Introduction:
‘Cradle Song’ is a lullaby sung by a fond mother to send her baby in the lap of sleep. In this lullaby, the natural and cosmic forces are also invoked to bless the child with sound sleep and sweet dreams. The poetess has created an atmosphere of Indianness in this song by the evocation of the Indian landscape, spice - groves, rice - field, lotus - stream, neem and poppy boles etc. The poem suggests the harmony and beauty, the adventure and excitement, and the peace and repose that the mother seeks for the child from Nature and life.
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| Poem Cradle Song—Summary and Critical Analysis |
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1:
From groves of spice,
O'er fields of rice,
Athwart the lotus - stream,
I bring for you,
A glint with dew
A little lovely dream.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Athwart = from one side to the other side, across. 2. Lotus - stream = stream in which lotus grows. 3. A glint with dew = glittering with dew drop.
Paraphrase:
The present song is a lullaby which is sung by a fond mother to send her baby to sleep. The baby lies in the cradle and goes to sleep as the lullaby is sung. The mother tells the baby that she has brought it a bright beautiful dream which is as bright as the dew . She has brought it from the groves of fragrant spice - trees, across fields of rice and streams in which lotus - flowers grow. The lotus flowers floating on the surface of stream look very beautiful and attractive.
Stanza 2:
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.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Sweet ... eyes= while singing lullaby, the affectionate mother asks her baby to close its eyes because it is night time. 2. The wild ... neem = the mother tells her baby that at night wild glow - worms begin dancing around the neem tree, which is supposed to be a place of fairy. 3. From ... dream = the mother tells that for sending her child in lap of sleep, she has stolen the lovely dream from the trunk of the poppy plant which has an intoxicating effect and it can bring drowsiness for the child. 4. Bole = trunk of the poppy - plant.
Paraphrase:
Further the affectionate mother tells the baby that it is night time and the fire flies have started dancing around the neem trees. It is believed in Indian folk tradition that the neem trees are haunted by fairies. The mother wants to send her child in the lap of sleep, so she says that she has stolen a beautiful dream from the stem of poppy plants and due to having an intoxicating effect , it would send him of sleep.
Stanza 3:
Dear eyes, good - night,
In golden light
The stars around you gleam;
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Dear ... good - night = the mother asks her child to close its eyes and wander in dreamy land during its sleep. 2. In golden light = the mother tells her baby that it will see golden light in its dream. 3. The stars ... gleam = the child will see the stars shining in the sky. It will find a glistening around it. 4. On you ... dream= the mother kisses the eyes of her baby with her tender lips.
Paraphrase:
When the affectionate mother sees that her child is going to sink into sleep and there is a bit of twinkling in its eyes, the mother asks her baby to close its eyes completely and should go in the land of dream. In its drowsiness, the mother tells her baby that it will feel a golden light around it. In its dream, it will see the shining stars. She kisses the baby's eyes softly and wishes for sweet dreams.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The present song is a lullaby, sung by an affectionate mother to send her baby to sleep. The baby lies in the cradle and goes to sleep as the lullaby is sung. It is a lovely, melodious lullaby. It is bound to be romantic and unsubstantial. In this lullaby also the natural and cosmic forces are involved to bless the child with sound sleep and sweet dreams. Sarojini Naidu's Indianness is amply brought out in this song by the evocation of the Indian landscape, spice - groves, rice - field, lotus - stream, neem and poppy boles etc.
Thought - Content:
The mother tells the baby that she has brought it a bright beautiful dream, bright as the dew. She has brought it from the groves of fragrant spice tree, across fields of rice and streams in which lotus - flowers grow. She next tells it that it is night time, wild fire - flies or glow worms are dancing round the neem trees, which is called ‘fairy’ for in the Indian folk tradition it is supposed to be haunted by fairies. She has stolen the lovely dream from the trunk of poppy - plants, and it should send it to sleep. The mother kisses the child affectionately and thus presses the lovely dream, so to say, on its eyes. As the child goes to sleep, she wishes it goodnight and prays that it may have sweet lovely dreams in its sleep. She wishes that it should dream that the stars are shining round it with their golden light.
Theme of the Poem:
Cradle songs or lullabies, sung by mother or nurses to send their babies to sleep, form an important genre of the Indian folk - songs. The present song also is one such lullaby sung by a doting mother to send her baby to sleep, who lies in the cradle and goes to sleep there as the lullaby is sung. Sweet, drowsy music characterises such songs, and here Sarojini Naidu has captured the sweet melody of the Indian lullaby.
Style and Language:
The poem suggests the harmony and beauty, the adventure and excitement, and the peace and repose that the mother seeks for the child from Nature and life. The mother's concern for the child's growth towards fullness and fulfilment is clearly expressed in the tender accent of folk - sentiment. The rhythmic movement of the poem in its three stanzas evokes the image of mother Nature rocking the cradle, achieving motion and altitude and flight, without any sense of dislocation, disturbance or discomfort. The poem has no thought, no profound feeling; there is nothing in it except the light of fancy. Music is its predominant quality.
“From groves of spice,
O'er fields of rice,
Athwart the lotus - stream,
I bring for you,
A glint with dew
A little lovely dream . "