Cradle Song
by Sarojini Naidu
The Poem :
"From groves of spices,
O'er fields of rice,
Athwart the lotus-stream,
I bring for you,
Aglint with dew
A little lovely dream.
Sweet, shut your eyes,
The wild fire-flies
Dance through the fairy neem;
From the poppy-bole
For you I stole
A little lovely dream.
Dear eyes, good-night,
In golden light
The stars around you gleam;
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream.
Summary of the Poem :
Cradle song is a type of lullaby which is sung by parents to sent a child to sleep. It is a gentle, soothing song. Here, in this poem, the poet brings a little lovely dream for the child to fall asleep.
In the first stanza, the poet brings a little lovely dew glittered dream from the spice groves. The poet brings it over the rice fields and across the lotus-stream.
In the second stanza, the poet asks her sweet child to shut its eyes and tells it about the dancing wild fire-flies through the neem trees. The poet stoles a little lovely dream from the bright colourful flowers of the poppy-plants.
In the last stanza, the poet says the dear-eyes of her child good-night in the golden light of the shiny stars. The poet presses and rubs the little lovely dream carefully on the child.
Comprehension
1. List the places from which the mother brings 'a little lovely dream' for her child.
= The places from which the mother brings 'a little lovely dream' for her child are - from the spice groves; and from the poppy-bole.
2. Why do you think the mother chose these places? What effect might they have on the sleeping child?
= I think the mother choses these places to ensure a sound sleep for her child.
Spices and poppy promotes digestion and they are good for skin and hair health. This would be vary healthy for the child. It would surely help the child to fall asleep fast.
3. Where do you think the poem is set?
= I think the poem is set in the bed room of the child.
4. "Sweet, shut your eyes,
The wild fire-flies
Dance through the fairy neem;
From the poppy-bole
For you I stole
A little lovely dream."
What does the usage of 'fairy neem' and 'poppy-bole' in these lines tell us about what the mother hopes for her child's life?
= The usage of 'fairy neem' and 'poppy-bole' in these lines tells that the sacred neem tree would fill the life of the child with health and joy and the poppy would boost the child towards the path of prosperity.
5. Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem.
= The rhyme scheme of the poem is aabccb.
About the Poet :
Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949), born in Hyderabad, was an Indian Independence activist and poet. Sarojini was a child prodigy, displaying high intelligence and proficiency in many languages. Her first play, written in Persian, earned her a scholarship to study abroad and interact with many famous English authors. Following their advice, she looked for inspiration form the Indian people's daily lives for her writing. Revered as the 'Nightingale of India', she published several collections of poems under the titles Golden Threshold, The Bird of Time and The Broken Wing. Her birthday is celebrated as Women's Day in India.