Our Casuarina Tree by Toru Dutt is poem that touches our heart the poet wishes to immortalize her love for her siblings and the time spent with then around a Casuarina Tree. Here, major poetic devices used in the poem have been described.
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Our Casuarina Tree Poem
Like a huge Python, winding round and round
The rugged trunk, indented deep with scars,
Up to its very summit near the stars,
A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound
No other tree could live. But gallantly
The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung
In crimson clusters all the boughs among,
Whereon all day are gathered bird and bee;
And oft at nights the garden overflows
With one sweet song that seems to have no close,
Sung darkling from our tree, while men repose.
When first my casement is wide open thrown
At dawn, my eyes delighted on it rest;
Sometimes, and most in winter,—on its crest
A gray baboon sits statue-like alone
Watching the sunrise; while on lower boughs
His puny offspring leap about and play;
And far and near kokilas hail the day;
And to their pastures wend our sleepy cows;
And in the shadow, on the broad tank cast
By that hoar tree, so beautiful and vast,
The water-lilies spring, like snow enmassed.
But not because of its magnificence
Dear is the Casuarina to my soul:
Beneath it we have played; though years may roll,
O sweet companions, loved with love intense,
For your sakes, shall the tree be ever dear.
Blent with your images, it shall arise
In memory, till the hot tears blind mine eyes!
What is that dirge-like murmur that I hear
Like the sea breaking on a shingle-beach?
It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech,
That haply to the unknown land may reach.
Unknown, yet well-known to the eye of faith!
Ah, I have heard that wail far, far away
In distant lands, by many a sheltered bay,
When slumbered in his cave the water-wraith
And the waves gently kissed the classic shore
Of France or Italy, beneath the moon,
When earth lay trancèd in a dreamless swoon:
And every time the music rose,—before
Mine inner vision rose a form sublime,
Thy form, O Tree, as in my happy prime
I saw thee, in my own loved native clime.
Therefore I fain would consecrate a lay
Unto thy honor, Tree, beloved of those
Who now in blessed sleep, for aye, repose,
Dearer than life to me, alas! were they!
Mayst thou be numbered when my days are done
With deathless trees—like those in Borrowdale,
Under whose awful branches lingered pale
“Fear, trembling Hope, and Death, the skeleton,
And Time the shadow;” and though weak the verse
That would thy beauty fain, oh fain rehearse,
May Love defend thee from Oblivion’s curse.
Poetic Devices: Casuarina Tree Poem
Here are the major poetic devices used in “Our Casuarina Tree” by Toru Dutt: These devices work together to create a rich, emotional, and evocative poem that captures the depth of the poet’s feelings and connections to the Casuarina tree.
- Rhyme: The poem consists of five stanzas of eleven lines each. Each stanza follows the rhyme scheme abbacddceee.
- Simile: The poet uses similes to compare one thing to another using “like” or “as.” For example, the creeper is compared to a “huge Python” to highlight how it wraps around the tree.
- Personification: The tree and other elements of nature are given human qualities. The tree is said to “lament,” and its “dirge-like murmur” suggests it has emotions like a human which deepens the reader’s connection.
- Imagery: The poem is filled with vivid imagery that appeals to the senses, like the “huge Python” creeper, “crimson clusters” of flowers, and the “dirge-like murmur” of the tree, which help create a strong visual and emotional connection.
- Auditory: kokilas hail the day
- dirge-like murmur
- sea breaking on a shingle-beach
- Allusion: The poem references other literary works or historical contexts, like the “deathless trees” in Borrowdale, which alludes to the ancient yew trees in England described by William Wordsworth.
- Metaphor: The poet employs metaphors to draw comparisons between two entities without the use of “like” or “as.” The Casuarina tree is metaphorically connected to the poet’s memories and feelings, symbolizing her bond with the past. The tree itself becomes a metaphor for remembrance, endurance, and the poet’s departed loved ones, signifying not merely a tree but the poignant bonds to bygone days.
- Symbolism: The Casuarina tree itself is a powerful symbol in the poem. It represents memory, childhood, and the enduring connection between the poet and her lost loved ones. It also represents themes of loss, love, and the passage of time.
- Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words adds rhythm and musicality to the poem, like in “round and round”, “summit near the stars” and “sweet song that seems” etc.
- Repetition: Certain words and phrases are repeated for emphasis, such as “round and round”, “oh fain” and “fain rehearse,” which underscore the poet’s earnest desire to honour the tree.
- Enjambment: This is the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line or stanza, creating a smooth flow of thoughts, like in the lines “With one sweet song that seems to have no close, / Sung darkling from our tree, while men repose.”
- Tone: While not a poetic device in the traditional sense, the tone is essential. The tone of the poem is a mix of nostalgia, reverence, melancholy, and hope, enhancing the emotional impact of the poem.
- Allusion: The reference to “deathless trees—like those in Borrowdale” alludes to Wordsworth’s famous description of yew trees, connecting the poem to a broader literary context of enduring nature.
These devices work together to create a rich, emotional, and vivid poem that explores deep themes of memory, loss, and the enduring power of nature.
