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 13th 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 2nd,
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
