Hi Everyone!! This article will share Palanquin Bearers Stanza-Wise Summary.
The poem is written by Sarojini Naidu and is so beautifully woven around the custom of carrying a bride in a palanquin by palanquin bearers. They are so happy in carrying the newly-wed princess to her in-laws’ house that on the way, they are singing along in harmony with their movement and that is how they transform their dull task into one full of joy. I have also shared the Stanza-Wise Summary of Bangle Sellers and Indian Weavers Stanza Wise Summary which are written by Sarojini Naidu only so, you can check these posts as well.
Palanquin Bearers Stanza-Wise Summary
Stanza – 1
“Lightly, O lightly we bear…………………………….. like a pearl on a string.”
The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin very gently and are moving very softly. As they are carrying the bride to her in-laws’ house, they are singing along and don’t feel it as a burden. They tell that the bride is so light to carry and it feels like the princess is swaying with the movement of the palanquin and the palanquin bearers’ song just like a flower sways in the wind.
Here the movement of the bride is compared to a bird that skims on the foaming froth of a stream. The bride is so delicate to carry and resembles that bird and she is said to be floating like a dreamy smile from the lips of a person who dreams. The bride is leaving her parents behind and is going to start her new inning with her beloved so, she has mixed feelings. She is ethereal just like a tender laugh that energies from the lips of a person. The palanquin bearers say that they are happy to carry the bride in the palanquin with pride just as some rich women would wear a pearl necklace around her neck and carry. Here the bride is compared to a pearl on a string since she is precious and delicate like a jewel.
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Stanza – 2
“Softly, O softly we bear…………………………………like a pearl on a string.”
The palanquin bearers further describe the delicate and tender bride saying that they carry her softly on their shoulders. Here, the bride is compared to a star that is reflected in the soft dew drops. She is so brightly dressed that she appears to be like a shining beam of light that is reflected from the surface of the wave. She appears to be jumping just like that. Yet, at the same time, she is so tender and delicate that they compare her to a gentle drop of tear that falls from her eyes as she is leaving her loved ones to start a new life.
The palanquin bearers sing happily as they smoothly carry the palanquin bearing the bride so that she would not feel the journey strenuous. They carry her along as if she were a precious jewel to be possessed by her husband.
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So, this was Palanquin Bearers Stanza-Wise Summary.