Introduction of the poem:
The poem "Wandering Singers" has been extracted from the volume entitled "The Golden Threshold". This poem is set to the tune of the songs sung by the bauls or bands or wandering singers of India. It has the simplicity and charm of the folk-songs sung by the bauls. Singing is the vocation of these singers. The wandering singers have no home, no destination and they wander wherever they like. With lutes in their hands and ever-singing melodious songs they roam through echoing forests and echoing streets.
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| Poem Wandering Singers: Summary and Critical Appreciation |
They believe in universal brotherhood. They keep on wandering and their feet obey the call of the world. They form a community or society in themselves. They are inspired, dedicated artist who love their art and practise it for art's sake. Mercenary motives don't influence them at all. They sing of the cities which have lost the glory which they once enjoyed. They sing of battles, of kings and warriors. They keep alive local and national legend , and communicate it to the people. Thus, they perform a very useful social function. They have no dream of the future and they have nothing to hope for. They live entirely in the present without any regrets for the past or hopes for the future. They no objects of love-relations, friends, wives etc. They do not expect some particular pleasure at any one place. They are nobody's slave.
Critical Points of the Poem:
1.The wandering singers form a community or society in themselves. Their songs are not meant for any one person in particular, but for the entire community of the city or town through which they pass.
2.National, religious, provincial, racial, caste, prejudices etc., do not divide them from their fellowmen.
3.They are cosmopolitan in their outlook. They believe in the oneness of all men. They are votaries of world brotherhood.
4.The wandering singers make the common man conscious of their cultural heritage. They keep alive local and national legend.
5.Their themes are simple, sometimes they are happy, and other times sorrowful.
6.They have no dream of the future. They remain in present. They do not have any regrets for the past and hopes for the future.
Stanza-Wise Summary :
Stanza 1 :
Where the voice of the wind calls our wandering feet,
Through echoing forest and echoing street,
With lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam,
All men are our kindred, the world is our home.
Difficult Word-Meanings :
1. Wind calls = the invitation of gusts of wind. 2. Lute = stringed musical instrument. 3. Roam = wander. 4. Kindred = relatives.
Summary of the First Stanza :
The wandering singers wander from village to village and city to city entertaining the people with their sweet songs. They have no fixed destination and house. Like the wind they wander freely. In fact they hear the call of wind which urges to move on, and so they keep on wandering. They never disobey the call of wind. From where they hear the call of wind, they turn to that side. Taking the musical instruments in their hands, they wander about singing through forests and streets, towns and villages. They regard the whole world their home and all the human beings their brothers and relatives. They are cosmopolitan in their outlook. They are votaries of world brotherhood. The walls of nationality, religion, provincialism and caste can not divide them.
Stanza 2 :
Our lays are of cities whose lustre is shed,
The laughter and beauty of women long dead;
The sword of old battles, the crown of old kings,
And happy and simple and sorrowful things.
Difficult Word-Meanings :
1. Our lays.....shed = they sing of cities which have lost their old glory. 2. Lustre = brightness, glory, fame. 3. Shed = to let fall, to cast off. 5. Laughter = joys and pleasure.
Summary of the Second Stanza :
The wandering singers sing of cities which have cast off their old fame and glory which (cities) once enjoyed. For instance the old feudal cities like Vijayanagar, Chittor and Golconda etc., whose palmy days are over. They sing of the beauty and joys of women who have been dead for a long time, such as Jhansi Ki Rani or Zeb-ul-Nissa. They sing of the triumphs in the battles which were fought in the past. They also sing of the glory of the kings who have been dead for long ago. They sing of the warriors who fought the battles bravely and sacrificed their lives in the honour of the kings and country. The themes of their songs are simple. The wandering singers mingle classical simplicity and austerity in the theme of their songs. The poetess says that a reader, while reading, sets his heart on happy, simple and sorrowful things.
Stanza Three :
What hope shall we gather, what dreams shall we sow ?
Where the wind calls our wandering footsteps we go,
No love bids us tarry, no joy bids us wait :
The voice of the wind is the voice of our fate.
Difficult Word-Meanings :
1. What hope...…sow = their nomadic life prevents them from making plans and cherishing hopes for future. They cannot have the dreams of a brighter and happier time. 2. Where the wind.......go = they move along in obedience to the call of the wind. 3. Tarry = stop, wait. 4. The voice.......fate = the wind blows wherever it likes, similarly the wandering singers wander wherever they want.
Summary of the Stanza Three :
The wandering singers do not nourish any desire, hope, dream and plan for future. They care only for the present and dislike the past. They wander on and on after being free from any worldly thing. The urge to wander is strong in them. They are free and the master of their will like the wind. They have no objects of love to stop them at one place, nor do they expect some particular pleasure at any one place. The call of the wind is their destiny. Like winds they wander wherever they like.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem entitled Wandering Singers is a charming lyric. This poem is one of the poems in the “Folk – Song” section of The Golden Threshold. It is a twelve - line song which breathes an air of buoyancy, carefreeness, of abandon and release. It is set to the tune of the songs sung by the bauls or bards or wandering singers of India. It has also the simplicity and charm of the folk - songs sung by the bauls. The present poem expresses the spirit of wandering singers and their attitude towards life, people, country and world. The wandering singers have no home, no destination. They wander wherever they like. With lutes in their hands they roam through echoing forests and echoing streets. They have belief in universal love and brotherhood. They have cosmopolitan outlook. They share their feelings through their songs with the world. They live without any desire, hope, dream and love.
Thought - Content:
The wandering singers express the spirit of their wandering life. The whole world is their home, for they follow the wind as it blows. They go wherever the wind invites them to go . They pass through the forests and the streets of towns and cities, and both forest and town resound with their song. With their musical instruments in their hands, they always keep on singing and wandering. They consider all men to be their brothers and all the world to be their house. Theirs is a social pantheism for they believe in the oneness of all men. They are votaries of world brotherhood. Their songs do not contain any hope for radiant future. They cherish no hopes, no desires, no dreams. They sing only about the glories of bygone days and, therefore, there is an echo of romanticism in their songs. They always wander on and never have any feeling of realizing their goal , for they have none .
Form of the Poem:
There are eleven syllables in each verse, which may lead us to believe that the verse is pentametric with an extra - syllable at the beginning or at the end. As it stands, it is an iambic foot followed by anapaests. It is rising rhythm and it corresponds with the rising tone of the song. The predominance of anapaests synchronises with the quick movement of the wandering feet. The regular prosodic arrangement is disturbed only in the first and tenth line. The third foot is rather clumsy, but it is endurable.
Style and Language:
There is great simplicity of language. The poetess has used the impressive words. As it is known ‘Dream’ is a keyword in her poetry. It occurs almost in every poem, sometimes twice in the same poem. She has also used this word in the present poem:
“What dreams shall we sow?”
She has used figurative language to enhance the beauty of the poem.
1. "Where the voice of the wind calls our wandering feet.” (Personification)
2. “The swords of old battles, the crown of old kings.” (Metaphor)
Theme and Moral of the Poem:
The gay wandering singers sing a song that is pensive. They sing uprooted cities, of dead women, of the kings and battles of the old, and above all, of happy and simple, and sorrowful things - the eternal themes:
“Our lays are of cities whose lustre is shed,
The laughter and beauty of women long dead;
The sword of old battles, the crown of old kings,
And happy and simple and sorrowful things.”
It is they who keep alive many a local and national legend, and communicate it to the people. They thus perform a very useful social function, for it is they who make the common conscious of their cultural heritage, of the glory and greatness of their past. Their themes are simple, sometimes they are happy, and at other times sorrowful.
Comparison with Other Poems:
The poem may be studied together with Wordsworth's Solitary Reaper. The two poems are different from one another, their sources of inspiration are different and their rhythms do not bear any resemblance. There is, however, one thing is common between them, i.e., both the wandering singers and the solitary reaper sing of the battles long ago and happy and simple and sorrowful things, and, in fact, these were the themes of the songs of all stranded sailors, and of soldiers in trenches, of wandering bands and beggar maids, and of lovers and lovely men. The poem invites comparison with another poem of Sarojini Naidu viz., Wandering Beggars. Both the wandering singers and beggars wander ever, on, from land to and with the staff of freedom in their hands. But the singers do not utter the name of Allah, as the beggars do.