2.2- Indian Weavers: Summary & Analysis

'Indian Weavers' by Sarojini Naidu

Indian Weavers is a beautiful poem written by renowned poet Sarojini Naidu. Sarojini Naidu (1879--1949) was a political activist, feminist and acclaimed poet. She was an important figure in India's struggle for Independence as she played an important role in India's Struggle for Independence. Her contribution to poetry earned her the sobriquet Bharat Kokila or Nightingale of India.

Introduction

Indian Weavers is a short poem consisting of three quatrains. The poem talks about three types of garments that the Indian weavers weave at three particular times of the day. Each stanza of the poem represents the three important events of human life: birth (Childhood), adulthood(young), and death(old). She relates them to different colours and different periods of the day. The poem has been structured in the question-answer pattern. The colours mentioned in the poem are very significant as they indicate the moods related to the events. The poem is a symbolic presentation of a man's journey from birth to death.

Poetic Appreciation

Summary and Analysis

Indian Weavers: Stanza-Wise Summary

Indian Weavers is a short and appealing poem consisting of three stanzas having four lines each. The poem is structured in question-answer format. Below is given its stanza-wise summary.

Stanza -I (Childhood)

'Weavers, Weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?...
Blue as the wing of the halcyon wild,
We weave the robes of a newborn child.

In the first stanza, the poetess asks the weavers, why they are weaving such a beautiful and blue coloured garment early in the morning. The cloths are blue in colour as the wing of the halcyon (Kingfisher). The blue colour is a symbol of loyalty and beauty. The Indian weavers reply that they are weaving these beautiful robes (dress) for a newborn child who just came to the world. The number of images like the break of day, garments so gay and blue as the wing of the halcyon wild are used to describe the first stage of human life which is full of happiness, freshness, beauty, and hope.

Stanza -II (Adulthood)

"Weavers, weaving at fall of night,

Why do you weave a garment so bright?...

Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,

We weave the marriage – veils of a queen.."

In the second stanza, the poetess again meets the Indian weavers during the fall of night and asks why they are weaving a cloth late in the evening. She also asks why they are weaving a garment so bright like plumes of peacock purple and green. They reply that the cloth is bright and beautiful because they are weaving for a marriage veil of a queen. The second stanza symbolizes the second stage of life i.e.Adulthood where people quest for a better and prosperous life. The purple and green colour symbolizes the ups and downs of life that makes adulthood bright.

Stanza -III (Old Age)

"Weavers, weaving solemn and still,

What do you weave in the moonlight chill?
White as a feather and white as a cloud,
We weave a dead man‟s funeral shroud."

In the last stanza, the poetess finds that the mood of the weavers got changed. They are quite sorrowful and silent. They are weaving the garment in the moonlight chill which is white as feather and cloud. She asks them what they are weaving. The weavers reply that they are weaving shrouds for a dead person. This stanza represents the final stage of life i.e. death. In this stage, all the colours vanish away and remain only a single color- white which represents eternal peace.

Conclusion:

The poem represents three stages of human life using symbols like clothes and periods of the day. The break of the day represents the beginning of life (Childhood). The fall of night is a symbol of adulthood where people quest for a better and prosperous life. The moonlight chill or night represents the last stage of life i.e. old age (death). The poet beautifully portrays a comparison between the three parts of the weaver's workday and the three stages of human life. Besides, she highlighted the importance of weavers, their hard work, and their thoughts while working.