NOTES PREPARED BY
ASHAQ HUSSAIN BHAT
TEACHER SCHOOL
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Lesson-16: PALANQUIN BEARERS
(Sarojini Naidu)
Thinking about the poem:
Q.1 What are the feelings of the palanguin bearers as they carry the princess inside the palanguin?
Ans: The feelings of the palanguin bearers are full of joy and happiness. They call the princes very light, delicate and tender. For them she is like a flower, a bird, laughter, a star and a beam. They carry her with all care.
Q. 2 'Lightly lightly we bear her along: she sways like a lower in the wind of our song'. What are these opening lines of the poem i suggestive of? Do you think that the palanguin bearers are sensitive to the presence of the bride?
Ans: There opening lines of the poem suggests the manner in which the palanguin bearers carry the bride. They carry her very lightly and she sways gently in the palanguin. Yes, the palanguin-bearers are sensitive to the bride's presence and looks upon her like a brittle thing. That is why they carry her with all care.
Q.3 What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Ans: The poem is divided into two stanzas and the rhyme scheme of each stanza is aabbcc, i.e. the first line rhymes with the 2nd line, the 3rd with the 4th and the 5th with the 6th line. The pairs of rhyming words are: along-song, stream-dream, sing- string and tide-bride.
Literary Devices:
1.In line 4 the poet says, "She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream' 1.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: Yes, the poet has used deliberately the device of contrast. It is because on the one hand the bride is dreaming of a joyful and romantic life with her husband but on the other hand she is full of pain and sorrow over her separation from her parents, brothers and sisters.
2.Simile: it is a figure of speech used to compare the qualities of two objects or things using words such as 'like' or 'as'. Fore example:
a) The poet compares the bride to a flower.
b) She hangs like a star in the dew of a song.
The poem is full of similes. (Pick out all the smiles used by the poet in the poem)
Ans: The similes used in the poem are:
a) She always like a flower in the wind of our song,
b) She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.
c) She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
d) We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
e) She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.
f) She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide.
g) She falls like a tear from, the eyes of a bride.
3. Refrain: Poets often use the device of refrain ('refrain' is a line or a part of 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?
Ans: The last line of the first stanza i.e. we bear her along like a pearl on a string has been used as a refrain. The refrain has produced a charming music in the poem and has added to the
4. You have studied in the last poem about images. Read the poem and complete the following table by matching lines form the poem with the related images conveyed by them:
Line from the poem Image conveyed
1. Skims like a bird ⟶ swift movement of a bird over a steam
2. Sways like a flower ⟶ swaying movement of a flower caused by a wind
3. Floats like a laugh ⟶ laughing face of a fairy or a beautiful child.
4. Hangs like a star ⟶ a twinkling star in the sky.
5. Springs like a beam ⟶ beam of light on a tide.
6. Falls like a tear ⟶ tear drops falling from a brides eyes
Central Idea/Summary of the poem:
The poem, "Palanguin Bearers", Composed by Sarojini Naidu is in the form of a folk song. It has been sung by a group of palanguin bearers. The poem mingling of the two emotions of joy and sorrow. The palanguin bearers carry the bride very lightly. She sways gently as a flower in the wind. The bride skims as a bird on the foam of a stream. She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream and looks like a pearl on a string, The palanguin bearers say that they carry the bride very softly. She looks like a star hanging in the sky. She looks like a beam on the top of a tide. When she springs down, she looks like a tear falling from the eyes of a bride.
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