,
In the sight of pity, the sole of hate,
And the pride of a soul that has conquered fate.
Glossary
bough: branches
poignant: deeply felt distress
, passionate: very strong *
strife: conflict, disagreement
tilting influencing
sows: means to cause it to begin or @evelop
tarrying: delay leaving
fragrant: pleasant, sweet (smell)
mystic: involving religious or spiritual powers
measures: songslthemes
thrills: a feeling of great pleasure or excitement
despair: feeling or hopelessness I

24.8.1 Interpretation
After The Golden Threshold (1905) Sarojini Naidu's second publication The Bird of
Time appeared in 1912. The 107 pages of this volume contain 46 poems. In poetical
terms it is a more mature book filled with philosophical reflections and thoughts. In '
this poem Sarojini calls herself figuratively the Bird of Time. The poem is important
in so far as Sarojini indicates the subject matter of her poetry and the source where
from she has learnt the changing measure of her songs. Asked about the nature of
her songs, the Bird of Time replies that her songs deal with life's glory and gladness,
sorrow and conflict, joy and hope -faith, twilight and death.
The poem 'The Bird of Time' rings with melody throughout, and suggests the
totality of life wherein pleasure and pain hold an even scale. The poem consists of
two stanzas of nine lines each.
In the first stanza, the Bird of Time has been addressed and asked about the subject
matter of her songs. The reply is that the songs are about the varied emotions of
human life i.e. joys, sorrows, troubles, fights, hopes, faith, peace and death.
In the second stanza, she has been asked to disclose the location where she learned
the "changing measures" of her song. And the reply that comes is: that almost any
situation has been able to evoke and inspire the Bird of Time to sing. It may have
been the forest or the waves at the sea-side. It could have been the laughter and
happiness of a new bride. It may have been the dawn of hope or the dawn of despair;
or the emotions of pity, hate or pride. Therefore any situation or emotion has been
capable of inspiring the songs of the Bird of Time.
The poetry of Sarojini Naidu embodies her bold defiance of fate. Eternabjoy can be
experienced only by those who have strength and courage ta defeat the deceptive
designs of fate. In this poem, when the poetess asks the bird about the sources of its
profound joy its delightful music, it points to the precious possession emanating
from the triumph over fate:
The desire to escape from the hard realities of life does not touch the valiant souls
that aspire to defy and defeat fate. They learn to pass through easily the moments of
failure and frustration and to extract peace and joy from them. Sarojini herself lived
a life of this type. She continually suffered from ill health and gloom and often
longed for peace and poise, but soon her indomitable spirit would come out of such
a state of despondency triumphantly and she would rush to the joyful realm of
dreams and hope. The variety of emotions that goad the bird in the poem to burst in
spontaneous music make it a typical Indian bird.
Sarojini Naidu is a gifted artist who shows in all her poetry a great flair for
ornamental and highly sophisticated style which abounds in lovely similes,
metaphors, images and symbols.

24.9 BANGLE SELLERS

And finally, let us take up the last and third poem by Sarojini Naidu:
Bangle-seller are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair
who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circle of lights?
 - - -
The Indian Poeb Lustrous tokens of radiant lines, ..
for hap,py daughters & happy wives. ,
Some are meet for a maiden's wrist,
Silver and blue as the mountain-mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream;
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new-born leaves.
Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn;
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire;
Or rich with the hue of her heart's desire,
Tinkling, luminous tender, and clear
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
Some are purple a gold-flocked grey,
For her who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest
And cradled fair sons on the faithful breast,
Who serves her house-hold in fruitful pride,
And worships the Gods at her husband's side.

Glossary
fair: fete
Rainbow tinted: multi-coloured like a rainbow
circles of light: brightly shining
radiant: glowing brightly with joy
meet: fit
maiden: young unmarried girl
flushed: blush - to go red in the face
tranquil: peaceful
aglow: glowing
bloom: healthylfresh apperance
cleaves: sticking together
limpid: clear
hue: colourlshade
luminous: glowing with light

24.9.1 Interpretation
'Bangle-Sellers' as you can see is a poem of 4 stanzas of 6 lines each rhyming aa bb
CC.

This poem throws light on Sarojini Naidu's conception of Indian womanhood.

According to her, the lives of women should be radiant, the lustrous tokens of which
are the delicate bright rainbow-tinted bangles.,The first duty of a woman is to be
happy, since her happiness radiates happiness to those who come into contact with
her. To be a happy daughter and wife is the goal to which Indian women ought to
aspire. Marriage to an Indian woman means much more than to a man since the
woman is in most cases economically dependent. It is therefore a turning point in
her life.
Sarojini'symbolizes t h e heart's desire of a bride with the rich red colour of her
bangles.
The would be bride responds to the laughter of the intimate companions of her
girihood as they tease her about her coming marriage. She sheds tears as she leaves ,
her father's house for her husband's. Hence Sarojini Naidu speaks of the bridal ;
laughter and the bridal tears which like the bangels she wears are,
Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear.
 -

'Bangle Sellers' confines itself to the different stages in a womtrn's life, relating each
stage to the bangles appropriate to it. Thus the "rainbow-tinted circles of light"
carried by the banglesellers to rhe temple fare are 'Lustrous tokens of radiant
liveslfor happy daughters and happy wives'.
Thg focus here is only on the radiance and not on the desolation at all. Sarojini
Naidu mingles description with reflection in 'Bangle Sellers'. It is beautifully
executed and shows her descriptive skill with sustained thought.

24.10 LET US SUM UP

In this Unit we have
introduced you to two Indian poets i.e. Rabindranath Tagore and Sarojini Naidu
> and interpreted 213 poems of each of these poets respectively.

24.11 COMPREHENSION EXERCISES

1) What is the basic theme of both the poems of Rabindranath Tagore?
2) What are the various images that can be seen in the poem 'The Palanquin
Bearers'?
3) - How does the poem 'The Bangle Sellers' throw light on Sarojini Naidu's
conception of Indian Women?

24.12 SUGGESTED READINGS

The Great Sentinel - A Study of Rabdronath Tagore- by S.C. Sen Gupta
Some Aspects of the Poetry of-'Tagore- S.C. Sen Gupta
Rabindranath Tagore - A Critical Introduction- K.R. Srinivasan Iyengar
~aroji;;iNaidu'& her Poetry - A.N. Dwiv2di
Sarojini Naidu & her art of Poetry -D. Prashad
Sarojini Naidu :An introduction to her life, work & poetry - V.S. Narayana
Sarojini Naidu The poet- Izzat Yarrkhan
Three Indo-Artglian Poets- K . R . Ramachandran Nair
Perspectives on Indian Poetry in English - M . K . Naik