Student Question
Who lights the panther's path, where is it headed, and why is the path soundless?
Quick answer:
In Sarojini Naidu's poem "Leili," fireflies light the panther's path. The panther heads towards tangled paths where shy gazelles are straying, likely hunting for prey. The path is described as soundless to emphasize the tranquil and solemn nature of the night, allowing a spiritual connection with the divine. The serene imagery throughout the poem highlights the peaceful and mystical qualities of the nocturnal setting.
Throughout Sarojini Naidu's poem "Leili," which means "nocturnal," the speaker describes the night in vivid detail. Panthers, the subject of your first question, are nocturnal and thus hunt at night. The first stanza of the poem contains the answer to your first question: Who lights the panther's path?
THE serpents are asleep among the poppies,
The fireflies light the soundless panther's way
To tangled paths where shy gazelles are straying,
And parrot-plumes outshine the dying day.
O soft! the lotus-buds upon the stream
Are stirring like sweet maidens when they dream.
So, we can see that the fireflies are the ones who light the panther's way.
The first stanza also contains the answer to your second question: where is the panther headed?
THE serpents are asleep among the poppies,
The fireflies light the soundless panther's way
To tangled paths where shy gazelles are straying,
And parrot-plumes outshine the dying...
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day.
O soft! the lotus-buds upon the stream
Are stirring like sweet maidens when they dream.
The panther, as I mentioned previously, hunts at night, so it is heading down the same path that the gazelles are on, presumably to find itself a meal.
Your last question is a little more complicated. Why is the path called soundless? For this, we have to look at the whole poem. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses rather beautiful imagery to describe the night. It is all quite, soft, and sweet. In the second stanza, Naidu uses religious symbolism and imagery in order to form a connection between spirituality and nature, as can be seen here:
A caste-mark on the azure brows of Heaven,
The golden moon burns sacred, solemn, bright
The winds are dancing in the forest-temple,
And swooning at the holy feet of Night.
Hush! in the silence mystic voices sing
And make the gods their incense-offering.
Naidu's use of the word "soundless" emphasizes this point, supporting the idea that this night in India is not only tranquil and solemn, but also that the silence allows those who find themselves in the natural world to form a connection with the gods.