Introduction of the Poem: The Visitor appears in The Exact Name (1965). The poem is based on a common Indian superstition that, if we hear a crow cawing on the roof or a wall in our house in the morning, it is a sign that a visitor would arrive during the day and that we … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: Anthologised in Hymns in Darkness (1976), Poem of the Separation is a love – poem. It is predominantly touching and poignant, with a touch of humour and irony in the last few lines. Critical Summary: The poet addresses a woman he used to love but who has now deserted him, though … Read more
Introduction of the Poem: “Background, Casually,” an autobiographical poem, was included in Hymns in Darkness (1976). Following the tradition of confessional poetry, such as Robert Lowell’s Life Studies, Ezekiel here refers to himself as “a mugging Jew among the wolves” when he was a student at a Roman Catholic school. He was shabbily and callously … Read more
Her Ideals: The Bird- Like Quality of Her Songs: The quality which lends charm to Sarojini Naidu’s verse, according to Arthur Symons, is the bird- like quality of song, which it contains. The poems in which this quality may be particularly and perceptibly visible are To My Fairy Fancies, To My Children and The Flute-Player … Read more
Sarojini Naidu’s Place and Position: The Koel of South, the nightingale of India, the peacock of Bengal, Sarojini Naidu as a poetess is half Keats, half-Yeats, partly in the tradition of the Indian devotional poetry, partly in the rut of the Pre-Raphaelites and the Georgian poets. Hence it is difficult to categorize her; she is … Read more
Gifts Endowed by Mother India to the World: As mentioned in Sarojini Naidu’s poem, the rich gifts that Mother India gave the world are the raiment, grain and gold. This refers to all the resources from agricultural productions to priceless metals which the foreign colonisers took to their country while they were ruling India. She … Read more
Introduction: On the basis of their themes, Sarojini Naidu’s lyrics may be divided into five broad categories: (1) Nature-lyrics, (2) love-lyrics, (3) lyrics of life and death, (4) folk-lyrics dealing with the life of the common folk of India, and (5) miscellaneous lyrics, including patriotic lyrics. These are not watertight compartments, there is much overlapping … Read more
Mysticism: The word “Mysticism” is a derived from “Mystes” which means a person initiated into the “mysteries”. “Mystes” in its turn is derived from the Greek word “muein” which means “to keep silence”. Thus, Mysticism is the belief that knowledge of God and of Real Truth is independent of the mind and the senses. Being … Read more
Critical Appreciation of the Poem: Boat – Ride along the Ganga is one of Daruwalla’s finest poems. Its scene is laid in Varanasi, the ancient and holy city which has been the repository of Hindu culture and religion since times immemorial. It contains a vivid and picturesque description of the Ganga with all its squalor, … Read more
Summary of the Poem: This poem centres round two incidents, each of which led the poet to form a certain resolve. The first incident occurred when the poet was yet a boy. Walking along the river – bank in the company of his father, and passing the ghat where the Hindus cremated their dead, the … Read more