Class: Palanquin Bearers English
Central Idea:- The poem depicts the rich and colourful culture of India which oozes out from the tradition
of Palanquin. The antique culture and traditions bestow a particular country with a great wealth of honour
and prestige.
Summary:- The poem entitled ‘Palanquin Bearers’ has been written by a great Indian poetess ‘Sarojini
Naidu’ who is popularly known as ‘The Nightingale Of India;. The poetess has depicted the culture of
carrying a bride in a Palanquin, in a very beautiful way. She has compared a beautiful bride in a Palanquin
to numerous images. The bride enters the Palanquin in a very attractive way and she is full of dreams of her
new life and she leaves it in a very sensitive manner and is full of emotions and sadness of leaving her home.
The poetess describes the beauty of the bride through the sensitive feelings of the bearers while they carry
her along to her new home. The Palanquin Bearers carry the bride very delicately. As the bride enters, the
Palanquin moves from side to side like a flower moving in wind. The bride in the Palanquin glides along
like a bird which glides on the foam created by the waves on a stream. The poetess says that she is carried
away very lightly and without any sound like a smile which comes on the lips of a person who is in sweet
dreams. The Palanquin Bearers carry the bride merrily and sing the songs of happiness while they carry her
along. She is carried by the bearers like a gem which is tucked within the beads of a string.
In the second stanza, the poetess depicts the beauty of the bride as she is about to come out of the Palanquin.
The Palanquin Bearers carry the bride very softly because she is very delicate. She hangs in the Palanquin
like a beautiful dew drop with a twinkle or she resembles a star that hangs in the sky and appears to be very
elegant. The beautiful bride raises from the Palanquin to come out like a beam of light produced on the crust
of a wave. She is like a tear in the eyes of a bride that is, she is full of emotions and sadness of leaving her
parent’s home. The poetess concludes the poem by repeating the feeling of the Palanquin Bearers who carry
the bride beautifully.
Q#1 What are the feelings of the Palanquin Bearers as they carry the princess inside the Palanquin?
Ans. The Palanquin Bearers are full of sensitive feelings as they carry the princess inside the Palanquin.
They carry her very happily and delicately. They take great care while carrying her along because
they know that the bride is prestigious, honoured and delicate.
Q#2 Lightly, O lightly we bear her along; she sways like a flower in the wind of our song? What are
these opening lines suggestive of? Do you think that the Palanquin Bearers are sensitive to the
presence of the bride?
Ans. These lines suggest that the bride in the Palanquin is very delicate and light. She moves from side to
side as she enters the Palanquin like a delicate flower which is very sensitive and moves from side to
side in slow breeze.
The Palanquin Bearers are very sensitive to the presence of the bride and carry her very
lightly so that she is not harmed. They are very keen about her entry in the Palanquin.
Q#3 What is rhyme scheme of the poem? Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
Ans. The rhyme scheme of the poem is:- ab , cd, ef, gh, ij , kl.
The pairs of rhyming words are:-
i) along song
ii) stream dream
iii) sing string
iv) along song
v) tide bride
vi) sing string
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Class: Palanquin Bearers English
Learning About Literary Devices:
Q#4 In line 4 the poet says, ‘She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream’ 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. The poem is actually depicted in two parts. In first stanza, the poetess says, ‘She floats like a laugh
from the lips of a dream’. It means that the bride is full of dreams of her new life. She is very happy
and enthusiastic about her new life.
In the second stanza, the poetess says, ‘She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride’. It means that
she is very emotional and sad because she has left the home of her parents.
So, the poetess has deliberately used this contrast and it has beautified the poem.
Q#5 Simile:- a figure of speech used to compare the qualities of two objects or things using words
such as ‘like’ or ‘as’. For example,
a) The poet compares the bride to a flower and
b) She hangs like a star in the dew of a song. The poem is full of similies. Pick out all the
similes used by the poet in the poem.
Ans. The similes used in these poem are:-
i) She sways like a flower in the wind of our song.
ii) She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.
iii) She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
iv) She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.
v) She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide.
vi) She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.
Q#6 Refrain:- Poets often use the device of refrain. Did you notice that some words, line/ parts of
lines are repeated in the poem? Pick out these words or lines that are repeated. What effect
does such repetition create in the poem?
Ans. The lines that are repeated are:-
i) Lightly, O lightly we bear her along.
ii) We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
This repetition creates an image of beautiful bride in a Palanquin and the feelings of
Palanquin Bearers.
Q#7 Complete the following table by matching lines from the poem with the related images
conveyed by them:
i) Skims like a bird: - Gliding movements of a bird flying over a stream.
ii) Sways like a flower: - Moves from side by side like a flower.
iii) Floats like a laugh:-Moves slowly like a smile which comes on the face of a person who is
in dreams.
iv) Hangs like a star: - Comes out of the Palanquin like a star that hangs in the sky.
v) Springs like a beam: - Rises up like a beam of light on the crust of wave.
vi) Falls like a tear: - Is very beautiful and emotional like a tear.
