Discussion Topic

Analysis and Interpretation of Sarojini Naidu's Poem "The Soul's Prayer"

Summary:

"The Soul's Prayer" by Sarojini Naidu explores the themes of life, death, and the human soul's quest for understanding. The poem portrays a dialogue between a child and God, where the child seeks knowledge of life's mysteries. God responds by explaining that both joy and sorrow are essential for the soul's growth, emphasizing the inevitability and value of experiencing both aspects of life.

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What is the theme of Sarojini Naidu's poem "The Soul's Prayer"?

The fundamental theme of the poem lies in the premise of a child, a devotee, speaking to God.  There is a level of purity present between the devotee asking questions of existence to God.  In the metaphysical exchange between God and speaker, the poem's themes lie in the discussion of life and the experience of consciousness.  Seeing that large issues emerge from this discussion, the theme is about the nature of existence.  The last stanza might go far in this when God says that life and death are part of the same experience in consciousness:  "Life is a prism of my light and death the shadow of my face."  In this, the dualistic nature of life, creation and destruction, vitality and mortality seem to exist side by side and work in tandem with one another.  The fundamental theme of the poem is the exploration of this dichotomy in the dialogue...

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between devotee and God.

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Can you explain the 6th stanza of "The Soul's Prayer" by Sarojini Naidu?

The entire poem is about a prayer that a person offers up to God, asking him to give them everything-all of life's experiences, and to spare them nothing so that they can experience it all.  In the sixth stanza, the Lord is answering that prayer.  Before this, he has stated that he will do just that, that their soul will "know all passionate rapture and despair...drink deep of joy and fame...love shall burn thee like a fire, and pain shall cleanse thee like a flame."  So the Lord will answer her request, and let her experience it all-good and bad.

Then, he states, "So shall thy chastened spirit yearn/To seek from its blind prayer release,/And spent and pardoned, /sue to learn/The simple secret of My peace."  In this stanza he says that her spirit, through these experiences will be chastened or humbled, and she will wish a release from the prayer she offered-a release from all of these experiences.  Her soul, "spent and pardoned", or tired and exhausted, will want to know how to be peaceful.  It will want to know how to leave the fire and flame behind, the burning and cleansing, and simply experience quite, underrated peace.

All in all the poet will learn that all of the drama and excitement in life is not necessarily what makes it good; sometimes, it is the peaceful, quiet moments, and in these, we are closest to God.  I hope that helped!

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What is the tone and form of Sarojini Naidu's poem "The Soul's Prayer"?

In "The Soul's Prayer," Sarojini Naidu's speaker has asked the Lord to "reveal to me/ Thine inmost laws of life and death." The soul has asked this question of God with "childhood's pride" which suggests that it is a question that is one of naivete and inexperience. This is important, because it seems that God doesn't react very happily to the question. He answers:

Child, I will hearken to thy prayer, And thy unconquered soul shall know All passionate rapture and despair.

This may seem like an answer given to a child in a simple manner. However, the tone of his answer becomes one of disappointment in the question altogether. God is going to inform the child of all life's "passionate rapture and despair." After some words to answer specifics, he says:

I, bending from my sevenfold height, Will teach thee of My quickening grace, Life is a prism of My light, And Death the shadow of My face.

Take God's entire answer and it is evident that he would rather the young soul leave these questions up to him. You might compare it to the idea of God saying "you don't want to know." He is saying, "You don't need to worry about these things and how they happen. I will take care of all of my children and you must trust in me."

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Can you provide a brief summary of Sarojini Naidu's poem "The Soul's Prayer"?

In this poem, the narrator enters into a dialogue with God, asking God in the first stanza to reveal to her the laws of life and death. At this point, the narrator is young, asking "in childhood's pride." In the second and third stanzas, she continues her requests, seeking mystical knowledge and asking that she not be spared whatever pain it takes to attain it. She is willing to embrace both "bliss" and "grief." 

In the last four stanzas, the Lord responds sternly and quietly, saying he will answer her prayer. The narrator will experience "rapture and despair." He tells her she will "drink deep" of love, joy, and fame, but also of a pain that will burn away the "dross," or worthless parts, of her soul. In the sixth stanza he tells her that by the time she is through, she will desire peace. Finally, in the last stanza, he reveals to her that he is the light of life and that death is his shadow: in other words, he is in all things. 

It is hard not to read the poem biographically. Naidu herself experienced joy, love, and fame as a leader of the Indian liberation movement, but also the deep pain of imprisonment and watching the suffering of her people in their struggles. Throughout her entire struggle, it is easy to imagine her learning to value peace. 

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As the title suggests, the poet's idea is a discussion between the speaker and God about the nature of existence, questions that would be most likely offered during a prayer.  The speaker is searching for "the inmost laws of life and death," seeking answers to questions that strike at the heart of living and consciousness. The answers received from the divine force reveal the nature of suffering, love, and pain.  The poem concludes with a belief that life and death are interlinked between one another, reflecting eachother.  The imagery featured in the responses such as " love burn like a fire" and "pain cleanse like a flame" suggests that interlinked pain and joy within being.

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What is the interpretation of the poem "Soul's Prayer" by Sarojini Naidu?

The poem is an exploration of the metaphysical condition of love, pain, and the encompassing nature of existence.  The poem opens with the speaker wondering about the nature of joy, pain, and the experiences of "the utmost bitter, and the utmost sweet."  This is expressed in the stanzas leading to the fourth one, where the speaker receives an answer to their query.  The divine power states that they will reveal to the child the dualistic and converging nature of "all passionate rapture and despair."  As the poem concludes with this statement from the divine power, the closing lines reveals the duality of life and death and how each is encompassed within the other.  The poem seeks to explore both opposites, only to find that one is meshed within the other.

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Why is the soul depicted as intricate in "The Soul's Prayer" by Sarojini Naidu?

I think you are misreading the poem.  The soul is not said to be intricate in this poem.  Instead, what is intricate is the "lore of love and life."  The soul is described in the previous stanza as "insatiate."

The soul is insatiable because the speaker wants (or thinks he wants) to experience absolutely everything life has to offer.  The speaker thinks he will not be able to get enough of all life's intricate experiences.  So he asks God to let him have them all.

By the end of the poem, he realizes that this was not a good thing to wish for.

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