‘Cradle Song’ is a poem (lullaby) by Sarojini Naidu in which the poet tries to understand how a parent gets her child to sleep through a gentle, soothing song. Find the summary of the poem, worksheets, questions and answers.
Cradle Song: Full Poem
From groves of spice,
O’er fields of rice,
Athwart the lotus-stream,
I bring for you,
Aglint with dew
A little lovely dream.
Sweet, shut your eyes,
The wild fire-flies
Dance through the fairy neem;
From the poppy-bole
For you I stole
A little lovely dream.
Dear eyes, good-night,
In golden light
The stars around you gleam;
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream.
This poem is a lullaby in which the mother uses beautiful images to help the child visualize about soothing things which will eventually make the child go off to sleep.
Cradle Song: Questions & Answers
Q. Who is the poet of the poem cradle song?
Ans. Sarojini Naidu is the poet of the poem cradle song.
Q. What is the cradle song about?
Ans. The cradle song is a lullaby. It is a gentle song which is sung by the mother to make her child sleep.
Q. Why is the neem tree considered to be sacred?
Ans. The neem tree is considered sacred in India because people worship it, and it also have a lot of medicinal benefits.
Q. Why is the night golden?
Ans. The night is Golden because of the shining stars in the sky.
Q. Which phrase in the poem is repeated thrice in the poem? Why?
Ans. The mother repeats the phrase “a little lovely dream” in the poem thrice. The mother repeats this phrase to make her child sleep because the more the child imagines about it, the faster the child will go off to sleep.
Q. What is the stream full of?
Ans. The stream is full of lotus, which is very beautiful, and the dew on it glitters.
Q. Which are the places described in the first stanza?
Ans. The places in described in the first stanza are groves of spice, fields of rice, and lotus cream.
Q. List the places from which the mother brings a little lovely dream for a child?
Ans. The places from which the mother brings a little lovely dream are groves of spices, fields of rice, and lotus stream.
Q. Why do you think the mother chose these places and what effect might this have on the sleeping child?
Ans. The mother chose these places because these places are very calm and beautiful. They have a soothing effect on the child and makes the child go off to sleep.
Q. Where do you think the poem is set?
Ans. The poem is set in a village.
Q. What does the usage of Neem and Poppy-bole in these lines tell us about what the mother hopes for her child?
Ans. Usage of the term fairy Neem and poppy-bole in these lines tell us that the mother hopes that her child remains healthy, and always sleeps peacefully.
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