The Golden Threshold
Sarojini Naidu's first book, the 1905 collection of folk songs, songs for music and poems that made her the Nightingale of India.
What this poem is
The Golden Threshold is an anthology of poems written by Sarojini Naidu. The text was published in 1905 when Naidu was only 26 years old. The selection of poems within The Golden Threshold were inspired by her own life and are written in English diction. The poems present a variety of themes, some being romance, nature and spirituality. Naidu utilizes them to express orientalism, cosmopolitan nationalism, and Indian feminization. She meticulously chose her words to shed light on significant issues that resided within her culture, paving the way for her political career.
Shortly after providing a voice for silenced women through her poetry, Naidu entered the political realm. In 1914, Gandhi and Naidu gathered for the very first time in London to discuss protests against British enactment that would tax Indian people and force them to carry passes. The reunion would lead them to the establishment of their friendship. Her relationship with Gandhi influenced the approach she would take in her political life as she worked very closely with him. In 1925 Naidu became the first woman President of the Indian National Congress.
Palanquin-Bearers
Wandering Singers
Adapted from the Wikipedia article “The Golden Threshold” (revision 1369314954), used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Laurel's own notes and measurements are not from Wikipedia.
Measured across the book
Across its 691 lines, 90% of stressed syllables fall on the beat (95% interval 88% to 91%). Alliteration runs at 1.13 times what shuffling the words would give (0.41 observed against 0.37 expected). 16% of the lines have a feminine ending.
Baselines and intervals are described in the methods.
Contents
About this text
Public domain. Text from The Golden Threshold, with an introduction by Arthur Symons (Hyderabad, 1905; London, John Lane, 1905), Project Gutenberg ebook #680. Free to read, print, copy and reuse.