In the Bazaars of Hyderabad and Other Poems
Eight songs of India by Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India: the merchants and goldsmiths of the Hyderabad bazaars, the bangle-sellers at the temple fair, a love song from a latticed balcony, Radha carrying her curds to Mathura, a spinning song, a hymn for the rain, a prayer at the Festival of Serpents and a lullaby. By Sarojini Naidu (1912). A public-domain classic, from The Bird of Time.
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How it begins What do you sell, O ye merchants? / Richly your wares are displayed. / Turbans of crimson and silver, / Tunics of purple brocade, / Mirrors with panels of amber, / Daggers with handles of jade. / What do you weigh, O ye vendors? / Saffron and lentil and rice. / What do you grind, O ye maidens? / Sandalwood, henna, and spice. / What do you call, O ye pedlars? / Chessmen and ivory dice.What do you make, O ye goldsmiths? / Wristlet and anklet and ring, / Bells for the feet of blue pigeons, / Frail as a dragon-fly's wing, / Girdles of gold for the dancers, / Scabbards of gold for the king. / What do you cry, O ye fruitmen? / Citron, pomegranate, and plum. / What do you play, O musicians? / Cithār, sarangī, and drum. / What do you chant, O magicians? / Spells for the æons to come. Keep reading →About this story
Eight songs of India by Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India: the merchants and goldsmiths of the Hyderabad bazaars, the bangle-sellers at the temple fair, a love song from a latticed balcony, Radha carrying her curds to Mathura, a spinning song, a hymn for the rain and a prayer at a festival.
Naidu published them in 1912. The title poem, ‘In the Bazaars of Hyderabad’, is one of her best known, a list of what the market sells that reads like a song. She was a poet before she became a political leader, and her poems have an Indian music in English words.
- Themes
- Markets and festivals, colour and sound, love and prayer
- Good for
- Reading aloud; a short collection of vivid poems
- Worth noticing
- How much of each poem is a list of things, and how that becomes music.
Chapters
- 1In the Bazaars of Hyderabad1 min · 26 Oct
- 2Bangle-sellers1 min · 26 Oct
- 3In a Latticed Balcony1 min · 26 Oct
- 4Song of Radha the Milkmaid2 min · 26 Oct
- 5Spinning Song1 min · 26 Oct
- 6Hymn to Indra, Lord of Rain1 min · 26 Oct
- 7The Festival of Serpents1 min · 26 Oct
- 8Slumber Song for Sunalini1 min · 26 Oct