The harp of India Summary and Analysis
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The poem 'The Harp of India' by Henry Derozio reflects on India's glorious past and its decline due to British rule, symbolized through the harp representing the suffering poets. The first part laments the loss of poetic glory, while the second part expresses hope for revival and restoration of Indian culture. The poem, structured as a unique sonnet, utilizes various figures of speech to convey themes of loss and longing.
The harp of India Summary and Analysis
- 1. The Harp of India English Summary presents… By Henry Derozio
- 3. Introduction Harp of India is written by Henry Derozio known as the first modern English poet of India. The Harp of India celebrates the glorious past of India and mourns over its loss because of British Rule and ends with the hope that she (India) will regain its glory. The poet uses Harp as a symbol for the Indian poets who were earlier famous but under the British Rule, they suffered.
- 4. The poem is a sonnet. However, it is different from the traditional sonnets and has rhyme scheme ababbabcdcdcbb. There are mainly two sections in the poem. In the first section, the poet laments over the loss of the glorious past of India. In the second part, the poet hopes that the glory will be back.
- 5. Part 1 Harp here refers to the poets whose poetry and melodies were sweet and who have lost their glory in the British Rule and thus they are “unstrung“. Nobody listens to them now because of the development and the modernity due to the intervention of the British. And even little hope and struggle (depicted by breeze) cannot make them write again. Silence here refers to the metaphorical death (of their poetry). According to the poet, by restricting them from writing, the British has made them like the ruined monument in the desert which is neglected, silenced and exiled.
- 6. Part 2 In the second part, hand refers to the poets who lived before the poet and wrote marvellous poetry. According to the poet, their immortal work has kept them alive even today and thus they live in spite of being in the grave. In the end, the poet says that now that they (elites) are dead, he desires to revive that literature and thus bring the glory of Indian culture back which is lost now.
- 7. 2. Figures of Speech
- 8. Neglected, mute, and desolate art thou, Like ruined monument on desert plain Simile
- 9. Why hang’st thou lonely. must thou there remain breeze sigh over thee Silence hath bound thee with her fatal chain Personification
- 10. Many a hand. Those hands are cold. Hands here refer to poets. Synecdoche
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