Class: 7 - TERM II - Unit 2 – Poem _- Wandering Singers

 

TERM II -  Unit 2 – Poem _- Wandering Singers

 

Warm Up

Discuss in pairs, circle the names of musical instruments from the grid. One is done for you. 

1.      Flute

2.      Piano

3.      Tabla

4.      Veena

5.      Swaram

6.      Ghatam

Guitar 

1.      Nadaswaram

Where the voice of the wind calls our wandering feet,

Through echoing forest and echoing street,

With lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam,

All men are our kindred, the world is our home.

Our lays are of cities whose lustre is shed,

The laughter and beauty of women long dead;

The sword of old battles, the crown of old kings,

And happy and simple and sorrowful things.

What hope shall we gather, what dreams shall we sow?

Where the wind calls our wandering footsteps we go.

No love bids us tarry, no joy bids us wait:

The voice of the wind is the voice of our fate.

Sarojini Naidu

 

B. Pick out the rhyming pairs from the poem and fill in the table.

1st stanza		2nd stanza		3rd stanza

 

1st stanza	2nd stanza	3rd stanza
feet - street	shed - dead	sow - go
roam - home	kings - things	wait - fate

 

 

C. Read these lines and answer the questions given below.

1. Where the voice of the wind calls our wandering feet

Whose ‘Wandering feet’ is referred to here?

The 'wandering feet' refers to the feet of the singers in the poem.

2. With lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam,

All men are our kindred, the world is our home.

Who does ‘we’ refer to? What do they have in their hands? What is its name?

'We' refers to the wandering singers. They have lutes in their hands. 'Lute' is the name of the musical instrument

How are the men in the world related to the singers?

The singers consider all men in the world as their kindred, meaning they see everyone as their relatives or family.

 

3. Our lays are of cities whose lustre is shed,

Here ‘Lays’ means __________________

a. lying down              b. stories                     c. to keep

4. The laughter and beauty of women long dead;

Explain the meaning of the above line.

This line means that the singers' songs tell about the joyful times and the beauty of women who lived in the past and are now deceased. Their stories and memories are kept alive through the singers' music.

WRITING

D. Answer in a paragraph.

What does Sarojini Naidu say about the Wandering Singers? Write in your own words. (in about 60 words)

Sarojini Naidu portrays the wandering singers as people led by the call of the wind, traveling through various places while singing and playing their lutes. They see the entire world as their home and all people as their family. Their songs narrate tales of old, forgotten cities, the beauty of women from the past, ancient battles and rulers, and both happy and sad events. They don't seek material possessions or lasting connections, as their journey is dictated by the wind, which they consider their destiny.

E. Think and answer.

1.      Are the singers homeless travellers? Why do you think so? Yes, it seems the singers are homeless travellers. The poem mentions "the world is our home," suggesting they don't have a fixed residence. They are constantly moving wherever the "voice of the wind calls" their feet, implying a lack of a permanent place to stay.

2.      Do the singers have hopes and dreams? If not, why? The poem suggests that the singers do not focus on gathering hopes or sowing dreams. The lines "What hope shall we gather, what dreams shall we sow? Where the wind calls our wandering footsteps we go" indicate a life lived in the present moment, guided by their wandering nature rather than future aspirations or personal ambitions.

3.      What are the themes of the singers’ songs? The themes of the singers' songs are the stories of past times. They sing about cities that have lost their glory, the beauty and joy of women who are no longer alive, historical events like old battles and the reigns of ancient kings, and also about the simple emotions and experiences of life, both happy and sorrowful.