JKBOSE 9th Class English Solutions chapter –  16 PALANQUIN BEARERS 

This poem is in the form of a song sung by a group of palanquin-bearers. They go singing their song while they are carrying the bride to her husband’s house. In their song, they describe how the bride looks as she is being carried. The poem is merely a collection of different similies used to describe the bride. There are twelve lines in the poem and seven of these are in the form of similes. They are–

1. She sways like a flower in the wind of our song.

2. She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.

3. She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

4. We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

5. She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.

6. She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide.

7. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.

Some of these similes are quite clear as; ‘falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride’. Others are very abstract; as ‘floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream’. In these two similes, we have a mingling of the two emotions of joy and sorrow. There is sorrow in the bride’s heart because she is leaving her parents. And there is joy at the prospect of a new life with her soulmate. The beauty of the poem lies in these similes.

यह कविता एक गीत के रूप में है जिसे कहारों की एक टोली के द्वारा गाया गया है। वे अपना गीत गाते जाते हैं जब वे दुल्हन को उठा कर उसके पति के घर ले जा रहे होते हैं। अपने गीत में वे वर्णन करते हैं कि दुल्हन कैसी लगती है जब उसे ले जाया जा रहा होता है। कविता उन भिन्न-भिन्न उपमाओं का मात्र एक समूह है जिन्हें दुल्हन का वर्णन करने के लिए प्रयोग किया गया है। कविता में बारह पंक्तियां हैं और इनमें से सात उपमाओं के रूप में हैं। वे हैं—

1. वह हमारे गीत-रूपी पवन में एक फूल की भाँति हिलोरें लेती हैं।

2. वह एक नदी के झाग को छू कर उड़ते हुए एक पक्षी की भांति निकल जाती है।

3. वह एक स्वप्न के होठों से निकली हंसी की भाँति प्रवाहित होती है।

4. हम उसे एक धागे में पिरोए मोती की भाँति उठाए ले जाते हैं।

5. वह हमारे गीत-रूपी ओस में एक सितारे की भांति लटकी हुई है।

6. वह एक लहर की चोटी के ऊपर प्रकाश की एक किरण की भाँति उछलती है।

7. वह एक दुल्हन की आँखों में से एक आंसू की भांति टपकती है।

इन उपमाओं में से कुछ काफ़ी स्पष्ट हैं; जैसे-‘एक दुल्हन की आँखों से आंसू की भांति टपकती है।’ अन्य बहुत दुर्बोध हैं; जैसे—’एक स्वप्न के होठों में से हंसी की भांति प्रवाहित होती है।’ इन दो उपमाओं में खुशी तथा दुःख की दो भावनाओं का एक मिश्रण है। दुल्हन के दिल में वहां दुःख है क्योंकि वह अपने माता-पिता को छोड़ रही है। तथा अपने आत्मा के साथी के साथ नया जीवन शुरू करने की प्रत्याशा पर खुशी भी है। कविता की सुन्दरता इन उपमाओं में ही है।

This poem is in the form of a folk song. It has been sung by a group of palanquin. bearers. In their song, they describe how a bride looks as she is being carried in a palanquin to her husband’s house. The palanquin-bearers go singing on their way. In their song, they make use of many similes to describe how the bride looks. Some of these similes are very concrete; as -‘She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride. Some similes are very abstract; as ‘She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.’ The beauty of the poem lies in these similes. Otherwise, the poem has no thematic core.

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.

Explanation : The palanquin-bearers describe through their song the manner in which they are carrying the bride in their palanquin. They are carrying her along very lightly. The bride sways gently as does a flower in the wind. The palanquin-bearers sing as they go carrying the pa palanquin. The bride in the palanquin skims in the same way as does a bird on the foam of a stream. She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream. The palanquin-bearers say that they sing while they go gliding with the palanquin on their shoulders. While they are thus carrying her s. While they along, she looks like a pearl on a string.

1. Give the name of the poem from which these lines have been taken. Also write the name of the poet.

2. What do you think is being carried in the palanquin ?

3. How does she look as she sways in the palanquin ?

4. Who does the word ‘we’ refer to in the above lines ?

5. What else do they do while they carry the palanquin ?

6. What words does the poet use to describe the manner in which the bearers carry the person in the palanquin?

7. Explain the expression, ‘wind of our song’.

8. How does the bride look to the bearers?

1. The name of the poem is Palanquin Bearers’ and the name of the poet is Sarojini Naidu.

2. A young bride.

3. She looks like a flower in the wind.

4. The word ‘we’ here refers to the bearers who carry the palanquin.

5. They sing a song.

6. She uses the words ‘glide’, ‘gaily’, lightly.

7. These words express the cheerfulness and light-heartedness of the w palanquin-bearers’ song.

8. To the bearers, she looks 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.

Explanation : The palanquin-bearers say that they are carrying the bride their palanquin very softly. In the dew of their song, she looks like a star hanging the sky. She looks like a beam springing on the top of a tide. When she springs down, she looks like a tear falling from the eyes of a bride. The palanquin-bearers go gliding with the palanquin on their shoulders. While they are thus carrying bride, she looks like a pearl on a string.

(A) (i) How do the palanquin-bearers carry the bride ?

(ii) How does the bride look in the dew of the bearers’ song  ?

(iii) What else do the bearers do while carrying the palanquin ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options:

(i) The word ‘brow’ as used here means ……….. .

(a) face (b) forehead (c) head (d) brown colour.

(ii) In ‘she falls like a tear’, the figure of speech is ……. .

(a) simile (b) metaphor (c) alliteration (d) comparison.

(iii) The bearers are carrying in their palanquin ……… .

(a) a young girl (b) a married woman (c) an old lady (d) a bride.

(C) How do the bearers feel while carrying the palanquin ?

(A) (i) They carry the bride very softly and lightly.

(ii) In the dew of the bearers’ song, the bride looks like a star hanging in the sky.

(iii) They go on singing while carrying the palanquin.

(B) (i) (b) forehead (ii) (a) simile (iii) (d) a bride.

(C) They are very happy carrying the ‘delicate’ load and they express their happiness by singing cheerfully.

Ans.— The feelings of the palanquin-bearers reveal their pleasure. For them, the princess is something very light, delicate and tender. She is like a flower, a bird, a laughter, a star and a beam. The palanquin-bearers are quite sensitive to the princess’ delicate situation. They look upon her like a brittle thing. That is why they carry her with all care.

Ans.— In these opening lines, the palanquin-bearers describe through their song the manner in which they are carrying the bride in their palanquin. They are carrying her along very lightly. The bride sways gently as she is being carried along. She looks like a flower swinging in the wind. Yes, the palanquin-bearers are quite sensitive to the bride’s presence. They look upon her like a brittle thing. That is why they carry her with all care.

Ans.— The rhyme-scheme of both the stanzas is aabbcc. The pairs of rhyming words are along-song; stream-dream; sing-string; tide-bride.

Ans.— The poet has deliberately used the device of contrast because, on the one hand the bride is dreaming of a joyful and romantic life with her husband but, on the other, is full of deep pain over her separation from her parents, brother and sisters.

Ans.— The similes used in the poem are:

1. She sways like a flower in the wind of our song.

2. She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.

3. She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

4. We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

5. She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.

6. She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide.

7. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.

Ans.— The last line of the stanza 1 and 2 (We bear her along like hot of the sta a pearl on a string) has been used as a refrain. This device produces charming music in the poem. It adds to the rhythmic appeal of the poem.

Line from the poem                                                   Image conveyed

1. Skims like a bird                                   Gliding movment of a bird flying over a stream

2. Sways like a flower                                ………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Floats like a laugh                                 ………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Hangs like a star                                   …………………………………………………………………………………..

5. Springs like a beam                              …………………………………………………………………………………..

6. Falls like a tear                                      ……………………………………………………………………………………

Ans.— 2. swaying movement of a flower in the cool breeze,

3. floating movement of a bird in the sky.

4. twinkling of a solitary star in the sky.

5. springing beams of light on a tide.

6. falling tears on the face of a bride.