Week 5 Discussion - Autumn Song

[Prof. Sky Alton]

This week we’re discussing “Autumn Song” by Sarojini Naidu.

Sarojini Naidu was nicknamed “the nightingale of India” due to her romantic, emotion driven poetry. She was an important figure in the Indian independence movement and later became the first woman to serve as president of her political party (The Indian National Congress) and as a state governor. Her poetry often drew on her political beliefs; it was also notable for following the lyric tradition and for its vivid imagery.

Click here to read her poem “Autumn Song”. It’s a “lyric poem” - a short poem where the poet expresses their thoughts and emotions. As you might be able to guess from the name, lyric poetry also often has song-like qualities (and you can see that here with the loose rhymes Naidu uses)

Feel free to share any thoughts you had while reading: how the poem made you feel, any lines that stood out or what it made you think of. You can also discuss the technical elements of the poem, like themes, images, the meter and the way the poet uses language. If someone else has said something that you find interesting, you should definitely respond to them – this is a discussion, after all.

If you get stuck, you could think about the poet’s use of imagery here. Did it appeal to your imagination? What do you think about using a sun and cloud as an emotional metaphor?

Providing what you share is respectful and HOL-appropriate, it’s completely up to you!

Your response should be at least 80 words long for full credit and must be written in your own words. While quoting from the poem is absolutely fine, you do need to write 80 words of your own content along with the quotes.

Post your responses below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 20th of August to earn 20 beans!

[Anne-Marie Gagne]

I do not actually get much of the imagery here. It is all just very confusing to me on what the author is trying to convey. Reading it over multiple times clears it up very little but I get the feeling the poem is about the author’s sadness. The lines “My heart is weary and sad and alone, For its dreams like the fluttering leaves have gone” is the author using how the leaves die and fall from trees to show how their own happiness has followed suit. The author also asks why they should be left behind so I assume the poem is a way to show their grief over a loved one's death.

[Janne Halla]

I find myself quite agreeing with Anne-Marie about not really getting this poem and its imagery.

I liked the flow of the first stanza, because of its rhymes, even if the words were the same. It kind of lost me in the second, where, except with two lines, none of the words really went together. Perhaps I'm pronouncing them the wrong way.

In contrast, I do recognise most of the imagery and metaphors that the poet wanted in the second stanza. I've got more trouble interpreting the first part of the poem.