Question- Expalin with reference to the context any two of the following passeges.

Answer -

1.

Why hang'st thou lonely on yon withered bough?
Unstrung forever, must thou there remain;
The music once was sweet - who hears it now?
Why doth the breeze sigh over thee in vain?

(Line 1-4)

Reference : The above lines have been extracted from the sonnet "The Harp of India' by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio.

Context : The lines of the sonnet here depict the rather pathetic and gloomy perspective of the poet seeing the Mother land in a state of oppression under the British rule.

Explanation : The poem mourns India's loss of freedom to the British and hopes it would regain its past glory. In the opening lines of the poem, harp, a musical stringed instrument is used to represent India's loss of art and literature. The poet is trying to tell how the harp is left unplayed, possibly because its strings are broken. Here, harp refers to the glorious past of India and ever since the metherland has been enslaved, its bough (branches) has been left unwithered. This means the harp will forever remain with a dead bough without strings. Just like the dead branch, the harp is also dead. He even says that the breeze (wind) blowing also remains ineffective and does not help to produce a melodious tune from the instruments.

2.

Silence hath bound thee with her fatal chain
Neglected, mute and desolate art thou.
Like ruined monument on desert plain
O! many a hand more worthy, far than mine
Once thy harmonious chords to sweetness gave.

(Line 5-9)

Reference : Same as above.

Context : The poet furthers with his sadness and melancholy about the sorry state and the miserable condition the country has lended in but ignites a sense of hope later.

Explanation : In the above lines, the poet refers to the sheckled country i.e. India and tells how silence, here the word 'silence' has been personified, has bound and fettered her with-deadly or fatal chains. The country seems all neglected, muted, lonely, isolated and its pitiable condition is compared to a ruined monument lying on the barren land of a desert.

However, the poet uses exclamation and tries to bring some hope of revival and renewal by mentioning about the strummers, the poets who once had the ability to produce sweet, melodious music more than his by strumming the strings of the harp. The poet modestly feels that those poets had struck at the 'harmonious chords' in the past and the harp had then produced notes powerful enough, to both enliven listeners and confer on the poets a kind of immortality.

3.

And many a wreath for them did fame entwine of
flowers still blooming on the minstrel's grave
Those hands are cold but if thy notes divine
May be by mortal weakened once again,
Harp of my country, let me strike the strain!

(Line 10-14)

Reference : Same as above.

Context : Though the poet has been mourning over the physical and mental condition of India under the British dominion, the poet tries to share a forward-looking inspirational aspect, which was to be so common to the nationalist literature of the later years.

Explanation : In the above lines, the poet reiterates the determination that he sought to abolish the mental subjugation of the natives. 'Fame' is seen showering honour on the poets of the country and the wreaths placed have retained both their beauty and freshness as if in recognition and acknowledgement of their talent and the permanence of their poetry. Never once in this poem does he say that he is specially gifted for such a revival but nonetheless he wants to strike the strain again. There is almost a great urgency portrayed by the poet to ignite this revival and the poet seems impatient to release India from its bound form. This is shown from the use of exclamation after the end line.

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