Bangle Sellers by Sarojini Naidu

I. Introduction: The poem Bangle Sellers was written by Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India. Sarojini
Naidu has been regarded as one of the gifted poets of India. Her poetry is purely Indian in character. Her themes
are Indian, thoughts are Indian, melody is of India but only the language is that of England. Sarojini Naidu loved
the common folk of India and she celebrates their occupations, their joys and sorrows in a number of her
beautiful lyrics. The pageantry of Indian life fascinated her and she sings of it with zest. Indian customs and
traditions, festivals and celebrations, men and women fairs and feasts are abundant in her poetry. Her poems
reveal a distinct melody and her manipulation of words and sounds invests her poetry with a musical grace and
flow.

The poem Bangle Sellers belongs to the third section of Indian Folk Songs of her second book The Bird of
Time. It is a poem of four stanzas of six lines each. This poem is a perfect epitome of typical Indian scene.

II. Stanza wise Paraphrase of Bangle Sellers': In the first stanza, the bangle sellers go on roaming and
wandering from place to place to sell their bangles. They sing this beautiful song when they go selling their
shining loads (bangles) to the temple fair. They invite the people to come and buy the delicate, bright and multi-
coloured bangles which are tokens (symbols) of delight for happy daughters and happy wives.

In the second stanza, the bangle sellers give an account of the bangles which match a maiden. They say that the
silver and blue coloured bangles are suitable to a maiden. These are like the mist on the mountain in their colour.
Further they say that they have bangles which are like buds on a woodland stream. Some are shining like
flowers. All these bud-like and flower- like bangles are suitable for the unmarried girls.

In the third stanza the bangle sellers say that they have some bangles which look like corn fields. They are
suitable for a bride on her bridal morning. Some bangles look like the flame of her marriage fire (red). Some are
rich with colours of her hearts desire. They make soft sounds just as the bride makes at the time of her wedding.
The bride laughs as she is getting married and weeps as she is going to leave her parental abode. The phrases
bridal laughter and bridal tears suggest the emotional feelings of a bride.

In the last stanza the bangle sellers say that they possess some bangles which are purple in colour and some are
touched with gold and grey colours. All these bangles are suitable for a middle-aged woman whose hands have
cared tenderly, loved, blessed and cradled her fair sons and worshiped the gods sitting by her husbands side.

III. Meanings:

1) Shining loads = bangles

2) fair = an event where people gather to sell their goods
3) rainbow tinted = rainbow coloured
4) lustrous = bright; radiant = happy
5) mist = thin fog; flushed = become red
6) hue = a colour, a particular shade of a colour tinkling = ringing sounds
7) luminous = bright; tender = delicate
8) purple = having the colour of blue and red mixed together
9) fleck = a small area of a particular colour
10) grey = having the colour of ashes or smoke
11) cherish = care tenderly
12) cradle = to hold somebody gently in our hands
13) worship = to offer prayer

IV. Rhyming Words:

bear fair; bright light; lives wives; wrist -mist; dream stream; cleaves leaves; corn morn; fire desire;
clear tear; blest breast; pride = side.

V. Figures of Speech: The figures of speech used in this poem are Similie and Metaphor.

A) Similie: A similie is one where two objects or things of different kind having common qualities are compared
to each other. The comparison is expressed by such words as like, so as, just as, such as etc.

Lines containing similies in Bangle sellers':

I. some are meet for a maidens Wrist Silver and blue as the mountain mist.

Explanation: The silver and blue coloured bangles which are suitable to a maiden are compared to the colour of
the mist of a mountain.

II. Some are flushed like the buds that dream Explanation: The red colour (flush) of the bangles is compared to
the red colour of the bud that is yet to bloom.

III. Some are like fields of Sunlit Corn Explanation: There are some bangles which look like Corn fields in their
colour.

IV. Some, like the flame of her marriage fire. Explanation: There are some bangles which are red in colour like
the flame of marriage fire.

B) Metaphor:

It is also a figure of speech. It is a condensed (implied) similie. Here also two different objects are compared to
each other. But the wordslike, such as, so as etc. are absent. In the metaphor the comparison is implied.
Lines containing a metaphor in Bangle Sellers
I. Who will buy these delicate, bright Rainbow tinted circles of light? Explanation: The multi colours of the
bangles
are compared to the colours of the rainbow.

VI. Comprehension Questions with brief answers:

1. Who is the narrator of this poem?
the bangle sellers
2. Which bangles does the poet think are suitable for maidens?
Silver and blue coloured bangles.
3. What coloured bangles are suitable for a bride on bridal morn?
Light yellow coloured (like fields of sunlit corn) bangles.
4. What sort of bangles suit the hands of a bride during the process of wedding?
 Red coloured bangles.
5. Or rich with the hue of her hearts desire- What do you understand from this line?
Bangle sellers possess those coloured bangles which match the wishes of a bride.
6. Why does a bride laugh and shed tears?
A bride laughs because she is getting married and sheds tears because she is going to leave her parental abode.
7. What sort of bangles suit the hands of a middle aged women?
Purple and grey coloured bangles having a touch of gold colour.
8. What are the five words used in the poem to suggest the different roles of a middle aged woman?
i) cherished stands for giving tender care
ii) blest stands for best owing of love
iii) cradled stands for bringing up the children with love and affection
iv) serves stands for attending the house hold duties
v) worships stands for sitting by the side of her husband and offering prayers
9. Identify the two phrases that suggest the emotional feelings in the poem?
bridal laughter and bridal tear
10. How many stages of a woman are skillfully linked with the bangles?
Three stages viz.,
i) virgin
ii) bride
iii) middle aged woman
11. Which word in the poem suggests the mothers actions are productive and yield good results?
fruitful

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