Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Toru Dutt (1856–1877) was a pioneering Indian poet and writer who wrote in English and French during the British colonial period. Despite her short life, she left a remarkable literary legacy, becoming one of the first Indian women to gain recognition in Western literary circles. Her works often reflect a blend of Indian cultural heritage and Western literary influences.
Sita is one of Toru Dutt’s most famous narrative poems, published posthumously in her collection Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan (1882). The poem retells the tragic story of Sita from the Hindu epic Ramayana, focusing on her exile, suffering, and eventual return to Mother Earth. Dutt’s rendition captures Sita’s strength, sorrow, and dignity while infusing the ancient tale with lyrical beauty and emotional depth.
Through Sita, Toru Dutt not only revisits a beloved Indian legend but also subtly addresses themes of female resilience, injustice, and devotion. Her poetic style combines classical Indian storytelling with Victorian romanticism, making her work unique in Indo-Anglian literature.
Structure of Sita:
The poem consists of twenty-two lines structured into three quatrains with enclosed rhyme (ABBA), one quatrain with alternating rhyme (CDDC), and three rhyming couplets, resulting in an overall rhyme scheme of ABBACDDCEFFEGHGHIIJJKK. Sita is a lyrical narrative poem that retells the tragic story of Sita from the Ramayana, but it does so in a framed narrative—a "story within a story." This technique adds depth and emotional resonance, allowing the poet to reflect on sorrow, exile, and endurance through multiple layers. The poem begins with a melancholic introduction where the speaker (possibly Toru Dutt herself) observes a grieving woman singing a sorrowful song while her three children listen. The woman is possibly Toru’s mother, and the children are Toru, her elder sister Aru, and her brother Abzu. This sets up the outer narrative, where the poet becomes the listener, drawing the reader into the tale. This framing device creates a sense of oral storytelling, as if the legend of Sita is being passed down through generations. The woman’s song becomes the inner narrative—the retelling of Sita’s suffering after being exiled by Rama. Dutt focuses on Sita’s loneliness in the forest, her unwavering devotion, and her eventual descent into the earth (a symbolic return to her mother, Bhumi). After the song ends, the poem returns to the present, where the poet reflects on the sorrowful tale. The framing device allows Dutt to universalize Sita’s suffering, connecting it to the grief of all women who endure pain and abandonment. By structuring Sita as a framed narrative, Toru Dutt bridges the ancient and the contemporary, making Sita’s anguish resonate beyond the Ramayana. The poem becomes not just a retelling but a meditation on loss, endurance, and the silent strength of women.
Summary of Sita:
Stanza 1 Lines 1-4
“Three happy children in a darkened room!
What do they gaze on with wide-open eyes?
A dense, dense forest, where no sunbeam pries,
And in its centre a cleared spot.—There bloom”
The opening stanza of Toru Dutt’s Sita sets up a contrast between innocence and sorrow, framing the narrative as a story being told to children. The scene begins with "Three happy children in a darkened room," immediately creating an intimate, almost dreamlike atmosphere. The "happy children" sit in a "darkened room" (Juxtaposition), foreshadowing how joy and sorrow intertwine in Sita’s tale. The ‘darkened room’ represents the veil between reality and myth, or the children’s sheltered innocence. The children’s "wide-open eyes" suggest wonder and anticipation, as if they are being transported into the world of the tale.
The poem then shifts to the story itself, describing "a dense, dense forest, where no sunbeam pries"—an image of isolation and mystery. The doubling of "dense" (Repetition) amplifies the forest’s impenetrability, mirroring Sita’s trapped fate. The forest is so thick that even sunlight cannot penetrate, reinforcing a sense of seclusion. At its center lies "a cleared spot," a small space of visibility where something significant unfolds—likely the moment of Sita’s abandonment. The stanza ends abruptly with "There bloom," leaving the thought incomplete, as if inviting the reader (and the listening children) to imagine what grows or happens in that sacred, sorrowful space.
This opening blends the real and the mythical, connecting the children’s innocent curiosity with the dark, emotional weight of Sita’s story. The abrupt ending ("There bloom") also creates suspense, drawing the audience deeper into the tale.
Lines 5-8
“Gigantic flowers on creepers that embrace
Tall trees: there, in a quiet lucid lake
The while swans glide; there, "whirring from the brake,"
The peacock springs; there, herds of wild deer race;”
These lines paint a lush, vivid picture of the forest where Sita is exiled, blending beauty with underlying tension. The description opens with "Gigantic flowers on creepers that embrace / Tall trees," personifying nature as both grand and intimate—the creepers "embrace" the trees, suggesting a protective yet suffocating hold. This imagery mirrors Sita’s own entanglement in her fate, surrounded by an awe-inspiring yet isolating world.
The scene then shifts to a "quiet lucid lake," where swans glide gracefully, embodying tranquility. Yet this serenity is disrupted by sudden movement: a peacock springs "whirring from the brake" (a thicket), its abrupt energy contrasting with the lake’s calm. The stanza closes with "herds of wild deer race," evoking unchecked freedom, yet also chaos. Together, these images create a dynamic tension—the forest is alive with beauty and vitality, but its unpredictability hints at the peril Sita faces.
Lines 9-12
“There, patches gleam with yellow waving grain;
There, blue smoke from strange altars rises light.
There, dwells in peace, the poet-anchorite.
But who is this fair lady? Not in vain”
This stanza from Toru Dutt’s Sita continues to paint the forest setting while introducing a moment of quiet reflection and mystery. The opening lines—"There, patches gleam with yellow waving grain; / There, blue smoke from strange altars rises light"—evoke a sense of hidden human presence amid nature. The "yellow waving grain" suggests cultivated land, hinting at sustenance and resilience, while the "blue smoke" from altars introduces a spiritual or ritualistic element, implying both reverence and enigma.
The focus then shifts to the "poet-anchorite"—a hermit or sage dwelling in peaceful solitude. This figure, likely representing the sage Valmiki (who shelters Sita in the Ramayana), embodies wisdom and detachment, silently witnessing the unfolding drama. The stanza culminates with a question: "But who is this fair lady? Not in vain", drawing attention to Sita herself. The abrupt interruption ("Not in vain") creates suspense, suggesting that her presence in the forest is significant and destined to leave a lasting impact.
Lines 13-16
“She weeps,—for lo! at every tear she sheds
Tears from three pairs of young eyes fall amain,
And bowed in sorrow are the three young heads.
It is an old, old story, and the lay”
This emotionally charged stanza marks a pivotal moment in Toru Dutt's Sita, where the mythical past and the present storytelling frame dramatically converge. The focus shifts abruptly to Sita's weeping - "She weeps,—for lo!" - with the exclamation conveying both immediacy and solemn revelation. What follows is a powerful moment of shared sorrow, as "at every tear she sheds / Tears from three pairs of young eyes fall amain", creating a poignant mirroring effect between the exiled queen and the listening children. The phrase "fall amain" (an archaic term meaning "in great numbers") intensifies the image of unchecked weeping, while "three young heads" bowed in sorrow visually echoes the three children introduced in the opening stanza, blurring the boundaries between story and audience.
The stanza concludes with the storyteller's reflection - "It is an old, old story, and the lay" - where the doubling of "old" emphasizes both the ancient nature of the tale and its recurring relevance. The abrupt ending on "the lay" (a poetic term for song or narrative) creates a moment of suspension, suggesting the story continues to resonate across generations. This metafictional moment highlights Dutt's technique of making the ancient epic personally immediate, as the children's tears demonstrate how myth continues to evoke authentic emotional responses.
Lines 17-22
“Which has evoked sad Sîta from the past
Is by a mother sung.… 'Tis hushed at last
And melts the picture from their sight away,
Yet shall they dream of it until the day!
When shall those children by their mother's side
Gather, ah me! as erst at eventide?”
These concluding couplets of Toru Dutt’s Sita beautifully intertwine the act of storytelling with themes of memory, loss, and the enduring power of myth. The opening lines—"Which has evoked sad Sîta from the past / Is by a mother sung…"—highlight the poem’s central motif: the mother’s song resurrects Sita’s sorrow, bridging ancient legend and present emotion. The abrupt pause with ellipses ("sung.… 'Tis hushed at last") mimics the sudden silencing of the tale, perhaps by patriarchal interruption (the father’s "hush" mentioned earlier), adding a layer of gendered commentary to the narrative’s cessation.
As the story ends, the imagery dissolves—"melts the picture from their sight away"—yet its impact lingers in the children’s imaginations ("they shall dream of it until the day!"). This evokes the ephemeral nature of oral storytelling, where tales vanish audibly but persist psychologically. The final couplet—"When shall those children by their mother’s side / Gather, ah me! as erst at eventide?"—shifts to a tone of nostalgic lament. The speaker mourns the inevitable loss of this ritual, as childhood’s twilight ("eventide") gives way to adulthood’s separation. The exclamation "ah me!" personalizes the grief, suggesting the poet’s own yearning for cultural continuity amid colonial disruption.
Analysis of Sita:
The frequent use of exclamation marks and question marks—evident from the opening lines—mirrors the call-and-response dynamic of a mother telling a story to her children, creating an intimate, conversational tone.
Imagery and Tone in the Quatrains
The first three quatrains paint a vivid scene of the dense forest where Sīta is abandoned by Rāma—a place so thick with trees that "no sunbeam pries." This darkness parallels the "darkened room" where the children sit, listening. Despite the sorrowful context, the forest is described as tranquil and teeming with life, filled with imagery of "swans," "deer," and a "peacock," evoking a sense of natural beauty that contrasts with Sīta's suffering.
Shift in Tone and Empathy
The tone shifts abruptly when the poem turns to Sīta herself: "She weeps,—for lo! at every tear she sheds / Tears from three pairs of young eyes fall amain, / And bowed in sorrow are the three young heads. / It is an old, old story." The alternating rhyme in this quatrain (EFFE) underscores the children’s emotional response to Sīta’s pain, emphasizing their deep empathy. Their tears mirror hers, blurring the line between myth and reality, past and present.
Rhythmic Changes in the Couplets
The transition into rhyming couplets marks a shift in rhythm. The pause after "is by a mother sung" creates a hushing effect, altering the poem’s pace as the rhymes accelerate. This quickening mirrors the fleeting nature of storytelling—how a tale can captivate and then dissolve, leaving only memory. The rapid couplets in the conclusion evoke both the swift passage of the story and the speaker’s nostalgia for childhood, when she could lose herself in her mother’s tales.
Parallels Between Myth and Reality
The poem draws deliberate parallels between Sīta’s world and the storytelling scene. Just as Sīta is abandoned by Rāma and left to care for her children alone, the mother in the poem is interrupted by her husband’s command to hush, silencing her narrative. The children’s emotional connection to Sīta—their tears merging with hers—further blurs the boundaries between myth and personal memory. This interplay suggests that storytelling is not just an act of preservation but a bridge between cultural heritage and individual experience.
Themes and Broader Significance
Like much of Toru Dutt’s work, "Sīta" explores the intersection of Indian tradition and English poetic form. Yet it goes beyond mere adaptation, probing deeper questions about gender, storytelling, and the poet’s role in shaping cultural memory. The detailed descriptions of nature—reminiscent of Valmiki’s own lush portrayals—highlight the poet’s connection to the natural world, while the framing device underscores how stories are passed down, altered, and felt across generations. Ultimately, "Sīta" is not just a retelling of an ancient myth but a meditation on loss, empathy, and the enduring power of narrative.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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