The Old Woman by Sarojini Naidu

The Old Woman 

A lonely old woman sits out in the street

'Neath the boughs of a banyan tree,

And hears the bright echo of hurrying feet,

The pageant of life going blithely and fleet

To the feast of eternity.

Her tremulous hand holds a battered white bowl,

If perchance in your pity you fling her a dole;

She is poor, she is bent, she is blind,

But she lifts a brave heart to the jest of the days,

And her withered, brave voice croons its paean of praise,

Be the gay world kind or unkind:

“La ilaha illa-l-Allah,

La ilaha illa-l-Allah,

Muhammad-ar-Rasul-Allah.”

In hope of your succour, how often in vain,

So patient she sits at my gates,

In the face of the sun and the wind and the rain,

Holding converse with poverty, hunger and pain,

And the ultimate sleep that awaits …

In her youth she hath comforted lover and son,

In her weary old age, O dear God, is there none

To bless her tired eyelids to rest? …

Tho' the world may not tarry to help her or heed.

More clear than the cry of her sorrow and need

Is the faith that doth solace her breast:

“La ilaha illa-l-Allah,

La ilaha illa-l-Allah,

Muhammad-ar-Rasul-Allah.”

Analysis :

This poem is from “The Bird of the time” collection. 

Each stanza consisting of 14 lines with the last four constituting the refrains. 

The last three lines in Arabic. The blending of Arabic and English is an example for code mixing.

The rhyme scheme of the 11 lines apart from last 3 Arabic lines is ABAABCCDEED

The poem is in the third person’s narration and the poet is observing the old woman and trying to explains us about her situation.

In the first five lines we get to know that the old woman is alone. She doesn’t have anyone to take care of her so she sits beneath a banyan tree and hears everything that goes around her as day by day the life moves on cheerfully and swiftly to the eternity.

In the next six lines we get know the old woman a bit better. Here get the picture of the old woman’s trembling hand  holding a worn out white bowl for begging and the poet says that if the passerby is kind hearted enough they would put a coin or two if not they would simply pass by.

Now the poet explains her whereabouts telling us the old woman is poor and that is the reason for her begging, she is bent thats why she can’t walk much and she is blind so she sits there and listens to everything going around her. 

But the poet also mentions that even though she is suffering yet she has not given up on her life. Everyday she comes with a brave heart sits there with her loud voice she sings, praising the lord and not bothering about the world whether its listing to her or not. 

Also, with the help of the last 3 lines we are introduces to the old woman’s faith.

In the next stanza poet explains how the old woman everyday patiently sits near the poets’s gate with hope and expecting  help from people which often goes in vain. 

Be it is sunny, windy or rainy she sits there everyday no matter what. She has no other choice since she is poor and begging is the only way she knows she can fulfil her stomach. Also the poet feels that she sits there awaiting her ultimate sleep which is nothing but her death.

Now the poet is explaining the old woman’s background saying its not like she was this pathetic in her youth. She was leading a comfortable life with her husband and son but now when she is old there is no one to look after or take care of her so that she could rest a bit. But we are not sure where her husband or her son have gone, have they abandoned her or are they dead we have no clarity on that. Yet she is not waiting for the world to stay to help her. Because more than crying for her sorrows her cry for her faith comforts her heart more. She know her God will take care of her no matter what.