Weavers, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?......
Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,
We weave the robes of a new-born child.
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.
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.
Introduction of the poet and theme of poem:
Sarojini Naidu a Nightingale of India has artistically woven the poem named “Indian
Weavers”. She was an important figure in India’s Struggle for Independence. Sarojini
Naidu’s work as a poet earned her the
sobriquet of Nightingale of India. It is a short poem consisting of three stanza having four
lines each. Each stanza of poem represents the three important events of human life. The
poet talks about three types of dresses that the Indian Weavers weave at three particular
times of the day. Metaphorically each time and the dress weaved in that time symbolizes a
particular stage of life.
The poet uses a number of literary devices to express her ideas like smile, imagery,
metaphor etc. The poem has the rhyme scheme AABB. The poem consists of a discussion
between the poet and the weavers. By using symbols of clothes and times of the day,
Sarojini Naidu has sum up the life of human beings in three main stages
Summary:
Summary of the poem:
1st Stanza:
First stanza indicates the beginning of life as a new born baby.
Poet asks to the weavers that why they are weaving clothes in the morning which is is very
beautiful and charming. The clothes are blue and like the wing of a halcyon.(Halcyon
stands for kingfisher a bird ). The wings of kingfisher are bright blue in color. Here blue
color indicates the loyalty and tenderness of mind which is precious and beautiful.
Weavers reply that they are weaving the clothes for the new born baby who has just came
in this world.
This stanza indicates the charming life of human with full of happiness, tenderness, hope,
freshness, beauty like a newly born child. There is no place for ill feeling and sorrow.
Second stanza indicates the adulthood of human life.
It was the evening time, everywhere darkness in paths and poet meets with weavers and
asks that why they are weaving so bright garment like the plumes of a peacock, purple and
green in color. Poet observed that garments are very bright and it have a purple and green
color like feather of peacock.
The weavers reply that they weave the marriage veils of a queen. It is an adult stage of
human in which got married. In this stage human are active and tries to lead a prosperous
life. The color purple symbolizes sorrowful life and color green indicates prosperous life. In
that stage human generally face ups and down of life to make his life prosperous.
The third stanza indicates the end of life with struggle in grief.
In this final stanza, poet observes that weavers are very calm and still under the
moonlight. They are quite and silent. They are weaving some white garment. Garment is
as white as the cloud. Cloud is colorless indicating emotionless and lifelessness of life.
In this way according to the poet, life begins with joy and charm. At middle stage it is full
of struggle and prosperity and human life ends tragically with sorrow and grief.
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