The cabeza is taken
from a poem titled Cradle Song penned by Sarojini Naidu. Also known by the sobriquet, ‘ The Nightingale of India’, she was a
child prodigy born in a well-to do family classified then as an upper class.
Educated in London, she was an Indian independence activist and poet,
pioneering women to march and hold the flag. Naidu was one of the framers of
the Indian Constitution. Here is the poem:
CRADLE SONG
From groves of spices
Over fields of rice
Athwart the lotus stream
I bring for you
A glint 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.
**********************************************************
The stars around you gleam
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream
You painted a picture
Soaked in vibrant hues
Of an everlasting
happiness
Knowing no ordains
Unleashed by curses
and whips
On hearts, to scream
Standing on tireless
legs
With hands raised
For an equal share
of cream
The stars around you
gleam
You shone, like one
In the mission
Inspiring hands rocking
a cradle
To stand up
For self and much
more
Face, challenge,
address
Wake up the buried
and burnt
Embrace the embers
to walk
Step by step knowing
no retrogress
On you I press
A note of gratitude
Born with chances
and convenience
To grow far ahead of
the time then, yet
You chose to be our
Nightingale
Piercing through the
echelons
Stepping out of a patrician
dress
Your bountiful pen found
its song
This soil shone in
those pearls
Adding to the
monarchy’s abscess!
With soft caress
Blooming out of feminine
confines, yet
Singing lullabies
Weaving desires for
a wisp of air, free
Sans strings, you
wished, then and
Now, locked in pages
of vintage
Seldom seen is your
spirit, buoying the stream
Vestiges of your
voice, if heard
Echo freedom,
relevant
Today to live in
sunbeam
A little lovely
dream
I
hope, the glosa has stood up, a little, as an ode to Sarojini Naidu.
Shared with:
What a soft and caring homage to a hero I had never heard of. Thank you for sharing this where you with gentle hand have integrated her words into your poem.
ReplyDeleteA lovely tribute to an extra ordinary woman of your country ~
ReplyDeleteI particularly like this part:
To grow far ahead of the time then, yet
You chose to be our Nightingale
Piercing through the echelons
Stepping out of a patrician dress
Your bountiful pen found its song
Good to see you trying out this form, well done ~
this is lovely...a great tribute to an inspiring person...love the opening on painting life...the compassion in the second stanza...love the allusion to the nightengale as well...echo on that freedom...
ReplyDeletei really like the contrast or better call it extension of the lullaby...the backbone of being able to sing such a song..all that it takes..yes...i agree with björn
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and thank you for introducing me to Sarojini Naidu - I shall read more of her.
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]
"You chose to be our Nightingale
ReplyDeletePiercing through the echelons
Stepping out of a patrician dress
Your bountiful pen found its song
This soil shone in those pearls
Adding to the monarchy’s abscess!
With soft caress"
My favorite lines--so lovely and thank you for the introduction to the beautiful Nightingale as well.
This is a lovely tribute - "Stepping out of a patrician dress" - wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'm having trouble replying, so apologies if I'm repeating: this is a lovely tribute - "Stepping out of a patrician dress.." - wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWow - I think you can rest easy that your glosa has stood up more than a little as an ode to Sarojini Naidu - this is fabulous, and you've woven the cabeza words seamlessly. Brava.
ReplyDeletehttp://thepoet-tree-house.blogspot.ca/2013/05/table-for-four.html
1.A wonderful tribute to an eminent person. A great poem by said Sarojini!
ReplyDelete2.You penned a beautiful glosa, Akila! 'Vestiges of your voice' yes,loud and clear. The Constitution lives on!
3.Had some problems with my connections. The correct one is http://imagery77.blogspot.com/2013/05/birds_8197.html
Hank
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAkila, I'm featuring your work at Blogs Over Easy.
ReplyDeletehttp://blackandgraylifemusings.blogspot.com/2013/05/blogs-over-easy.html
You've succeeded wonderfully in this ode to honour an amazing woman and writer. Personally, I thank you for having introduced me to Sarojini Naidu, someone I've not been acquainted with, but now am eager to learn more about and to read from. I can only imagine, from the selection from her work that you've quoted here, and from the expansion of her thoughts as in the cabeza, how amazing her body of work must be, this 'Nightingale of India'. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh, my Dad used to read this poem of Naidu's to me when I was little! What a joy to find it here. But I had no idea she was such an activist. (I should have realised, as my Dad admired her greatly. He was for all the things she too so evidently stood for.) Thank you, Akila, for not only bringing back sweet childhood memories but also adding to and enriching them.
ReplyDeleteO, Yes! How this flows with last lines seeming first lines and gratitude bubbling over into an emotional and spiritual feel of this woman. This form--glosa--seemed deadly when first I encountered it, but I have grown to appreciate its gifts through poems like this.
ReplyDelete