The Bangle Seller

The Bangle Seller

Glossary

loads: collections (of bangles)

rainbow-tinted: having the colours of the rainbow in them

lustrous: bright; shining

meet (adj.) : proper

flushed: shining brightly

tranquil: calm

aglow: shining

limpid: transparent and clear

hue: colour

tinkling: making a light ringing sound

luminous: shining

gold-flecked: spotted with gold dots

for her … midway: for a middle-aged woman

cherished: nursed

Thinking about the poem

Q.1) Who is the speaker in the poem?

Ans) A bangle seller is a speaker in the poem.

Q.2) How are the bangles described in the first stanza of the poem and who are these bangles for?

Ans) In the first stanza, the bangles are described as shining, delicate and bright. They are described as rainbow-tinted circles of light and as tokens of radiant lives. These bangles are for happy daughters and happy wives.

Q.3) The poet uses different similes for the bangles. What are these?

Ans) The poet compares the bangles to the mountain mist, to the flower buds, to the fields of sunlit corn, bridal laughter and to the bridal tear.

Q.4) Name the different colours mentioned in the poem. What do they represent?

Ans) Colours of the rainbow, silver, and blue, sunlit corn colour, purple and gold-flecked grey are the different colours mentioned in the poem. These colours represent the bangles suitable for different age groups of women.

Q.5) The word “some” has been repeated in the poem. What is it?

Ans) The word some represent the different types of bangles being sold by the bangle seller.

Q.6) Explain the following lines.

Some are meet for maiden‟s wrist

Silver and blue as the maintain mist

Ans) In these lines, the narrator says that some bangles are suitable for unmarried women. Some bangles are of silver and blue colour as the mountain that is under a blanket of mist.

Summary Of The Bangle Seller

The poem “The Bangle Sellers” is written by Sarojini Naidu. The poem is about bangles and bangle sellers. The bangle sellers carry loads of bangles to sell at the fairs. The bangles are delicate bright and colourful circles of light. As a woman journeys through the different stages of her life, the colour, texture, and design of her bangles also change accordingly. The bangle seller says that some bangles are for happy daughters and some for happy wives. The narrator draws colourful images from nature to reflect the exact hue and tint of the bangles. The bangle seller says that he has bangles not only for maidens but also for a middle-aged woman who in her fruitful pride worships the gods at her husband’s side.