The Bangle Sellers by Sarojini Naidu:

Summary

The Bangle Sellers by Sarojini Naidu: About the poem

Written by the prominent Indian poet and politician Sarojini Naidu, ‘The Bangle Sellers‘ is a
poem exploring the life of Indian women, the Indian culture and traditions revolving around
women. In most of her poems, Sarojini Naidu writes on the theme of Indian culture and
people. Her poems are focused on Indian settings and this poem makes no exception. In its
Indianness, the poem resembles another poem of hers, In the Bazaars of Hyderabad.
The poem revolves around bangles, which is an important ornament for ’embellishment’ of
women in Indian Society. In the poem, the bangle sellers are at the temple fair and they shout
out to the people passing by to have a look at their bangles. They urge them to buy bangles
for their daughters and wives.

Form and language of the poem

The entire poem has a structure where each stanza focuses on a particular theme. The first
stanza depicts the merchants touting at the temple fair to attract the attention of the people
passing by. The consequent stanzas focus on bangles of various colours the seller have for
women of all different ages.

The poem The Bangle Sellers has a simple rhyme scheme of aabbcc for each stanza. With
mostly octasyllabic lines the poem has no distinctive metre, but one has an apprehension of
the same due to the use of easy language and a general fluidity of words. Use of clever
similes has made it a beauty.

The Bangle Sellers: Explanation by stanza

Stanza One:

Bangle sellers are we who bear

Our shining loads to the temple fair…
Who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.

The poem begins with the speakers introducing themselves as bangle sellers who sell their
articles at the temple fair. They call out to the people to buy their bangles. These hawkers
describe their bangles as delicate, bright, rainbow-tinted circles of light. They advertise by
questioning who will buy these bangles for their daughters and wives.

It is important to note here that though the speakers of the poem are several, it appears as if
there is a single speaker. This is due to the fact that they all have the same purpose and are
thus seen singularly as a ‘class essence’. Also, the Bangles here are called ‘lustrous tokens of
radiant lives‘. It shows us the Indianness of the poem, where bangles are bought on special
occasions and are associated with happiness and prosperity.

Stanza two:

Some are meet for a maiden’s wrist,

Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new born leaves

The second stanza onward, the speakers talk of the kinds of bangles they have. Some of these
bangles are suited for a maiden’s, that is, a young unmarried woman’s wrist. They are Silver
and Blue in colour like the mountain mist. Some of them are ‘flushed’, that is pink and light
red in colour like flower buds growing beside a woodland stream. Still others are green and
glowing like the transparent beauty of new born leaves.

In Indian society, bangles have an important cultural and religious place. Different coloured
bangles are worn by women in different stages of life. Blue, Silver, and Green are generally
worn by young maidens. It is interesting to note that the poet here uses the words ‘flushed
like the buds that dream.’ The word ‘buds’ here is suggestive of chastity. ‘Buds that dreams‘
present before us an image of young girls dreaming of marriage. In this stanza, the poet
presents the stage of youth in a woman’s life.
Stanza Three:

Some are like fields of sunlit corn,

Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.

In the third stanza, the bangle sellers say that some of their bangles are yellow like ‘fields of
sunlit corn‘. Bangles of this colour are perfect for a bride on her bridal morn. Some of the
bangles they have are bright red. They represent the flame of a newly turned bride’s marriage
fire, that is, the passion of her newly made relation. The red bangles also stand for her heart’s
desire. The bangles are ‘tinkling, luminous, tender and clear’. They express both her joy of
starting a new life with her husband and the sorrow of leaving her parents behind.

What we find striking is the use of the words ‘bridal laughter and bridal tears.’ These words
convey the whole of a woman’s transition in life from a maiden to a wife and all the emotions
attached with it in a single line. This stanza marks the transition of life from a maiden to a
wife.

Stanza Four:

Some are purple and gold flecked grey

For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband’s side.

In the final stanza of the poem The Bangle Sellers, the speakers continue to advertise their
bangles. They shout that some of their bangles are purple and gold flecked grey. These are
suited for a middle-aged woman who has ‘journeyed through life’. They are for her who has
raised her children well, and has remained faithful to her husband and family. These bangles
are, they say, perfect for she who has maintained her household with pride and ‘worships the
gods at her husband’s side‘.
In this stanza, the poet writes down what she perceives as the qualities of a good wife. Such a
woman is truly deserving of the purple and gold flecked grey bangles in her eyes. Here we
should pay attention to the word ‘sons’ used to mean offspring. While it could be a happy
coincidence, it could also suggest the ingrained attitude of male preference in the society of
Sarojini Naidu’s times.

The poem, ‘The bangle Sellers’ is a celebration of the female life. It shows us the various
stages of a woman’s life and attempts to represent the Indian culture and the role of bangle
sellers in the traditional set up.

Figure of Speech & Poetic Devices used in The

Bangle Sellers
Sarojini Naidu’s poem The Bangle Sellers  is rich in the use of imageries and other poetic
devices and figures of speech. Those are listed below.
Simile:
Simile is a figure of speech where one thing is directly compared to another using
prepositions like ‘as’ and ‘like’.
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream

Some are like fields of sunlit corn,

Some like the flame of her marriage fire,

Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,

Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.

Metaphor
Metaphor is indirect comparison of two different things where there is a point of similarity.
Rainbow-tinted circles of light

Here, the bangles are compared to a circle of light glowing with different colours.

Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in neighbouring words.
Or, rich with the hue of his heart’s desire

Some are meet for a maiden’s wrist

These can also be taken as examples of alliteration (repetition of consonant sound at the
beginning of nearby words) which is a type of consonance.
Imagery
The poem “The Bangle Sellers” is, as already told, full of imageries. The poet has compared
the bangles of different colours to different objects and places of nature to create visual
imageries.
Silver and blue as the mountain mist

Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves

To the limpid glory of new born leaves

In the first example, blue and silver coloured  bangles are compared to the mountain mist. In
the second example, the bangles are glowing like the bloom that sticks to the green beauty of
new-born leaves.

Personification
The poet personifies (attributes human characteristics to something non-human) the ‘buds’
when he says “flushed like the buds that dream“. Being flushed (growing pink in emotion)
and dreaming are all human characteristics attributed to the buds.
Hypallage
Hypallage or transferred epithet is a figure of speech where an epithet (adjective)
grammatically qualifies a noun other than the person or thing it is actually describing.
“Faithful Breast” in the last stanza are examples of hypallage. Here, the mother’s
dependability and faithfulness are attached with the word ‘breast’.

Symbolism
In The Bangle Sellers, the poet has used symbols to describe various stages of woman life
and the feelings and emotions attached with those stages.
Silver and blue bangles, like mountain mist, symbolize purity. “Flushed like the buds that
dream” indicates the dream of marriage and the shyness of a maiden. Again, red bangles like
“flame of her marriage fire” symbolize the passion of her newly made relation.

Marriage is a social institution and many customs and rituals are associated with it in
different cultures throughout the world.
 
In a typical Indian set-up, marriage fire is lit as such a ritualistic exercise. In the poem,
“marriage fire” also has a symbolic meaning indicating to the passion of a newly-made
relation through marriage.
 Sarojini Naidu’s poem “The Bangle Sellers” doesn’t present the bangles as mere
ornaments of accessories worn by the women to adorn themselves, but those are a
part of their identity. Bangle are one of those few things that reflect their happiness.
Again, different colours of bangles reflect different stages of woman’s life. For example, the
silver and blue coloured bangles reflect the chastity and modesty of a maiden girl.
The yellow bangles like ‘fields of sunlit corn’ represent the happiness, peace and prosperity
of a bridal morning, while the red bangles like ‘the flame of her marriage fire’ represent the
passion of a newly made relation. The ‘purple and gold flecked grey’ bangles convey a
middle-aged woman’s love and care for her children and the concern for her family. So,
through the song of the bangle sellers, the poet emphasizes how bangles are “tokens of
radiant lives” of girls and women in a typical Indian society.

Bangle sellers take their load of bangles to the temple fair to sell them. The bangles are
termed as “lustrous tokens of radiant lives” which mean that they are symbols of love in
people’s lives. The bangles are made for happy daughters and wives. The poet says that
some of the bangles are made for the unmarried women and they are of silver and blue in
colour. The other bangles made for the bride glows like the fields of corn during morning.
Those bangles glow like the bride’s marriage flame and rich in her heart’s desires. The
bangles are tinkling with ‘luminous’ colours like the bride’s laughter or tears. Some
bangles are made for the elderly women who have journeyed through half of their life.
These bangles are of purpled in colour with gold fleckers. These women have served
their household well, cradles their sons and have worshipped the household gods with
their husbands beside them.

Notes of Bangle Sellers

Notes of Bangle Sellers

Extract I
Bangle sellers are we……daughters and happy wives.
1.    What is being referred to as ‘shining loads’? Who all are its prospective buyers?
The shining bangles that are being carried by the bangle sellers to the temple
fair for sale are referred to as shining loads. Women of every age group are the
prospective buyers of these bangles.
2.    Bangle sellers could sell their goods anywhere. Why do they choose to go to
the temple fair?
Temple fair is the place which is visited by women of all age groups. Here the
bangle sellers can sell their goods to ‘happy daughters and happy wives.’
3.    Which figure of speech is used in the line ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light’?
Explain what is linked to the happiness of daughters and wives.
The figure of speech used here is  a metaphor as multi-hued bangles are
compared to the radiant lives of ‘happy daughters and happy wives.’ The multi-
coloured bangles have been linked to the dreams, youthfulness and aspirations
of ‘happy daughters and happy wives.’
4.    Explain how the poet uses her descriptive skills to present facts. Give two
examples from the extract.
The bangle sellers go to the temple fair to sell bangles as women of every age
would be present there. The poet’s descriptive skills are reflected in the way
she has expressed the different stages in a traditional India woman’s life. For
example, in a single stanza she had described bangles as ‘shining loads’,
‘rainbow tinted circles of light’ and ‘lustrous tokens of radiant lives.’
5.    What role do the bangle sellers play in a traditional Indian set-up, according to
this extract?
The bangle sellers are the carriers of those ‘shining loads’ that glorify the idea
of Indian womanhood. They try to convince buyers of the spiritual and
symbolic importance of the bangles in the lives of ‘happy daughters and happy
wives.’ The bangles are symbolic of different stages of womanhood.
Extract II
Some are meet for a ……..of new born leaves.
1.    What type of bangles are befitting for a maiden’s wrist? Why are silver and
blue colours compared to the mountain mist?
Silver and blue coloured bangles are befitting a maiden’s wrist. These bangles
are compared to blue and silver mist of mountains as they symbolise the
freshness and the beauty of young maidens.
2.    In what way are the buds set to dream? What figure of speech is used in ‘the
buds set to dream’?
The bangles are suitable for the bud-like young maidens who dream of their
happy future. They dream of growing up and blossoming like beautiful flowers.
The figure of speech- personification.
3.    Give the meaning of :
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream
 Some of the bangles have shades of pink of yet to bloom flowers on a
woodland stream.
4.    How are the bangles compared to the newborn leaves?
The bangles suitable for maiden’s wrist are see in association with the
freshness of ‘new born leaves’ or the clear dew drops on newborn leaves. The
maidens like the newborn leaves or dew drops are pure, fresh and chaste.
They are yet to see the world.
5.    State the colours of the bangles meant for a maiden. What do these colours
symbolise?
Silver and blue coloured bangles are meant for a maiden. These colours have
their association with mountain mist or streams, which are fresh, beautiful and
evolving.
Extract III
Some are like fields of sunlit corn……laughter and bridal dear.
1.    What is being compared to ‘fields of sunlit corn’? Why?

Golden or yellow coloured bangles, suitable for a bride are compared to fields
of sunlight corn. The corn fields- a proof of Mother Nature’s fertility are
symbolic of the fertility of a young girl getting married.
2.    What do you understand by the phrases ‘bridal laughter’ and ‘bridal tear’?
With what have they been compared in the extract?
Bridal laughter means the happiness and blissfulness a bride experiences while
getting married. Bridal tear means sadness that accompanies a bride while
leaving her parental abode.
These phrases are compared to the bangles suitable for a bride, which are
luminous, bright and tinkling. The bangles are symbolic of her entry into  a new
life.
3.    Which figure of speech is used in these two lines? Explain with examples.
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart’s desire
 Simile, in which a likeness between two different things is stated  in an explicit
way using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
In these lines the golden and red coloured bangles suitable for a bride are
compared to the flame of her  marriage fire and the love that she would
experience in her new life.
4.    Bring out the relevance of the line:
Some , like the flame of her marriage fire
 The colour of the bangles suitable for  a woman on her wedding day is
compared to the reddish yellow flame of marriage around which the bride
takes marriage vows with her groom. The flame-like colour of bangles is
appropriate to symbolise the flame of love in marriage.
5.    Wedding become befitting occasions to wear bangles. In what ways does the
poet associate bangles with a bride?
The bangles worn by a bride in a traditional Indian wedding have spiritual and
symbolic significance. Each stage of an  Indian woman’s life is described
according to the colour of bangles suitable at that stage from a dreamy maiden
to an excited bride and finally to a mature matriarch. The bangles that are
suitable for a bride are golden coloured like the holy fire around which the
bride takes marriage vows with her groom. The bangles also have the colour of
‘her heart’s desire’ which is suggestive of dreams and hopes of a newly
wedded bride.
Extract IV
Some are purple and gold…..her husband’s side.
1.    For whom are the  ‘purple and gold flecked grey’ bangles suitable for? Which
phase of their lives is symbolised by these bangles?
For a woman ‘who has journeyed through life midway’ and has gained
experience and wisdom.
These bangles symbolise that phase when the maiden turned bride becomes a
proud mother and responsible wife. She has experienced all the aspects of
being a woman.
2.    Discuss the use of colour imagery in the above extract.
Colours represent various moods and aspects of life. In the above extract, all
the aspects of being a woman have been experienced. The colours chosen for
he bangles are purple and gold flecked grey. Purple colour indicates power,
authority, pride and dignity and gold flecked grey, a sober colour, indicates
experience and wisdom. Thus, the woman wearing purple bangles has gained
maturity, reared her children with love and at last has achieved the fullness of
her role as wife and mother.
3.    Explain briefly the following lines:
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast.
The lines are relevant to the concept of Indian motherhood. The bangle sellers
attribute purple and gold flecked grey bangles to the mother who has attained
 maturity by rearing her children. The bangles are suitable for those hands that 
have cherished, loved, blessed and cradled her sons.
4.    What special significance does the phrase ‘faithful pride’ hold in the above
extract?
‘Faithful pride’ is a significant phrase in context of a woman who has
‘journeyed through life midway’; she has been a loving daughter, a happy
bride; a responsible wife and mother. Her experiences have made her a perfect
India woman. She has been productive and fecund for her family and thus
‘serves her household in fruitful pride.
5.    Comment on the changes in the life of a woman vis-à-vis the colour of her
bangles.
Rainbow-tinted bangles are symbolic of different shades of womanhood.
The blue and silver coloured bangles like the blue and silver mist of mountains;
shades of pink of yet to blossom flowers or the clear dew drops on new born
leaves are suitable for young maidens.
The golden coloured like the holy fire around which the bride takes marriage
vows and the golden coloured bangles, compared to yellow sunlit corn fields
are suitable for a bride.

The purple and golden flecked  grey bangles are suitable for a woman who has
journeyed through life midway