Indian Dancers by Sarojini Naidu

EYES ravished with rapture, celestially panting, what passionate bosoms aflaming with fire

Drink deep of the hush of the hyacinth heavens that glimmer around them in fountains of light;

O wild and entrancing the strain of keen music that cleaveth the stars like a wail of desire,

And beautiful dancers with houri-like faces bewitch the voluptuous watches of night.

The scents of red roses and sandalwood flutter and die in the maze of their gem-tangled hair,

And smiles are entwining like magical serpents the poppies of lips that are opiate-sweet;

Their glittering garments of purple are burning like tremulous dawns in the quivering air,

And exquisite, subtle and slow are the tinkle and tread of their rhythmical, slumber-soft feet.

Now silent, now singing and swaying and swinging, like blossoms that bend to the breezes or showers,

Now wantonly winding, they flash, now they falter, and, lingering, languish in radiant choir;

Their jewel-girt arms and warm, wavering, lily-long fingers enchant through melodious hours,

Eyes ravished with rapture, celestially panting, what passionate bosoms aflaming with fire!

It is a poem on dancers where-in the poet has not tried to describe the struggle or the exploitation they face. Instead, Poet Sarojini has very straightforwardly admired their style, the way these dancers carry themselves passionately dancing without caring much about the world. We see a lot of beautiful imageries through which the poet had described the dancers. The rhymes scheme of the poem is abab cbcb dada.

In the first stanza she is describing the eyes of the dancers that are overcome with joy and emotions as the dancers are immersed in their art and are dancing in ecstasy. The dancers are divinely enjoying their dance even though at times they are out of breath. They are dancing with passion as if their whole body is on fire. Poet Sarojini is comparing the dancers to hyacinth flowers shining silently in the fountain of light. The music is so wild and hypnotic that the stars in the sky cry in grief and the beautiful young women dancing as though they are dancing in heaven and casting a spell with their sensuous moves.

In the second stanza in the first line, the poet explains about the way the dancers have worn their hair enhancing its beauty by red roses and sent of sandalwood flutters in their tangled hair. She described the way these dancers smile with their lips interweave like serpents comparing their smile to a sweet drug. In the third line, she describes the clothing the dancers have worn: a purple colour traditional attire with golden glitters shining like sunshine at the dawn. In the fourth line, we see that the poet is describing an important accessory that the dancers have worn ‘the anklet’ which makes a slow, delicate and rhythmic sound when they move.

In the last stanza, the poet is describing the way the dancers move. In the beginning, they move silently, they sing and sway and swing like the flower bloom that moves rhythmically as the slow breeze touches them. She is comparing the dancers to flower blossoms. Then their moves become wanton and deliberate without any hesitation, losing their strength, growing weak as they merge to their choir. With their jewel hugging by the arm and their long fingers moving charmingly they dance to the melodious tune for hours. With the same glimmering eyes and passionately immersed in their form of dance. The poet has repeated the first line, in the end, stressing on how passionate the dancers are when it comes to their art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4A4vVzHHYQ&feature=youtu.be