Introduction to Palanquin Bearers
Palanquin Bearers is a melodious and one of the most appealing poems of Sarojini Naidu. The poem describes the beauty of the bride, while she is being carried in a palanquin. The liberal use of imagery, mainly similes, makes the poem a pictorial delight.
Explanation of the first Pargraph-palanquin Bearers
The poem is being sung by the palanquin bearers, who have got the esteemed job of carrying the bride. While carrying the palanquin on their shoulders, they sing about the ethereal beauty of the bride. They say that they carry her lightly on their shoulders. She sways with the movement of the palanquin, just like a flower sways in the wind. She is so light that they compare her to a bird that skims on the foaming froth of a stream. She is ethereal, just like a tender laugh that emerges from the lips of a person, while he is dreaming. The palanquin bearers are happy to carry the light-weight bride, and they sing along. The bride within the palanquin is compared to a beautiful and precious pearl on a string.
Explanation of the last Paragraph-palanquin Bearers
The palanquin bearers further describe the delicate and tender bride, saying that they carried her softly on their shoulders. The bride is compared to a star that is reflected in the soft dew-drops. She is so brightly clad that she appears to be like a shining beam of light that is reflected from the surface of waves, yet, at the same time, she is so tender and delicate that they compare her to a gentle drop of tear that falls from the eyes of a bride ( here, we get a picture of the bride crying softly, as she leaves her loved ones, to start a new life). The palanquin bearers sing happily, as they smoothly carry the palanquin bearing the bride, comparing her to a pearl on a string.