Unit 1

Poem

In The Bazaars of Hyderabad – Sarojini Naidu

What do you sell O ye merchants ?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna, and spice.
What do you call , O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.

What do you make,O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons
Frail as a dragon-fly-s wing,
Girdles of gold for dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

What do you cry,O ye fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
What do you play ,O musicians?
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
what do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for aeons to come.

What do you weave, O ye flower-girls
With tassels of azure and red?
Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom,
Chaplets to garland his bed.
Sheets of white blossoms new-garnered
To perfume the sleep of the dead.

In the Bazaars of Hyderabad – Sarojini Naidu 

Summary

The Poem “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad “ was written by Sarojini Naidu. She was a famous writer in India. She was given the title “The Nightingale of India” by Mahatma Gandhi for writing Poems, which propagated Indian tradition & culture, etc. The present poem was taken from her collection of poems tiled “The bird of Time”

According to the Poem, the poet asked questions to the merchants in the bazaar  to know what they had brought to the market to display in a rich manner. Later on, the poet answered them that they had brought Crimson Turbans, Tunics of Purple Brocade with panels of Mirrors on them and daggers studded with jade on the handles to be sold to the customers in the market.

The poet posed some more questions to the vendors, Maidens and Peddlers to know more about the goods which were brought by them, She understood that they brought saffron, lentil, rice, sandalwood, henna, spice and ivory chessmen to the market. Later on, the poet inquired of the goldsmiths to know more about the ornaments made by them. She answered that they brought wristlets, anklets, rings, delicate bells which could fit to the legs of the blue pigeons, girdles of gold for the dancers and golden scabbards for the kings to be displayed and sold to the selective customers. 

In the last two stanzas, the poet described the goods brought by the fruits men, musicians, magicians and flower girls. She stated that they brought citron, plums, cithar, sarangi, drums and spells of aeons to come. She also mentioned that the flower girls brought beautiful tassels, crowns of flowers, chaplets and sheets of white blossoms to perfume the dead, etc. The poet made the readers understand the flower girls are exceptional in weaving flowers as chaplets, garlands, tassels and sheets of white blossoms for different occasions in a beautiful manner.

The present poem has 5 stanzas. Each stanza has 6 lines, According to the poetry, six lines stanza is called sestet / hexastich. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABC BCB. Apart from that, there is a flow of typical rhyme in the poem, with the introduction of ‘O YE’ in every first line of the stanza in the form of a question. The theme of the poem is FOLKLORE. Along with that, there is an indirect reference of SWADESHI MOVEMENT also in the poem. The poet highlighted the importance of the goods made by Indian Merchants which suit to the various occasions in a rich manner. The poem also highlighted the social & cultural life styles of people in the city of Hyderabad during the time of Independence movement in India.