Question

Chapter 14
Palanquin Bearers
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.
Sarojini Naidu

Read the extracts and answer the questions with reference to the context:
1.She skims like a bird on the foam of a steam
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 ona string.

a.How does tge speaker describe the movements of the bride?
b.What do the Palanquim Bearers do while carrying the bride?
c.Which figures of speech have been used in above lines?

2.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....

a.Which line tells us that they are taking special care to carry the bride?
b.Identify the figures of speech in the third line.
c.Identify the rhyming pair of words in the given lines.​

Answer 1

Answer:

The theme of the poem "palanquin bearers" by "sarojini naidu" is to reflect about the Indian marriages and their cultures. The poet has deliberatory used the contradictory feeling of laughing and weeping. The bride is sad and is crying as she is separated from her family. But simultaneuosly she is also overjoyed as she is starting a new family.

In Indian culture earlier woman were considered as a burden. But when the palanquin bearers carry the bride as she is married they feel no burden because of the ecstatic environment. in older times each and every parent wanted to get their daughters happily married. Carrying a palanquin of a bride was considered as a privilege.

Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13th 1879 in Hyderabad. She was a political activist and played an active role in the freedom struggle of India. She was the first Indian woman to become the president of the Indian National Congress. In 1947 she became the governor of the United Provinces (U.P.), a position she retained till her death in 1949. Apart from her political career she was also an avid poetry writer. For her beautiful poetry she has been lovingly called The Nightingale of India. Some of her major contributions are The Golden Threshold and The Bird of Time. In 1914 she was elected as fellow of The Royal Society of Literature. Her collected English poems have been published in The Sceptred Flute and The Feather at the Dawn. Its a poem based on the royal bride who is on her way to her husband's house on a palanquin. She has mixed feelings about everything. The bearers do not feel the burden of the bride and think that she is very soft tender and delicate. They feel no pressure of her. The poem presents a beautiful combination of various similes, it provides a very delicate image of the royal bride in the minds of the readers.

Explanation:

Answer 2

Answer:

The answers are as follows.

Explanation:

• 1) a) The speaker says the movements of the bride are like so soft and beautiful like a bird who is singing and happily flying above a stream. He says the moments are as beautiful as a laugh of a good dream as if we achieved something.Her movements are soft and beautiful.
• b) The palanquin bearers carry the palanquin on both sides. As they saw the beautiful bride they can't help but sing and dance along and rejoice the wedding.
• c) The figure of speech used is similes. Similes directly compare two. objects.

Example : Her movements are compared to bird

• 2) a) The lines we bear her along like a pearl on a string and softly o softly we bear her along shows that they are taking special care in carrying the bride.
• b) Similes is the figure of speech in third line. Similes compare two things. In third line the bride movement is compared to beam on brow of tide.
• c) The rhyming pair of words are :

1. along - song
2. she sways - skims
3. gaily - glide
4. beam - brown

#SPJ2