To India - My Native Land
| by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio | |
 | |
| Written | 1828 |
|---|---|
| First published in | India |
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | British rule |
| Form | Sonnet |
| Meter | Iambic pentameter |
| Rhyme scheme | abab abcc |
| Publisher | Evergreen Publications (India) Limited |
| Media type | |
| Lines | 14 |
| Pages | 1 |
To India - My Native Land is a poem composed by Indian poet Henry Louis Vivian Derozio in 1828. It is one of the most notable works by the Indian poet.
The poet was very pained at the fact that India was under British rule and laments that fact in this poem.[1]
Summary
My country! in thy day of glory past
A beauteous halo circled round thy brow,
And worshipped as a deity thou wast.
Where is that glory, where that reverence now ?
Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last,
And grovelling in the lowly dust art thou;
Thy minstrel hath no wreath to weave for thee
Save the sad story of thy misery!
Well–let me dive into the depths of time,
And bring from out the ages that have rolled
A few small fragments of those wrecks sublime,
Which human eyes may never more behold;
And let the guerdon of my labour be
My fallen country! one kind wish from thee!
The poet expresses a sense of personal loss in the downfall of his country, India. Addressing India, the poet says that in the old days, India was worshipped like a deity. Poet wonders where that glory and splendour have disappeared and regrets the fact that his motherland has now been reduced to the position of a slave of the British Empire. The author also mentions that the country has been humiliated and ashamed of herself grovelling in the dust. There was time when the country soared like an eagle in the skies but now the wings of that great bird have been clipped and it is chained. The poet has no wreath of flowers to offer the country but instead, he will dig into the past and will try to sing of some parts of that great history which is no longer available to the younger generation. The only reward author wants for his effort is that the country should have a kind wish for the author and the countrymen should love him.
Theme
In this poem Henry Louis Vivian Derozio talked of the past glory of India and how the country that was called the "Golden Eagle" has chained and enslaved. He proposes to write about some of that heritage of the distant past and in return hopes for a kind wish from the country and its people.[2]
Publications
- Evergreen Publication (India) Limited
- National Publication House, Dehradun
Critical appreciation
The poem is a sonnet which is written as a tribute to the motherland of the author. Though written by an Indian poet, but there is an influence of Romantic poets and Medieval poets with the use of "thou" and "thee" in the poem.
The poet has effectively used the image of a golden bird thus hinting at the past glory of India. Words like "halo", "deity", "worship" elevates the country to a height and then words such as "chained", "grovelling", "lowly dust" and "wreath" bring out the contrast strongly. The misery and lament of the poet has forced to make the readers join his sorrow.
References
- ↑ M. K. Naik (1984). Perspectives on Indian Poetry in English. Abhinav Publications. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-391-03286-6. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ↑ Indispensable THE GOLDEN LYRE, By Mr. Usha Nagpal, National Publication house , p-117