Palanquin Bearers

Lightly, O lightly we bear her along,

She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;

She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream,

She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing,

We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

Softly, O softly we bear her along,

She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;

She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,

She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.

Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,

We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Palanquin Bearers,’ composed on Aug 7, 1903, by Sarojini Naidu. Palanquin Bearers is the first poem in the first section of The Golden Threshold. Like Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, too, was more than a poet. For complete summary and analysis