been summoned to

abro0ad to the call

call of
Her brave offspring have often duty
Indian soldiers who have
sacrificed their lives lite
The dead bodies of
s c a t t e r e d like shells on Rr
lie buried in the alien
lands they a r e yptian
along the
Persian waves, and like like withered aflower
sands, they sleep silently Flanders and France.
meadows of
scattered over the
are
immeasurable.
her sons is
Her grief at the loss of
surpasses
her heart's desDair
heroic deeds
Her pride at her sons'
fills her with pain
and suffering, yet she L.
pes
T h e loss of her sons' lives hate and terror.
there will be n o
for a future where
where lite will be refashioned
world free from
war
and
filled
She wishes of a

with peace. deeds of her "marh.

and h o n o u r the tyred
the people to respect
Mother India asks

sons

Detail
The Poem in

Lines 1-5 and asks if she has

the British, who have colonised India,
out to
Mother India calls o r gold. She exclaims
riches from them like garments, grain
withheld any of her to the East and the West
riches, she has sacrificed
these worldly
that m o r e than s o n s born out of her
up the
Indian s o n s . She has given
the lives of her priceless War.
the First World
womb to the British c a u s e in
serve

Lines 6-12 Indian

the
beloved sons, i.e.,
laments the loss of the lives of her She
Mother India to fight for them.
countries by the British
sent to foreign
soldiers, who w e r e France, the specific
Flanders (Belgium) and
alludes to Persia (now Iran), Egypt, the
sent to w a r by the British. They obeyed
Indian soldiers were
lands wherein the doom). Tn
and sacrificed their lives (sabers of
call of duty (drum-beats the duty)
of World War never
came

for the Allies during the First

Indian soldiers who fought lands.
lifeless soldiers lie buried in graves in alien
the
back home, and like pearls,
Persia, while others a r e scattercd
Some of them sleep silently along the shores in
soldiers with_pas
sands. Still other brave Indian
like broken shells on Egyptian meado
hands lie scattered like flowers on the blood-brown
brows and broken soldiers w e r e
bleeding
and France. It m e a n s that the
of Flanders (Belgium) their blood.
w e r e coloured by
much that e v e n the fields

I S C POEMS
62 WORKB0OK ON REVERIE
Lines 13-18

Tndia
Mother India rhetorically puts forward the question whether anyone can measure
ief she
the grief she has at the loss of her martyred sons. The grief tears her apart. But

at the
to same time, the pride at her sons' heroism overwhelms her despair. She
same

bears immeasuraB able pain in giving away her dear sons to the colonisers' demand.
he hopes that this pain in her heart while she prays, will be accepted and
But
one day hate and terror will come to an end; this comforts her. The poet, Sarojini
dav h a t e
eidt.
aid
is here hoping that a successful war of independence will be waged by the
N
dians against the
Indians the British, as signified by the word "banner" and for which she

Gaels glorious". But at the same time she feels sad for
the soldiers who were going
die for the cause as signified by the banners being torn and coloured by blood.
Lines 19-24

Mother India hopes that one day terror and hate shall cease and it is then that
life will be remodelled with new found peace. Mother India at the end demands
only one thing from the British that when out of love they will offer thanks and
respect to the soldiers who fought valiantly, they should remember the brave
soldiers of India who sacrificed their lives.

LUULUUL NoTES
UUUULLLLLLLLL

withhold: to hold (something) back. soldiers, who sacrificed their lives

raiment: clothing, garments. during the First World War.

Rich gifts yielded: produced or provided.

of raiment or grain or gold: here
refers to India's richness in material sons of my stricken womb: sons of

resources. Mother India's sorrowful womb,

(sorrowful because the sons borne of
Lo!: used to call attention to
something. her womb have been torn away from
Jhung: thrown her bosom ruthlessly to serve the
or
pushed (something) inn
a sudden and forceful way. British cause in the First World War.

East and the West: drum-beats of the duty: refers to the call
East refers to the
to the Indian soldiers, who were duty
Bastern countries such as Persia,
bound to serve the British in their
West refers to the
countries such as wars fought in foreign countries.
France and Flanders
(Belgium). sabers: long, heavy swords with curved
Priceless treasure:es: refers to the Indian blades.

THE GIFT OF INDIA 63

 visiOn: refers
to her vio.
sabers of doom: metaphorical expression sad glorious ision
of true freedom which India ould
signifying how war led to the ruin and the British, but it is
attain from sad
death of the Indian soldiers fighting because it would also result is loss
Indian soldiers
for the British. lives of many
of the

alien graves: Indian

soldiers' graves in
torn red
banners of victory: victory gained
Indian soldiers'
foreign lands such as in
Persia or
at the
cost of lood,
confusion or
Egypt. tumult: a
state o f noisy
because
brows: brows are yellow disorder.
pale
they are dead.
cease: end.

s t r e w n : Scattered. iron blocks on which

anvils: heavy
of fruit is shaped by hitting it
blossoms: flowers, especially
a
heated metal
with a hammer.
tree.
on anvils of
destroyed or killed
And life will be refashioned
down:
mown
anvil a metal is shaped
indiscriminately or in great numbers, peace:
on an

once the pain and suffering

battle. similarly
as troops in a
refashioned and
over, life will be
of land that gets
meadows: usually flat areas
filled with peace.
covered with tall grass. the world
are ranks": when
that And your love . . .

meadows
meadows: to the martyrs.
blood-brown
blood will pay tribute
brown from the
have turned comrades: fellow soldiers.
of the soldiers.
dauntless: very brave.
ye: you.
"Remember the blood of my martyred
Compass: comprehend.
sons!": Remember to pay homage
or sadness.
woe: a feeling of great pain to the "martyred sons"
of India,
lives and died
in her heart who sacrificed their
anguish of prayer: pain
unknown in foreign lands.
while praying.

T TTE
THEME
f
Patriotism: Sarojini Naidu's poetry is known for bringing out the depth
to
for her country, i.e., India. It is believed that she wished
her patriotism
serve her nation with
her songs. Sarojini Naidu's The Gift of India brings 0

her fervent patriotism. The poem is believed to have

been written to attra

64 wORKBOOK ON REVERIE: ISC POEMS

 attention of the world to the
brave soldiers of India, who sacrificed their
the
lives in different wars fought by the British during the First World War.
nem evoke
The poem evokes a sense or pride as well as grief at the loss of a number
soldiers,
Indian sold who laid down their lives in the First World War. In this
n Sarojini Naidu has personified Mother India, whose heart bleeds for
po who have been torn away from her bosom
ruthlessly and deployed
into reign lands to serve British interests.
Indian soldiers
TheIndian displayed their strength and courage on different battlefronts
fightingfor
for the Allied forces in the First World War. They died unknown and
unla
lamented and were "gathered like pearls in their alien
graves."
Caroiini Naidu has portrayed a heart rending picture of the dead soldiers
n fhe battlefield. They have been depicted as lying motionless with severed
Iimbs, resembling the shells that had been deserted by the living creatures
rifhin them. Their motionless and dishevelled bodies on the bloodstained
hattlefield have been compared with the withered beauty of flowers scattered
in a sun-parched meadow. She believed that prayer was the only source of
hope and solace for the anguished hearts that filled with
sorrow at the loss of Indian soldiers in war.
were
overwhelming
As a true patriot, who wanted to see her country free from the shackles of
the British rule, Sarojini Naidu visualised that good sense would prevail in
the world and hatred would not take a toll of human lives. The only tribute
that could be paid to those dead soldiers is not to
forget the sacrifice they
made for the cause of freedom.
Thus, the poem The Gift of India' is emotionally surcharged with the
sentiments of the poet towards the martyrs and the valiant sacrifice made
by the sons of the Indian soil.

STYLE

Form and Structure: The Gift of India is a 24-line poem without any stanza
divisions. Each line rhymes with its next line, so the rhyme scheme comes
Out to beaabbc..ee. Some of the rhyming words are withhold, gold; west,
breast; cease, peace; ones, sons, etc.
epoem personifies the country India as a mother, who sorrowfully yet proudly
nents the loss of her sons for the British cause in the First World War. The
words and phrases such as "Priceless treasures torn from my breast, "sons
y stricken womb," and "martyred sons" clearly establish the mother-son
relationship.
THE GIFT OF INDIA 65
 etic devices used effe
2. P o e t i c Devices: The poem r u n s on a n u m b e r ol p o

ideas are in
tively
which a b s t r a c t
(i) Fersonifñcation: A figure of speech in a b s t r a c t ideas re en
are investe
with personality, and both
inanimate and

with the attributes of living beings.

endowed
images, where country T.
Ine poem runs on of personified
a series
of a mother. The mIndia
1s endowed with the attributes
and feelings
laments the loss
of her "mart mother
artyred so
India speaks in first person and
the lndian soldiers as
pricele
ns"
For India as a mother calls
example,
examples of personification
treasures" torn from her breast. Other are:
hands withhold,
1s there ought you need that my
Can ye measure the of the tears I weep
grief
Or compass the woe of the watch I keep?
Remember the blood of my martyred sons!

(i) Similes: A figure of speech in which a likeness between two different

things is stated in an explicit way, using the words 'as' or like'
Gathered like pearls in their graves.
Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands.
they are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance.
(iii) Metaphors: Afigure of speech in which a comparison between
different things is implied, but not clearly stated. two
The Indian soldiers are
compared to "priceless treasures torn
my (India's) breast". from
(iv) A1literation: It is the close
the repetition of consonant sounds, usually at
beginning of words, as in:
Silent they sleep by the Persian
waves.
Scattered like shells on
They lie with Egyptian sands.
pale brows and
(v) Oxymoron: It is
brave, broken hands.
a
terms appear in figure of speech in
which
And the far
conjunction. For
example: apparently contradic y
sad glorious vision I
(vi) Rhetorical Question: It is see
effect or to make a

point question asked in order

a
rather than to to create
te aa dramatic
Can ye ara
measure the get an
answer:
Or
compass the woe grief
of the
of the
tears I
66 weep
watch I
keep?
wORKBOOK ON REVERIE
ISC
POEMS
 r Sa
3. Imagery: Sarojini Naidu's poetry is known for its use of images which stand
for hole range of experience and vision.
a "Poetic imagery is the artistic and
of
effective use of language to
help the reader get something of the feel and
Vision poet-artist at work, and this is what Naidu excelled at. The Gift
of the poet-arti
ed with such imagery, and use of
India is filled
of similes and metaphors plays
role in creating of inimages her
pivotal
poetry.
Visual Imagery

image of the dead Indian soldiers

mlua
"gathered like pearls in their alien
graves" is highly VISUal and pathetic.

Images of the soldiers wh0 sacrificed their lives for the British cause in the
First World War are moving and pictorial:

Silent they sleep by the Persian waves,

Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands,
They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands,
they are strewn like blossoms mown down by chance
On the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France

Auditory Imagery
The soldiers moving to the call of "the drum-beats of the
duty" is an
example
of auditory imagery
Colour Imagery
The poem also abounds in colour imagery. The richness of material resources
of India snatched by the British is symbolised by gold, which is not only
a metal but also a colour
symbolising tradition. Also the pearl like Indian
soldiers are dead, their brows have now turned pale, the beautiful coloured
tiowers have now withered away and the meadows of Flanders and France
have turned blood-brown. Moreover, the red banners of victory symbolise the
Victory gained at the cost of Indian blood. The colour imagery of red is also
prominent in the last line when mother India asks to remember the blood of her
martyred sons.

CRITICAL REMARKS K
LL LLLLLLILLLLLLL

T h e title The Gift of India is apt as the poem focuses on the priceless
lives the First World War.
Oindian sons given as gift to Allied forces during
poem begins with Mother India crying out that though the British had

THE GIFT OF INDIA 67

 taken over her country and monopolised its resources in terms of raiment
8rain or gold, the loss is insignificant in comparison to the ruthless killt nts,
ot her sons who were duty bound to serve the sell-assumed rulers of Ina Iling
ndi
i.e., the British.
The precious gift of so many lives of Indian soldiers entrusted to the Britiot

be undermined. With broken hand.

cause in the First World War c a n never
the dead bodies of these soldiers lie in alie
ien
pale brows, far away from home, mothers who gave their SO
the grief of those
graves. It is hard to
measure

to be sacrificed in the w a r
for the sake of the British. Mother India believe
Indian soldiers would create a world devoid
that the sacrifices made by the
and honour will be inextricable part of this
of hate and terror. Love, respect
the gift of India t h e blood of her
new world, laid o n the foundation of
thus fills Mother India's heart
martyred s o n s . Losing these priceless gems
The title of the poem is thus appropriate
with immeasurable s o r r o w and grief.
be a s valuable a s lives of India's "martyred
sons."
a s no other gift could

million Indian troops from Britain's

2. Background of the Poem: Over o n e
colonial empire served in the British Army in the First World War. Nearly
Naidu in the
pearls gathered
75,000 died on foreign lands-referred by as

alien graves. The Indian troops w e r e of vital significance in many battles of

the First World War and served not only in the Ypres sector of the Western
There large number of
Front but also in Mesopotamia and Gallipoli.
were

Indian soldiers who travelled from India to fight

in the trenches of France

and Belgium. Everywhere, be it Persia, Egypt,

Flanders or France, Indian sons
for them:
sacrificed their lives for the British cause, and thus Naidu says

Silent they sleep by the Persian waves,

Scattered like shells on Egyptian sands,
They lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands,
strewn like blossoms mown down by chance
they are

On the blood-brown meadows of Flanders and France

3. Mother India: The poem has personified the country India as the mother o
all its people. The boundless grief of Mother India for her heroic sons, who
were killed in the alien lands, is expressed in the poem. One of the eritics
mentioned that "It is India only, the great India, which represents itselt as

eternal Mother India, who loves her sons and daughters as a real mother
does..."

Sarojini Naidu has presented Mother India in a unique and unforgettable way
where she considers the precious lives of her sons as her gifts to the Britis 1.

68 WORKB0OK ON REVERIE ISC POEMS

 British cannot measure the grief encompassing her in losing the sons
The
cen womb. They cannot estimate the pride that
o f h e r stricke that runs
runs along
along the
the
pride
of her art, yet she is interectod
heart, interested in the sad but glorious vision of
despair
freedom, where "the terror and the tumult of hate shall cease". Despite
true

losing her numerous ons in the battlefield she is hopeful and believes life
will become anew on "anvils of peace". The only request she makes to the
British is that the brave Indian soldiers, who died for their cause should be
iti
and honoured till the world lives.
remembered
Anti-War Poem: Ever since the time of the Ancient Greeks, literature has glorified
war-heroes. They have made the war seem like a worthwhile, honourable and
romantic endeavour. For the most part, war, although tragic, was viewed aas
necessary and, in many ways, romantic. This notion was shattered at
the beginning of the 20th century by the horrors of the First World War,
termed as the Great War. This war brought about a great change in the
minds of Westerners, who had grown accustomed to the rosy pictures painted
by the Romantic and the Victorian authors, painters and poets. The number
of deaths caused by the Great War, the inhumane nature of trench warfare,
introduction of new deadly chemical weapons such as the chlorine gas and
the mustard gas, the conditions under which soldiers were made to live and
fight, appeared to be the antithesis of what civilised existence was supposed
to be.

Sarojini Naidu's The Gift of India is a patriotic poem, and yet can also be read
as an anti-war poem at one level. Through this poem Naidu has depicted the
horrors of war through the brutal killings of the Indian soldiers in the First
World War. These Indian soldiers were used as pawns in the war by the British.
They were in no way involved in the cause or the outcome of the war but they
were unscrupulously deployed for the benefit of the British. These soldiers
fought in alien lands and died on the battlefield. They could never reunite
with their country and their families. Their dead bodies lay lifeless like the
shells scattered on sands. Their severed limbs and dishevelled, bloodstained
bodies are proof enough of the horrors of war, which these soldiers had to
Tace. Thus, the immeasurable grief of Mother India in the poem reflects Naidu's
anti-war attitude. Throughout the poem, war is not glorified but condemned.
Mother India throughout, laments the loss of her children.

Other India's crying over the loss of Indian soldiers can be seen as a reflection
of every mother lamenting the loss of her martyred son. The soldiers and their
lhes are thus the victims of any war encompassing loss and bloodshed.
She visualises a day when the world will be free from hatred and agonies of
war and life will be modelled on the new found peace.

THE GIFT OF INDIA 69