Palanquin Bearers | Poem 9 | Summary, Questions and Answers |
English | Class 9th |Tulip Series | jandkncert | Free NCERT Solutions |
Poem
9 – Palanquin Bearers | Tulip Series | Summary, Questions, and Answers |
(Sarojini Naidu)
Sarojini Naidu
(1879-1949), Indian poet was born into a Bengali Brahmin family in Hyderabad.
With her father a scientist and her mother a poet, she grew up surrounded by
artists, intellectuals, and revolutionaries. A brilliant student, she entered
Madras University at the age of 12, about the time she began also to write
poetry. In 1895 she was sent to England to study at King’s College, London, and
Girton College, Cambridge, before poor health forced her to abandon her studies
and return home. In 1925 Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman to be
elected as the President of the Indian National Congress and, continuing her
active participation in Gandhi’s program of satyagraha, a nonviolent form of
protest, was jailed on several occasions by the British. Her published poetic
works include The Golden Threshold (1905), The Bird of Time (1912), The Broken
Wing (1917), Selected Poems (1930), The Sceptered Flute (1937, with an introduction
by Joseph Auslander), and The Feather of the Dawn (1961). Many of her speeches
have also been published.Palanquin Bearers (Sarojini Naidu)
Lightly, O lightly 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, O gaily we glide and we sing,
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Softly, O softly we bear her along,
She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;
She springs like a beam on the brow of the
tide,
She falls like a tear from the eyes of a
bride.
Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Central Idea of the Poem
This poem is about the bride which is being carried out in a palanquin. The palanquin was once a part of Indian culture. Almost three decades ago, people used to
carry the bride was in a palanquin to her in-laws and the bridegroom used to
ride a horse. The poem beautifully compares the bride with numerous images.
Palanquin reminds us of the past culture of marriages. The poem portrays the
situation while the palanquin bearers are carrying the bride in the palanquin.
Summary of the Poem
The poem “Palanquin Bearers” has been written by Sarojini Naidu. She is called the
Nightingale of India. In this poem, she gives the imagination of feelings of palanquin
bearers about the bride while carrying her to her in-laws. The bearers say that
the bride is like a flower in the wind that sways while they carry her in the
palanquin. She is like a bird on the foam of a stream, like a laugh that floats
from the lips of dream and she is very soft and delicate as a pearl on a
string that is why they carry her lightly. They go on carrying her on their
shoulders enjoying the travel by singing happily on the way.
The
bearers in the poem compare the bride with the dew of their song that shines
like a star. They also compare her with the ray of the curved tide that springs when
the sunlight falls on it. It seems no burden on their shoulders. They sing and
move easily to carry her along the way to her in-laws. The poem shows the
conjuncture or critical moment for a bride and her parents.
Understanding the Poem
Q1. What are the feelings of the palanquin
bearers as they carry the princess inside the palanquin?
Ans.
The palanquin bearers feel the princess like a pearl on the string which light,
soft and delicate. The compare her with a flower, a bird on the foam of stream.
They lightly and softly carry her along the way without making her feel that she
is leaving her parents and her childhood home.
Q2. Lightly, O lightly we bear her along; she
sways like a flower in the wind of our song’. What are these opening lines of
the poem suggestive of? Do you think that the palanquin bearers are sensitive
to the presence of the bride?
Ans.
These opening lines suggest that there is something delicate in the palanquin
that needs to be carried carefully. These lines show the conjuncture moment for
the bride and her parents. Yes, the palanquin bearers are sensitive to the
presence of the bride in the palanquin that is why they carry the palanquin
very lightly and softly.
Q3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Ans.
The poem has an ‘aa bb cc’ type of rhyme scheme. Following are the pairs of
rhyming words in the poem.
Along………Song
Stream……...Dream
Sing…………String
Tide…………Bride
Learning about the literary device
Q1. In, line 4 the poet says, ‘She floats like
a laugh from the lips of a dream ‘and in, line 10 she writes, ‘She falls like a
tear from the eyes of a bride.’ Do you think that the poet has deliberately
used the device of contrast? Why has she done so?
Ans.
The first line shows the innocence. The bride does not know what is going to be
next because dreams are imaginary, they are not real. In the next line, the
bride knows she has to leave everything and has to live a new life in a new
home until her death. The poet is a lady herself. She might have gone through
this situation so she makes the readers realize the feelings of a bride.
Q2. Simile: a figure of speech used to
compare the qualities of two objects or things using words such as `like’ or
‘as’. For example
a. The poet compares the bride to a flower.
And
b. She hangs like a star in the dew of a
song. The poem is full of similes. Pick out all the similes used by the poet in
the poem.
Ans.
Flower, bird on the foam of a stream, pearl on a string, star in the dew of
song, beam on the brow of the tide, and tear from the eyes of a bride are the
similes used by the poet in the poem.
Q3. Refrain: poets often use the device of the refrain (`refrain’ is a line or a part of a line or a group of lines repeated in
the course of a poem). Did you notice that some words, lines/parts of lines are
repeated in the poem?
Pick out these words or lines that are
repeated. What effect does such repetition create in the poem?
Ans.
Following are the lines or words repeated in the poem:
(Lines)
Lightly, O lightly we bear her along,
We bear her along,
We bear her along like a pearl,
We glide and we sing
(Words)
Like, gaily, lightly, softly, song, etc.
Q4. You have studied in the last poem about
images. Read the poem and complete the following table by matching lines from
the poem with the related images conveyed by them.
Line, from the poem Image, conveyed
Skims like a bird gliding movement of a bird flying over a
stream
Sways like a flower ______________________
Floats like a laugh _______________________
Hangs like a star _______________________
Springs like a beam _______________________
Falls like a tear _______________________
Ans.
Line, from the poem Image, conveyed
Skims like a bird gliding movement of a bird flying over a
stream
Sways like a flower back and forth movement of a flower when
the wind blows.
Floats like a laugh to laugh while you dream.
Hangs like a star a dew drop looking like a star when
the morning sunlight falls on it.
Springs like a beam curved edge of a tide of sea.
Falls like a tear like a tear drop that falls from
the eyes of a bride when she leaves her home.
Structure of the Poem
The poem consists of two stanzas with an almost a fixed length of lines. Each stanza
consists of six lines. The numerous images are used as a simile in the poem in
comparison to the bride. The poem has a nice style of rhyming scheme. The poem has an ‘aa’ type of rhyme scheme. The following are the pairs of rhyming words in the
poem.
Along………Song
Stream……...Dream
Sing…………String
Tide…………Bride
Discussion
The palanquin was part of our culture
recently. It still finds its way in folk songs and film songs. Do you think
that such parts of culture should be preserved? Give reasons in support of your
answer.
Ans. Palanquin
was once a part of Indian culture. Almost three decades have gone that we stopped
using palanquin. I have seen palanquin bearers carrying brides to her in-laws
followed by the bridegroom on the horse and the musicians playing trumpets with
joy. Those were the golden days and moments. This type of culture was very
simple and enjoyable rather than the culture which is adopted by the new
generation. Palanquin culture is only seen in those movies and plays that are
based on past culture stories. Play writers and story writer try their best to
make the new generation know of the past culture. This type of culture should
be preserved because it reveals the way of life lived by our ancestors. It is
said that history repeats itself, so we should be aware of our past culture. So
that It will help us in the future.
Suggested Reading
Coromondal Fishers by Sarojini Naidu
The Queen’s Rival by Sarojini Naidu
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