In The Bazaars of Hyderabad
By :Sarojini Naidu
About The Poet and the poem :
Sarojini Naidu, The Nightingale of India, was a patriot and freedom
fighter, but her first love was poetry. When she started writing
poetry, she imitated English poets. Soon, however, she began to
write about Indian themes. Most of her poems have lines repeated
across stanzas. This is similar to a Nightingale's song - repetitive yet
beautiful, thus earning her the title.
She played an important part in the social and cultural life of
Hyderabad for many years. This poem describes the various stalls in
the bazaars of Hyderabad. The poem consists of questions and
answers.
Through the poem In The Bazaars of Hyderabad Sarojini wanted to
convey the message that India is rich in tradition and they don’t
need the foreign products. So, she goes on to give a picture of a
bazaar where traditional Indian products are ruling.
Simple narrative style cast in the form of questions and answers
characterizes this poem. The poet asks the questions and the
merchants answer them. Through this technique she make the
picture of the bazaar visible to us.
Paraphrase
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.
The poem begins with the poet’s question to the merchants about
what they are selling. She sees that the goods are displayed nicely to
attract the buyers. The merchants reply, that they are selling
crimson (deep red) and silver coloured turbans, purple brocade
tunics, mirrors with amber-frame and daggers with handles made of
jade (a green stone). This shows the variety of items in this single
stall and the quality of material a prospective customer can buy .
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.
The poet then visits the vendors, the maidens and the pedlars. She
asks the vendors what they are weighing for sale. The vendors reply
that they are weighing saffron, lentil and rice. The poet then asks
the maiden girls what they are grinding. the reply comes that they
are grinding sandalwood, henna and spices. And now the pedlars
are asked what they are calling as their trade cry. They say that they
are selling chessmen and dice made from ivory for the game of
chess.
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.
The poet now goes up to the goldsmiths and asks them what they are
making. They answer, they are making wristlet, anklet and ring t
and delicate bells to be tied to the feet of blue pigeons. And the bells
are as thin and lightweight as the wings of a dragonfly. They are
also making golden girdles for the dancers and golden sheaths for
keeping the king’s swords. The goldsmiths products are suitable for
various customers that are present in the market.
What do you cry, O ye, fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
What do you play, O musicians?
Sitar, sarangi and drum.
What do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for aeons to come.
The poet in the poem In the Bazaars of Hyderabad now asks the
fruit sellers what fruits are they selling. They answer that there are
citron, pomegranate and plum. Now as the poet asks the musicians
what instruments they are play, they reply that they are playing on
sitar, sarangi and drum. Adding a touch of bemusement to the
bustling market place, there are the magicians who baffle the
onlookers with their tricks, sleights of hand, and weird shouts,
as if they are invoking heavenly powers. The magicians
have been added to the text, alongside the
musicians, in order to make the reader understand
Indian culture and give them a realistic picture of
the Indian Bazaar.
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 last stanza of the poem the poet asks the flower girls what they
are weaving with the azure (deep blue) and red tassels (strands of
flower). The flower girls reply ,they are making crown for the groom
and garlands for the bride and the groom, to adorn their bed for the
wedding night. They are also making sheets of newly brought white
flowers for use on the dead man’s grave for fragrance.
The items sold in the Bazaars are not just as
those who are living. There is something for
everyone and for every occasion, in the bazaars of
Hyderabad.
Poetic Devices
Alliteration
Alliteration is a specific kind of consonance. It is the repetition of consonant sounds
in first or stressed syllables of nearby words.
Girdles of gold for dancers
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wings
Simile
Simile is a direct comparison between two different things by use of ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing
Here the poet compares the delicate golden bells to dragon fly’s wings, as both are
fragile.
Metaphor
An indirect comparison between two different things, where there is a point of
similarity.
To perfume the sleep of the dead
The silence and senseless condition of a dead man is compared to ‘sleep’.
Imagery –Imagery is the use of language to evoke picture in the minds of the
readers or listeners.
Tactile- Touch. Everything can be touched-tunics of purple brocade, daggers with
handle of jade, tassels of azure and red, blue pigeon .
Auditory- Hear. The playing of sitar sarangi and drum, chanting of spells., cry of
fruitmen ,tinkle of anklets.
Visual- See. Everything can be seen-tunics of purple brocade, daggers with handle
of jade, tassels of azure and red, blue pigeon .
Olfactory- Smell. There is smell of sandalwood, henna and spice which are being
grinded by the maidens,fragrance of fresh flowers
Gustatory- Taste. Citron fruit, pomegranate and plum.
Read the lines and answer the questions that follows.
What do you play, 0 musicians?
Cithar, sarangi and drum.
What do you chant, 0 magicians?
Spells for the aeons to come.
a. What were the musician playing?
b. Explain the last line of the poem.
c. Write the rhyme scheme used in these lines.
Answer briefly.
1. What do you think was the purpose of writing this poem?
2. What were the merchants selling in the bazaar ?
3. How were the mirrors and daggers decorated?
4. What did the poet ask the maidens?
5. Why do you think the pigeons wear frail bells?
Read ,reflect and write.
1.Do you think the bazaars of Hyderabad are as beautiful as the malls
you visit? Write a paragraph describing the best mall you have visited in
80 -100 words.
Section B – In the Bazaars of
Hyderabad
About the poem
A. 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (d)
B. 1. Merchants display the red and silver turbans, purple brocade tunics, mirrors with amber
panels and daggers with jade handles. The term ‘richly displayed’ means that the merchants have
displayed their goods in a very beautiful manner.
2. Maidens are in the bazaars of Hyderabad. They are grinding sandalwood, henna and spice.
3. Peddlers are hawkers. They are selling chess boards and ivory dice.
4. This indicates the Indian fascination for the game of chess and for games of chance using dice.
5. Frail bells were tied around the pigeon’s feet. The Indian society was rich and caring. Even the
birds’ feet were adorned with bells. Yet the bells were delicate to enable the birds to fly easily.
C. The poet describes the marketplace of Hyderabad vividly. Sarojini Naidu talks about the
various goods sold in its market and how they are on display to attract customers. Throughout
the poem the lines are structured as a conversation between seller and buyers. The merchants are
selling silver turbans, purple brocade tunics, mirrors with amber panels and daggers with jade
handles. Vendors are weighing saffron, lentils and rice. Maidens are grinding henna, spice and
sandalwood. Peddlers are selling chessman and ivory dice. The goldsmith is making wristlet,
anklet, rings, girdles for dancers, scabbards for the king. They are also making delicate bells for
the pigeon’s feet. The fruit sellers are selling citron, pomegranate and plum while the musicians
are playing the sitar, sarangi and drum. The magician attracts the people by chanting spells while
the flower girls are weaving crowns for brow of a bridegroom, chaplet to garland his bed and
sheets of fresh white blossom for the dead.
