In Sarojini Naidu's "The Bangle Sellers," a chorus of mysterious peddlers hawk their wares: bangles (or bracelets) that are clearly more than just bangles. Through their evocative colors—the green of spring leaves, the gold of summer corn, the soft purple of autumn skies—these bangles come to symbolize the different stages of a traditional Indian woman's life. The progression from daughter to wife to mother, this poem suggests, is as lovely and natural as the turn of the seasons. Naidu, a noted Indian politician and freedom fighter as well as a poet, first published this poem in her 1912 collection The Bird of Time.
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The Full Text of “The Bangle Sellers”
1Bangle sellers are we who bear
2Our shining loads to the temple fair...
3Who will buy these delicate, bright
4Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
5Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
6For happy daughters and happy wives.
7Some are meet for a maiden's wrist,
8Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
9Some are flushed like the buds that dream
10On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
11Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
12To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
13Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
14Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
15Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
16Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire,
17Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
18Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
19Some are purple and gold flecked grey
20For she who has journeyed through life midway,
21Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
22And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
23And serves her household in fruitful pride,
24And worships the gods at her husband's side.
The Full Text of “The Bangle Sellers”
1Bangle sellers are we who bear
2Our shining loads to the temple fair...
3Who will buy these delicate, bright
4Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
5Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
6For happy daughters and happy wives.
7Some are meet for a maiden's wrist,
8Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
9Some are flushed like the buds that dream
10On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
11Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
12To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
13Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
14Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
15Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
16Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire,
17Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
18Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
19Some are purple and gold flecked grey
20For she who has journeyed through life midway,
21Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
22And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
23And serves her household in fruitful pride,
24And worships the gods at her husband's side.
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“The Bangle Sellers” Summary
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“The Bangle Sellers” Themes
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The Rhythmic Beauty of Women's Lives
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Ideals of Indian Femininity
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Bangle Sellers”
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Lines 1-6
Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair...
Who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives. -
Lines 7-12
Some are meet for a maiden's wrist,
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new born leaves. -
Lines 13-18
Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear. -
Lines 19-24
Some are purple and gold flecked grey
For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband's side.
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“The Bangle Sellers” Symbols
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The Bangles
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“The Bangle Sellers” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Imagery
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Simile
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Repetition
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Allusion
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Alliteration
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“The Bangle Sellers” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Bangle
- Bear
- Lustrous
- Radiant
- Meet
- Flushed
- Tranquil
- Cleaves
- Limpid
- Marriage fire
- Blest
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Bangle Sellers”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Bangle Sellers” Speaker
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“The Bangle Sellers” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Bangle Sellers”
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More “The Bangle Sellers” Resources
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External Resources
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Naidu's life and work via the British Library.
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Footage of Naidu — Watch a video of Naidu introducing herself to an American audience in 1928.
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Naidu as a Politician — Learn more about Naidu's political career.
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Naidu's Legacy — Read an article about Women's Day, the Indian holiday celebrated on Naidu's birthday.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Sarojini Naidu
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