A SHORT NOTE ON SAROJINI NAIDU'S POETRY

       
                                                               

               







 
                                    

                                   

                                       A Brief Note on Sarojini Naidu’s Poetry

Sarojini Naidu hailed as “Nightingale of India “by Mahatma Gandhi for her poetic, inspiring speeches was one of the most prominent women-poets of Pre-Independence era. Born on 13^th February, 1879 in Hyderabad, she was brought up in a highly educated family. Her Father Aghorenath Chattopadhyaya was a Professor of Chemistry and was the first Indian to get D.SC degree from Edinburgh University. He learnt Sanskrit, Greek, Hebrew and many other European languages. In 1878 with Nizam’s help he established Girls’ College and Hyderabad College (Nizam’s College). He exerted a considerable influence on Sarojini and encouraged her to study Mathematics and Sciences. But Sarojini took interest in learning English language. Her mother,Varada Sundari, composed many lyrics in Bengali and was a good musician.

Even at the tender age of fourteen she started her poetic career. She studied in Hyderabad and Madras but could not complete her graduation due to her ill-health. She was sent to England on scholarship by Nizam to continue her studies. She was a student of King’s College and later that of Girton College for some time. At that time she went to Switzerland and Italy. She was fascinated by these two countries and composed many poems. Edmund Goss, the famous English writer and critic, advised her to be “a genuine poet of the Deccan, not a clever—imitator of the English classics.” In 1895 she married Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu with whom she fell in love.  From 1904 to 1914 she met many Congress leaders and gave many lectures at various places. Her famous collection of poems “The Golden Threshold” was published from London in 1905. Arthur Symons, the famous English critic, said “Her poetry seems to sing itself, as if her swift thoughts and strong emotions sprang into lyrics of themselves.” “They express the temperament of a woman of the East, finding expression through a western language; there is an eastern magic in them.”  In this collection a wide range of themes were dealt with such as personal, reflective, nature, tradition and historical topics.

  Eg:  “To my Children”  “To my Fair Fancies” “Ecstasy” ---- personal topics

         “To Death” To Life” “Past and Future” ------ Reflective

         “The Pardah Nashin”, “Humayun to Zubeida”, “The Queen’s Rival” -- Islamic   Tradition

         “The Royal Tombs of Golkonda” “Nightfall in the City of Hyderabad”—historical

        “The Coromandel Fishers”, “Corn-grinders”, “Snake-charmers”, “Palanquin           bearers” , “Indian weavers”.

         ---- Daily vocations of Indian society.

    “The Golden Threshold” concludes with the poem “To Buddha seated on a Lotus”.

Her second volume of poems “The Bird of Time” was published from London in 1912. These poems are more mature and meaningful. According to Edmund Gosse “the chastening experience of life has not slackened the lyric energy of Sarojini ; they have rather given it intensity.”The theme of love and the sadness of death predominated in these poems. There are several poems describing the religious fervor of Indian festivals :  “Nag Panchami”, “Vasant Panchami”, Dipavali” etc. An entire section “Songs of the Spring Time” contains some of the best Nature poems. 

Her next collection of poems “The Broken Wing” was published in 1917 and this book was dedicated to the dream of today and the hope of tomorrow. These poems describe the spirit of India and her personal losses and longings. Sarojini’s love for Hindu and Isalmic tradition is seen in this collection also. Eg: “Kali, the Mother”, :Lakshmi, the Lotus-Born”, “The Prayer of Islam”, “ A song from Shiraz” “The wandering Beggars”, “Imperial Delhi”. According to her “the mystic genius of the Hindus must be united with the dynamic power of Islam.” An entire section “The Flowering Year” is devoted to description of Nature in spring season. This volume concludes with a series of poems on love called “The Temple”, which has three parts : The Gate of Delight, The Path of Tears, The sanctuary.  Her nextollection of poems “The Sceptred Flute” was published in 1943.  Her last collection of poems “The Feather of Dawn” was published after her death in 1961 by her daughter, Padmaja Naidu.

Sarojini Naidu spent two years (1917 and 1918) in giving lectures at various places. She stayed in London for one year in 1919. She stayed in South Africa for one year in 1924. In U.S.A, she stayed from Jan.1924 to May 1924. Thus she acted as India’s unofficial ambassador to the outside world expressing in eloquent style about the conditions prevailing in India and about the culture and tradition of India. She was a very close disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and participated in Freedom Struggle with zeal and sincerity. After Independence she became the first woman Governor of Uttar Pradesh and served in that position from 1947 to 1949. She died of heart attack on March 2^nd, 1949.

Sarojini Naidu’s poems are quite sensuous with beautiful imagery and fascinating rhythm. Just like in a picture gallery, we find her characters painted in rich colors with minute details. Her poems convey immediate sense of joy and keen observation without going into philosophical rumination. There is no deep reflection on the relationship between Man and Nature. Yet we find the traditional view of Nature and the harmonious relationship between Nature and Man. The dark and destructive side of Nature was not seen in her poems. She presents Nature “in its benignant, soothing and life-supporting aspect.”  The images of wind, cloud and sea are also beautifully described in her poems. She showed admiration for the Indian heroines of mythology, legend and History. The city of Hyderabad was to her India in microcosm.  Eg;-  “Nightfall in the city of Hyderabad”, “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad”, and “The Hussain Sagar”. To her the season of Spring means passion, excitement and the breath of life itself.  In “The Bird of Time”, an entire section “Songs of the Spring Time” is devoted to description of Nature; in the “Broken Wing” also the section named “The Flowering Year” contains six poems about Spring and Summer.


 Her titles for her collections of poems show her love of birds. Birds like the cuckoo, the parrot, the Myna, the Papeeha, the eagle, the halcyon, the crane, the swan, the dove, and the peacock are described in her poems. She also described animals like horses, panthers, cows, elephants, monkeys and gazelles in her poems. Her best animal poems are two pieces about serpents. “The Snake Charmer” and “Nag Panchami” (The Festival of Serpents).  Like other traditional ancient poets she also described flowers like Sirisha, Kadmba, Champak, Kimshuka, Ashoka, Gulmohur, and Acasia. But the lotus was her favourite flower as seen in, most of her poems. She compared Mahatma Gandhi to a lotus “Myriad-petalled grace inviolate”.

Sarojini Naidu was a Romantic poet. Her poetry appeals to our imagination rather than to our intellect. The influence of Urdu and Persian poetry is seen in her poems. She portrayed the gentle and delightful sides of Indian life using picturesque and vivid imagery set to a melodious rhythm. She used a large variety of metres and experimented with some of the folk meters of regional languages.  In “Wandering Singers”, a popular Baul tune was used. In “Slumber Song for Sunalini” Bengali metre was used. In The Poem “The Bazaars of Hyderabad” was based on a tune she heard in Hyderabad. Her Poem “Coromandel Fishers” may be compared in musical quality to Shelley’s poem “The Cloud”.  Edmund Goss also praised her technical skill seen in many of her poems. Though she was witty and humorous in her conversation, we do not find them in her poems and speeches.  Every line written by her has the typical flavor of India and Indian ideals. The strongest feature of her poetry is vivid imagery fusing several visual impressions.

                 “Evening shadows gather like black birds in the sky”

                 “See how the speckled sky burns like a pigeon’s throat

                   Jewelled with embers of opal and peridot.”   (Nightfall in the city of                                                                                                       Hyderabad)                             “The wind lies asleep in the arms of dawn

                   Like a child that has cried all night.”

The Bangle Sellers describe their wares as “Lustrous tokens of radiant lives

                                                                  For happy daughters and happy wives.”

The Palanquin-Bearers sing:                      “Gaily gaily, we glide and sing

                                                                 We bear her along like a pearl on a string.”

The snake-charmer says   “I’ll feed thee, O beloved, on milk and wild red honey

                                         I’ll bear thee in a basket of rushes, green and white

                                         To a palace bower where golden-vested maidens

                                         Thread with mellow laughter the petals of delight.”

  

The Indian Weavers reply : “Weavers, weaving at fall of night,

                                          Why do you weave a garment so bright?

                                          Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green

                                          We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.”

Really Sarojini Naidu deserves to be called “The Nightingale of India” for her rich contribution of memorable poems which delineate in beautiful language the Indian society and Indian scenery.

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22nd January, 2017                                                Somaseshu Gutala