The Bird Sanctuary

By: Sarojini Naidu

Sarojini Chattopadhyay Naidu (1879-1949) was a key figure during India’s
independence struggle. Her work as a poet earned her the title of
‘Nightingale of India’ from Mahatma Gandhi. Along with this, she is also
remembered for activism regarding women’s emancipation, civil rights and
anti-colonialism.

Named as the nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu, is essentially a poetess of

Indian flora and fauna. Nature was a spring of perpetual bliss to her.’

The Bird Sanctuary is a 4 stanza poem written. Like many of her other poems,
this poem is metaphorical in which the poet praises the diversity created by
“Master of Bird”. She talks about birds of different colours and breeds. They fill
the morning breeze with melodies. In the end, she prays to “Master of Bird” to
grant shelter to even that bird which has a broken wing. The ‘Bird Sanctuary’
depicts the ideal refuge of God that offers ideal fostering space and nurturing
place for every bird regardless of its identity. The poem is addressed to the Master
of the Birds. There is festive joy as the birds sing tumultuously. The enchanting
aura they craft herald the Festival of Dawn. Birds of multitudinous colors produce
music entrancing and melodious.

The birds strive to sing carols from their throats of amber, ebony and fawn and
passionately evocate the pastoral arena of India. The bulbul, the oriole, the honey
bird and the shama are perceived fluttering from the high boughs sodden with
nectar and due. As the atmosphere is animated with colour and movement, the
gull exhibits its silver sea-washed coat, and the hoopoe and the kingfisher their
sapphire-blue. The wild gay pigeons envisage a home, amid the tree tops and
endeavour to achieve the same, filling their beaks with silken down and banyan
twigs. The pervading greenery is reflective of fertility and prosperity in the lives
of the birds. Their ascent phrased as “sunward flight” signifies their aspiration to
accomplish new heights. The green parrots pose themselves as marauders who
loot the ripe-red figs.

With personal and autobiographical ramifications, the poetess asserts that God
grants sanctuary and shelter even to a bird with a broken wing. The poet
indubitably refers to herself as a bird with a broken wing. The poet persistently
battled against ill-heath that plagued her throughout her life. Nevertheless, she
seeks solace in the fact that THE Almighty will never desert her.

The poem is allegorical and has nationalistic significance. The poem was penned
in 1971 when India lay in the vortex of freedom struggle. The multitude of birds
that commemorate the generic festival of dawn may allude to the unambiguous
Dawn of Independence.

The bird is the most apt emblem to depict the concept of liberty from caged
existence. As Dr. Rajalakshmi claims:” She unfolds the beauties, transformation,
and the significance of our natural world. It reveals a world of colour, perfume,
and melody.”

Explanation:

“The Bird Sanctuary” is rich in imagery and metaphors. These devices are
present at the very beginning of the poem. In the first line, Naidu’s poetic
persona depicts a “quiet garden”. It suddenly gets filled with an outburst of
twittering and chattering of birds. The irregularity of several sounds creates a
tumultuous environment at dawn. Readers can sense how the internal volume
keeps rising until the end of the second line.
In the second line, “winged choristers” refers to the birds. Here, the poet
compares them to choristers who sing hymns to God. In this way, the poet
associates a devotional essence into the lines. The “quiet garden” turns out to be
a temple where a festival is held every day at dawn.

In the following line, the term “blithe” depicts the carefree nature of the “carol”,
a metaphorical reference to the birds’ song. Though they don’t sing in unison, a
beautiful composition comes out of the irregularity. The irregularities in nature
also create a magnificent tune if one has the ears to sense it.

Naidu further describes the song as a “richly cadenced rapture”. It means the
“richly cadenced” song of birds makes the poet’s heart ecstatic. In the choir,
there are some other members including the “amber”, “ebony”, and “fawn”.
They play the part of vocalists.

By the term “amber”, the poet also associates the scent of amber leaves. Ebony
is a tree of tropical and warm-temperate regions. While “fawn” is a young deer.
In the “Festival of Dawn”, fawns and other animals also sing the carols along
with the birds and trees. It seems the whole creation starts singing in praise of
the blissful dawn.

The second stanza alludes to the birds present in the garden. There are bulbul,
oriole, honey-bird, and shama. Their movement among the high boughs is swift
and light. It seems as if they are fairies of nature, beautifully winging across the
garden trees. Naidu depicts the boughs as shedding small drops of nectar and
dew. Here, the nectar of flowers and the dew on the leave’s tip are depicted. It
seems the whole bough is filled with the sweetness of nectar and ornamented
with pearl-like dew.

The speaker can find the gulls ostensibly displaying their plumage upon the
grass. Naidu compares the color of its feathers to “sea-washed silver”. The
seawater washes their feathers while they fly over it and makes the plumage
look shiny. Besides, hoopoe and kingfisher are parading their bronze and
sapphire blue feathers. Here, the poet use images of metals (silver and bronze)
and a stone (sapphire) in order to depict the hue of the birds’ plumage.

In the third stanza, Naidu presents an antithetical idea by presenting two species
of birds. One is the wild pigeon. The other one is the parrot. The pigeons are
dreaming of a home while they hover around the treetops. They fill their beaks
with the slender and smooth twigs of banyan. Their dream keeps them
motivated to do this mundane work of collecting twigs.

In contrast, the parrots do not even care for a home like the pigeons. The
contentment of living at one place for the rest of their lives is suffocating. They
are the “gay marauders” of nature, unanchored to the comforts of the nest.
According to the poet, they only pause upon their flight directed by the sun, to
plunder red figs of the garden.

Sarojini Naidu compares and contrasts the conventional lifestyle with the life of
a vagabond. Most of us work day and night for survival. There is also a distinct
group who live just like the parrots. However, the poet does not glorify one over
the other. She is of the view that we can find happiness in both courses of
living.

Question and Answers:

What is the extended metaphor in the poem “The Bird Sanctuary”?

The title of the poem “The Bird Sanctuary” is an extended metaphor for a spiritual abode
where a soul rests or finds peace in. Naidu’s paradise does not exist somewhere above the
clouds or in some hilltops. It is there where the birds sing beautifully at dawn, in an
unsophisticated garden of nature.

What does the metaphor of the garden and birds stand for in the poem “The Bird
Sanctuary”?
The “garden” is a metaphor for a spiritual resort. While the “birds” collectively stand for the
song of nature that is ceaseless and eternal. Besides, the “homing bird” is a reference to the
poet’s soul longing for spiritual satisfaction.
Which birds are described as “marauders” in the poem?
The “jade-green” parrots are described as “gay marauders”.
Why are they called “marauders”?
The term “marauder” literally means a raider. It is also a reference to a lawless adventurer
who does not conform to the conventions of society. The parrots are called “gay marauders”
as they plunder the ripe figs of the garden. Besides, parrots are hard to tame. For this reason,
Naidu describes them as the happy adventures of nature.
Which birds are mentioned in the poem “The Bird Sanctuary”?
Naidu mentions the bulbul, oriole, honey-bird, shama, gull, hoopoe, kingfisher, pigeon, and
parrot in the poem.
What are the birds celebrating?
The birds are celebrating the “Festival of Dawn” by singing “richly cadenced” carols.

What does the variety of the birds mentioned in the poem evoke?
The variety of birds mentioned in the poem evokes a lively picture of a garden at dawn. It
seems the birds represent the soul of the garden. Their collective singing infuses life into the
quiet garden.
How is the color of the gulls or sea birds?
The gulls have “sea-washed silver” plumage.
Who is referred to as “winged choristers” in the poem “The Bird Sanctuary”?
The birds of the sanctuary or garden are referred to as “winged choristers”.
Who is flitting among high boughs that drip with nectar and with dew?
The bulbul, oriole, honey-bird, and shama flit among the high boughs that drip with nectar
and dew.
Who is called “the Nightingale of India”?
Sarojini Naidu earned the sobriquet “the Nightingale of India” or “Bharat Kokila” from
Mahatma Gandhi. For her lyricism, use of color, and imagery Gandhi gave her the title. As
the nightingale is known for its sweet, intoxicating song and cannot be found easily. Naidu is
such a nightingale of India whose poetry has the ability to reach one’s soul. She is one such
hidden gem that is both rare and precious.

What is the conclusion of the poem the bird sanctuary?

In the last stanza she prays to God the 'Master of the Birds' to give her sanctuary and shelter
in His gracious garden which is full of joy and fostering freedom, because she has some
frustrating experience in life which has delivered a rude shock (having bird that bears a
broken wing).
What is the theme of the bird sanctuary?
' The 'Bird Sanctuary' depicts the ideal refuge of God that offers ideal fostering space and
nurturing place for every bird regardless of its identity. The poem is addressed to the Master
of the Birds. There is festive joy as the birds sing tumultuously. The enchanting aura they
craft herald the Festival of Dawn