Line by line explanation of Palanquin Bearers.

Line 1,2:
     "Lightly, O lightly we bear her along
       She sways like a flower in the wind  of our song;"
The palanquin bearers carry the newly-wed bride in a palanquin.
They sing as they carry the bride to her in laws' house. They tell
us that the bride is very light to carry. They don't feel it as a
burden. The bride moves softly according to the movement of
the palanquin and the palanquin bearers' song. The bride's
swaying is compared with a flower's movement in wind.

Line 3,4:
     "She skims like a bird on the foam of  a stream,
       She floats like a laugh from the lips  of a dream"
Now the bride's movement is compared with a bird's skimming.
Birds touch the foam of a stream slightly and fly away. Likewise,
the bride moves slightly. She is very light and so she is said to be
floating like a dreamy smile from the lips of a person who
dreams. Her movement is so delicate and beautiful. The bride
seems to be happy, as her movement is compared with a laugh.

Line 5,6:
     "Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing,
       We bear her along like a pearl on a string"
The palanquin bearers carry the bride gaily, even when they glide
high grounds. They are not burdened and so they proceed with
their singing. They say that the bride is carried like a pearl on a
string. She is as precious as a pearl.
Line 7,8:
     "Softly, O softly we bear her along,
      She hang like a star in the dew of our song"
They carry her, the delicate bride, softly in their palanquin. She is
seated in the palanquin like a bright star and heeds to the
palanquin bearers' song. Their song reflects her happiness like a
dew drop reflects a star's light. Their happy song shows they are
as happy as the bride.

Line 9,10:
     "She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,
      She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride."
The bride moves like a beam of light that springs when it gets
reflected by waves. The bride's movement is also compared with
the slow falling of a tear from the eyes of a bride. Though the
bride is delighted to visit her in-laws' house, she feels sad for her
situation. She is getting separated from her parents. She has the
mixed feeling of joy and pain.

Line 11,12:
     "Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,
      We bear her along like a pearl on a string"
The palanquin bearers continue to carry the bride, who is as
precious as a pearl on string. They didn't cease their song as they
carry the bride lightly. They travel far away gliding rough paths.
Nevertheless, they never feel sad or burdened by carrying the
beautiful bride.

Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini Naidu

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.

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.

Summary

The palanquin bearers are carrying a royal bride in a palanquin. They are
singing a song while moving. There song is related to the situation of the
bride. They say that they are bearing the bride lightly. The bride is swaying
like a flower in the wind. She is gliding like a bird on the froth of a stream.
She is floating quietly like a laugh from the lips of dream. They are singing
and carrying her happily. They are carrying her like a pearl on a string. They
are moving gently and cheerfully. She is hanging like a star in the dew of
their song. She rises like a ray of light seen on the top of a tide. She falls
like a tear from the eyes of bride.

Analysis

In ancient days the royal brides in India were carried in ornate palanquins.
The men who carried them were called palanquin bearers. The palanquin
bearers considered it a privilege to carry the bride.

Palanquin Bearers is a musical poem. The vivid description of the journey

makes us experience the soft and gentle swaying movements of the
palanquin.

The palanquin bearers carry the palanquin gently. The swaying movements
of the palanquin are compared to a flower moving in the wind. The
palanquin bearers carry the bride so softly and delicately as if she were
something very delicate, soft, and precious. They carry her like a pearl on a
string.

The bearers do not feel the burden and move with quick steps like the birds
that skim across the river without touching the water. The palanquin
bearers are aware of the presence of the beautiful bride they are carrying in
the palanquin.

The poet uses two images deliberately to convey the contradictory feeling
of joy and sadness. In the first stanza the poet says that ‘she floats like a
laugh’. This conveys the joy of anticipation as she is going to her husband’s
house. Her heart is full of excitement as the palanquin moves towards the
house of her soul mate. In the second stanza the poet compares the bride
to a tear falling from the eyes of a bride to lend a touch of sadness to the
description. This aptly describes the state of bride’s mind as she is sad at
separation from her parents and family.

Summary of Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini

Naidu
- January 09, 2018

By Tanya Sharma
Nightingale of India
When people can’t express through tongue they choose to bleed through their
pen, becoming a writer isn’t easy though. Single emotion but innumerable styles,
abundant ideas and infinite techniques of communicating; only a writer can do
this and so was Sarojini Naidu, who was given the title of ‘Nightingale of India’
because of her major contribution in the field of poetry, which contained English
words but an Indian soul. She was born on February 13, 1879, in Hyderabad. Her
father Dr Aghornath Chattopadyaya, was the founder of Nizam College of
Hyderabad and a scientist. Her mother, Mrs Varasundari, was a Bengali poetess
and SaMrsni Devi inherited qualities from both her father and mother. She was a
great patriot, politician, orator and administrator. Her interest in the field of poetry
was an outcome of the disinterest in algebra. She wrote her first inspired poetry
in the algebra book and then enthused by this “The Lady of the Lake”, a poem of
1300 lines long was written by her.
Summary
There is a custom of carrying a bride in a palanquin by the palanquin bearers and
the poem ‘The Palanquin Bearers’ is so finely woven around this custom, which
expresses the joy and pride of the palanquin bearers in carrying the newlywed
princess to her in laws house and while walking they are singing along happily.
According to the palanquin bearers the bride is so light that it feels like the
princess is swaying, like a flower sways in the wind. She is sitting in the
palanquin and is hearing their song. They consider the royal princess as a
privilege instead of burden to them, since she is sitting and thinking about her
future after marriage. Like a flower in the wind, the bride is moving from side to
side.
They say that ‘she is like the bird that skims on the foam of a stream’ which
means that a bird passes a stream skipping through the foam of the stream and
the bride resembles of that bird because she is so delicate to carry.
 She carries a mixed feeling as she is leaving her parents behind and moving
onto a new phase of her life. She is happy and contented to live and start a new
inning with her beloved.
They are carrying her like a pearl on a string since she is precious and delicate
like a jewel. In the dew of their song the princess is hanging like a star. Like a ray
of light is seen on the top of a tide, she appears to be jumping just like that. Tear
rolls down the eyes of a bride, in the same way she falls. The bearers are
carrying the princess as if she is dew or a tear drop. They are delighted to carry
the bride and could not feel her weight because she is very tender.

Palanquin Bearers by Sarojini Naidu

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.

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.
Words to Know :

Sway : move from side to side

Skim : glide smoothly over something

Foam : mass of small bubbles, froth

Gaily : merrily, happily

Dew : condensed drops of water

Beam : ray of light, broad smile

Brow : forehead, eyebrow (here : top of water/tide)

Idea of the poem

Core Meaning
Palanquin bearers is a melodious poem. The poem describes the scene
of a bride being carried on a palanquin. The poem generates images of
royal wives being carried on a palanquin to their husbands house. The
men who carried the palanquin felt that their job was special and did it
with much happiness. The similies in the poem point to the fact that the
men did not feel that their job was tiresome. Some examples of the
same are, 'Softly, O softly we bear her along', 'She hangs like a star in
the dew of our song' and 'Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing'.

Palanquin bearers is melodious and one of the most appealing poems of

Sarojni Naidu. The poem describes the beauty of the bride while she is
being carried in a palanquin. We are reminded of one of the ancient
customs of carrying royal brides in India in decorated carriages to their
husband’s home. Occasionally, the men of the royal families would travel
on horseback along with the bride. The men who carried the carriages
were happy about their work and believed that they had a distinguished
job. They did not feel their job burdensome.