
Produced by Judith Boss.
ARTHUR SYMONS. - FOLK SONGS - PALANQUIN BEARERS
O LITTLE DEER, WHY DOST THOU MOAN, HID IN THY FOREST-BOWER ALONE?
O LITTLE BRIDE, WHY DOST THOU WEEP WITH ALL THE HAPPY WORLD ASLEEP?
A strikingly intimate collection, these poems were first whispered by a teenager in London and later refined in the gardens of Hyderabad. They capture the delicate, bird‑like cadence of a mind straddling two worlds, where Eastern mystique meets Western lyricism. The verses shimmer with the restless yearning of a young woman seeking beauty beyond the constraints of her time.
The accompanying introduction paints a vivid portrait of the poet’s upbringing—her father's strict scientific ambitions, a childhood locked in a room that sparked a lifelong love of language, and the courageous choice to marry across caste lines. It also reveals the health challenges and relentless reading that shaped her voice. Listeners will find both the personal history and the lyrical spirit that give these early works their rare, transcendent charm.
Language
en
Duration
~46 minutes (45K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
1996-10-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1879–1949
A gifted poet and fearless public speaker, she became one of the best-known women in India’s freedom movement while earning the nickname “the Nightingale of India.” Her life joined lyric writing, women’s rights, and frontline political action in a way that still feels striking today.
View all books
by Surendranath Dasgupta

by Geoffrey Chaucer

by Nathaniel Bright Emerson

by de Lorris Guillaume, de Meun Jean

by de Lorris Guillaume, de Meun Jean

by Sir Edwin Arnold

by Homer