Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini Naidu

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.
Words to Know :

Sway : move from side to side

Skim : glide smoothly over something

Foam : mass of small bubbles, froth

Gaily : merrily, happily

Dew : condensed drops of water

Beam : ray of light, broad smile

Brow : forehead, eyebrow (here : top of water/tide)

Sways: Move from side to side

Skims: To move quickly

Floats: To remain on surface without sinking

Bear: To hold

Springs: To move quickly

Glide: To move in a smooth manner

About The Poet :

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.

Idea of the poem

Core Meaning
Palanquin bearers is a melodious poem. The poem describes the scene of
a bride being carried on a palanquin. The poem generates images of royal
wives being carried on a palanquin to their husbands house. The men who
carried the palanquin felt that their job was special and did it with much
happiness. The similies in the poem point to the fact that the men did not
feel that their job was tiresome. Some examples of the same are, 'Softly,
O softly we bear her along', 'She hangs like a star in the dew of our song'
and 'Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing'.

Palanquin bearers is melodious and one of the most appealing poems of

Sarojni Naidu. The poem describes the beauty of the bride while she is
being carried in a palanquin. We are reminded of one of the ancient
customs of carrying royal brides in India in decorated carriages to their
husband’s home. Occasionally, the men of the royal families would travel
on horseback along with the bride. The men who carried the carriages
were happy about their work and believed that they had a distinguished
job. They did not feel their job burdensome.

The poem is written in such a way that one can see and feel as if the
palanquin is moving. The poet brings in so many images describing the
movement. The words she has used seem to have a magic touch. In short
we can say that the liberal use of imagery mainly similes make the poem
a pictorial delight.
Context of the poem
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.

Palanquin Bearers Stanza-Wise Summary

Stanza – 1
“Lightly, O lightly we bear…………………………….. like a pearl on a
string.”
The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin very
gently and are moving very softly. As they are carrying the bride to her
in-laws’ house, they are singing along and don’t feel it as a burden. They
tell that the bride is so light to carry and it feels like the princess is
swaying with the movement of the palanquin and the palanquin bearers’
song just like a flower sways in the wind.

Here the movement of the bride is compared to a bird that skims on the
foaming froth of a stream. The bride is so delicate to carry and resembles
that bird and she is said to be floating like a dreamy smile from the lips of
a person who dreams. The bride is leaving her parents behind and is
going to start her new inning with her beloved so, she has mixed feelings.
She is ethereal just like a tender laugh that energies from the lips of a
person. The palanquin bearers say that they are happy to carry the bride
in the palanquin with pride just as some rich women would wear a pearl
necklace around her neck and carry. Here the bride is compared to a
pearl on a string since she is precious and delicate like a jewel.

Stanza – 2
“Softly, O softly we bear…………………………………like a pearl on a
string.”
The palanquin bearers further describe the delicate and tender bride
saying that they carry her softly on their shoulders. Here, the bride is
compared to a star that is reflected in the soft dew drops. She is so
brightly dressed that she appears to be like a shining beam of light that is
reflected from the surface of the wave. She appears to be jumping just
like that. Yet, at the same time, she is so tender and delicate that they
compare her to a gentle drop of tear that falls from her eyes as she is
leaving her loved ones to start a new life.

The palanquin bearers sing happily as they smoothly carry the palanquin
bearing the bride so that she would not feel the journey strenuous. They
carry her along as if she were a precious jewel to be possessed by her
husband.

Line by line explanation of Palanquin Bearers.

Line 1,2:
     "Lightly, O lightly we bear her along
       She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;"
The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin. They
sing as they carry the bride to her in laws' house. They tell us that the
bride is very light to carry. They don't feel it as a burden. The bride
moves softly according to the movement of the palanquin and the
palanquin bearers' song. The bride's swaying is compared with a flower's
movement in wind.

Line 3,4:
     "She skims like a bird on the foam of  a stream,
       She floats like a laugh from the lips  of a dream"
Now the bride's movement is compared with a bird's skimming. Birds
touch the foam of a stream slightly and fly away. Likewise, the bride
moves slightly. She is very light and so she is said to be floating like a
dreamy smile from the lips of a person who dreams. Her movement is so
delicate and beautiful. The bride seems to be happy, as her movement is
compared with a laugh.

Line 5,6:
     "Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing,
       We bear her along like a pearl on a string"
The palanquin bearers carry the bride gaily, even when they glide high
grounds. They are not burdened and so they proceed with their singing.
They say that the bride is carried like a pearl on a string. She is as
precious as a pearl.

Line 7,8:
     "Softly, O softly we bear her along,
      She hang like a star in the dew of our song"
They carry her, the delicate bride, softly in their palanquin. She is seated
in the palanquin like a bright star and heeds to the palanquin bearers'
song. Their song reflects her happiness like a dew drop reflects a star's
light. Their happy song shows they are as happy as the bride.

Line 9,10:
     "She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,
      She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride."
The bride moves like a beam of light that springs when it gets reflected by
waves. The bride's movement is also compared with the slow falling of a
tear from the eyes of a bride. Though the bride is delighted to visit her in-
laws' house, she feels sad for her situation. She is getting separated from
her parents. She has the mixed feeling of joy and pain.

Line 11,12:
     "Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,
      We bear her along like a pearl on a  string"
The palanquin bearers continue to carry the bride, who is as precious as a
pearl on string. They didn't cease their song as they carry the bride
lightly. They travel far away gliding rough paths. Nevertheless, they never
feel sad or burdened by carrying the beautiful bride.
BRIDE

BRIDEGROOM

PALANQUIN