January 2017
The Theme of Nature in the Poetry of Sarojini Naidu
Mr. S. P. Kamble (Asst. Professor)
K. A. A. N. M. Sonawane College, Satana
Tal. Baglan Dist. Nashik-423302
.
The Nature has been always remained the theme of the most of the writers all over the
world for all time but it is prominently reflected in the canon of the English Romanticists with
due respect. As far as Indian Romanticism is concerned, the poets such as Toru Dutt, Henri
Derozio, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu and other poets have practiced the themes
involved in Romanticism through their literature. Actually, Romanticism reflected in Indian
English poetry has the influence of English Romantic poetry as well as the native literature of
India particularly on Rabindranath Tagore so also if we compare the poetry of John Keats with
that of Sarojini Naidu, as the themes such as beauty of nature, escapism, melancholy and love are
vividly found same. The present paper focuses on the nature theme reflected in the poetry of
Sarojini Naidu.
The word ‘Nature’ has its origin in Old French ‘natura’, from nat- nasci means ‘be born’,
meaning the nature of something. In Greek, it is ‘physis’, as the mother of all, all-wise, all-ruling,
and immortal. In both Greek and Latin, the word ‘Nature’ is feminine in grammatical gender.
The Oriphics praised ‘Physis’ as the mother of all. Here for the first time Mother Nature was
personified. To Lucretius, Mother Nature is ‘Alma Venus’ (nourishing Venus), the goddess of
the generation of life and the muse of his poem. Gower says Nature the Goddesse where as
Spenser refers Mother Nature in his Fairy Queen. These all illustrations show that nature is
mother which has the power of creativity in it and give message that she should be glorified and
taken care of for the sake of welfare of all creatures.
Sarojini Naidu, the feminist, political activator, orator, scholar, administrator and the
great Indo- Anglican poet, recognized as the nightingale of India and considered as the last of the
romantics in Indo Anglican poetry. As she was the great lover of nature and life, she has
versified the flora and fauna along with situations, experiences and beautiful sights of nature
with great craft. Her worship to nature is not less than that of William Wordsworth, the great
pioneer of Romanticism who worshiped nature throughout his life and inspired his
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January 2017
contemporaries towards the nature and advocated spiritualization of nature. Her poetry replete
with images such as sea, cloud, pearl, mango blossom, stars, blowing forest, breaking tides,
laughter of brides, curds, Mathura fair, lowing of heifers, flowing of river etc. similes and
metaphors such as Lord Krishna, perfume, garland jewel, sea as mother that makes an
association with the Romantic poetry.
The poetry of Sarojini Naidu such as Leili, Songs of the Springtime (ten poems), The
flowering Year (six poems) deal with nature where as ‘Summer Wood’ expresses her
disapproval towards the artificialities of civilized life and struggle for existence as it is expressed
in William Wordsworth’s sonnet ‘The World is too much with us ’. Her poetry is replete with
beauties of nature like John Keats. The following lines of the poem ‘Spring’ show glorious
nature in full fig with different hues.
Young leaves grow green on the bunyan twigs,
And red on the peepal tree,
The honey-bird pipe to the budding figs,
And honey blooms call the bee.
(Spring)
Here, the bunyan twigs are changing their colors into green whereas peepal trees in to red
which indicates the birth of new leaves, on the other hand flowers (honey blooms), full of honey,
are personified as they are calling bees. Each and every line above proves the creativity of
Mother Nature.
In her ‘Song of Radha, the Milkmaid’, she has captured the beautiful scenes of nature
which creates religious atmosphere as reflected in the poetry of William Wordsworth.
How softly the heifers were lowing….
When the breezes of Shrawan are blowing?
How softly the river was flowing!
(Song of Radha, the milkmaid)
Her characteristic feature as a painter in words is vividly found in the above lines which
shows the natural scenery in the month of Shrawan when religious atmosphere is spread
everywhere in India. The nature reflected in these lines is vivid, colourful and graphic with very
keen sensibility towards nature while describing the movements of heifers, breezes and river.
The linesThe bright pomegranate buds unfold,
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The frail wild lilies appear,
Like the blood –red jewels you used to fling
O’er the maidens that danced at the feast of spring
To welcome the new-born year.
(In a Time of Flowers)
paint an eternal beauty of nature with full abundance where pomegranate buds are
unfolding, the flinging of newly appeared wild blood-red lilies on the dancing of maidens to
welcome the new year are depicted with great craft.
What can rival your lovely hue
O gorgeous boon of the spring?
The glimmering red of a bridal robe,
Rich red of a wild bird’s wing?
Or the mystic blaze of the gem that burns
On the brow of a serpent-king?
(In Praise of Gulmohur Blossoms)
Sarojini Naidu, here, is so mesmerized with the colours of the spring season that she is in
confusion whether to compare them with the glimmering red colour of a bridal robe or the rich
red of wild bird’s wings or the mystic blaze of the gem that burns on the brow of a serpent-king.
Therefore it will not be an overstatement to say that there is no rival to Sarojini Naidu in using
colours so powerfully in the English Writings in India. She is so colorist that her depiction
compels us to see the colourful, sensuous, rich and romantic images of real nature as if alive in
front of us. Her depiction has the touch of Indianness.
According to S. C. Agarwal, her nature poetry is of two kinds 1) Poems on Season and 2)
Poems on individual manifestations of nature’s beauties (like individual flowers). The poems on
Season include ‘Songs of the Springtime’, The Flowering year, A Song in Spring, The Song of
the Springtime, Vasant Panchami, In a Time of Flowers, Ecstacy, The Call of Spring, The
Coming of Spring, The Magic of Spring, June Sunset, Summer Woods, Autum Song. This shows
her interest in the spring season which is full of glory and spendour. Her attraction towards
spring season shown as full of abundance reminds us the poem ‘to Autumn’ by John Keats. Her
second kind of poems involve ‘In Praise of Gulmohur Blossoms’, ‘Golden Cassia’, ‘Champak
Bloosoms’, and the ‘Times of Roses’ which objectifies the various elements of nature.
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Her description of nature visualizes the creativity and senses the calmness and peace
which is the characteristic of Mother Nature which is reflected in the writings of world famous
nature poets. The nature reflected in her poetry plays a role of background in her love poems as
if the nature is caressing which reminds us the poetry of Lord Tennyson, the great Victorian poet.
Her poetry, therefore can be studied as the amalgamation of love and nature.
Reference:
1. Ferber, Michael. ‘A Dictionary of Literary Symbols’ ( Second Edition), (2007),
Cambridge University Press
2. Agarwal S. C., ‘Select Poems of Sarojini Naidu’ (Second Edition), (2000), Prakash
Book Depot, Bareily
3. Abrams M. H. ‘A glossary of Literary Terms’(Seventh Edition) (2001) Harcourt
College Publishers
3. www.google.com
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