The Lotus - Toru Dutt

 Osmania Sem 5

(New Syllabus with effect from 2024-25) 

Unit 1

Video lesson in English

Poetry- The Lotus by Toru Dutt

Love came to Flora asking for a flower
That would of flowers be undisputed queen,
The lily and the rose, long, long had been
Rivals for that high honour. Bards of power
Had sung their claims. " The rose can tower

 like pale lily with her Juno mein-
"But is the lily lovelier?" Thus between
Flower-factions rang the strife in Psyche's bower.
"Give me a flower delicious as the rose
And stately as the lily in her pride"--
"But of what colour?"--"Rose-red," Love first chose,
Then prayed,--"No, lily-white,--or, both provide;"
And Flora gave the lotus, "rose-red" dyed,
And "lily-white,"--the queenliest flower that blows.

Glossary

 Love (n) : used for Cupid, the god of love in Roman mythology

Flora (n) : goddess of vegetation and flowers

undisputed (adj.) : without any dispute or doubt

lily (n) : a flower of white colour

rose (n) : a flower of red colour

rivals (n) : contestants, opponents

Bards (n) : poets

blows ( n) :- blooms

tower (v) : stand straight

pale (adj) : dim

Juno (n) : a goddess known for stately beauty

mien (n) /miːn/ : a person’s appearance, look (Juno mien: standing straight with confidence like the goddess Juno)

flower-factions (n) : groups of flowers (one group in the leadership of the rose and another in the leadership of the lily)

rang (v) : clashed

strife (n) : quarrel

tower (v) :- to stand straight  straight  Or reach a great height. 

Psyche-In Roman mythology, psyche is a princess of outstanding beauty and Cupid's love interest. 

bower (n) : residence

delicious (adj) : sweet

stately (adj) : appearing noble, great

pride (n) : confidence

rose-red (adj) : red as rose

lily-white (adj) : white as lily

blows (v) : blooms. 

Q.1.What is the central idea of the poem " The Lotus"

2.Examine the symbolic representation of flowers in " The Lotus".

3. What is the main theme of the poem 'The Lotus' ?

Toru Dutt (Tarulata Datta) (1856 – 1877)

Toru Dutt was born on March 4, 1856, in Rambagan, Kolkata to Govind Chandra Dutt and Kshetramoni Dutt of a Bengali family.  She wrote poetry  in English and French. Dutt's father converted to Christianity in 1862, when Dutt was six years old.  Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan (1882), a collection of Sanskrit poems translated into English, was published posthumously. The only work that appeared during Toru's lifetime was A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields (1876), a collection of English translations of French poetry.Dutt died of Tuberculosis on 30 August 1877, at the age of 21.

About the poem. 

The lotus poem is a Petrarchan sonnet consisting of 14 lines. The poem is divided into two parts Octave ( 8 lines) and a Sestet (6 lines). Rhyme scheme is ABBAABBACDCDDC. The Lotus is our national flower.

 Lotus is associated with the Hindu religion's gods and goddesses. The Lotus flower has immense significance in Hindu mythology. The present poem is about the queenliest flower, 'Lotus'. 

The characters in the poem are from Roman mythology. Cupid, the Roman god of love and Flora, The Roman goddess of flowers. Psyche-In Roman mythology, psyche is a princess of outstanding beauty and Cupid's love interest. Juno, a goddess known for stately beauty

        The God of Love comes to Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and asks her to name an undisputable flower that would be the queenliest of all. The Lily and the Rose have been competing for the position for a long time. The poets have their own claims about the most beautiful flower of all. A Rose cannot be pale or tower splendid like a Lily and a Lily cannot be as lovely as a Rose (Lily is sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter, Goddess of fertility and protection. Rose is associated with the Greek Goddess Psyche). Flowers are divided into two groups, or factions, to support Lilly and Rose in the debate that started in Psyche's garden. In Roman mythology, psyche is a princess of outstanding beauty and Cupid's love interest. 

The flora is given a task of creating a flower as delicious as a rose and as great as a lily. Love first chooses a red rose; later on, he changes his mind and requests a white lily; but again, Love pleads to provide a flower with both qualities and colours. Flora presents the Lotus, a combination of rose red and lily white.  Toru Dutt delves deeply into the different ideas of beauty that the rose and the lily represent, which are Asian and European styles, The Lotus flower represents the synthesis of eastern and western aesthetics.

Answer the following questions in one or two lines. 

1. Why did Cupid, the god of love, come to Flora?

Ans:- Cupid, the god of love, came to Flora to resolve the dispute about which flower should be crowned the queen of flowers.

2. Which flowers were competing for the 'high honour'? 

Ans:- The lily and the rose were competing for the "high honour."

3. What was the cause of the quarrel between the lily and the rose?

Ans:-The quarrel between the lily and the rose was about which of them was the most beautiful and deserved the title of queen of flowers.

4. What were the claims of the bards for each of the flowers?

Ans:-The bards claimed the lily represented purity and majestic beauty, while the rose symbolized passion and love.

5. What, according to the bards, was lacking in the rose?

Ans:-According to the bards, the rose was lacking in purity and serenity.

6. How was the lily praised by its defenders?

 Ans:-The lily was praised by its defenders for its regal and pure beauty.

7. What qualities did Love desire in the flower?

Ans:-Love desired a flower that embodied both the purity of the lily and the passion of the rose

8. What colour did Love choose first and what colour did he finally ask for?

Ans:-Love first chose the color white (representing the lily) and then asked for a blending with the crimson of the rose.

9. Who is declared the 'undisputed queen' and why?

Ans:-The lotus is declared the "undisputed queen" because it combines the best qualities of both the lily and the rose.

10. How is the lotus described in the poem?

Ans:-The lotus is described as a flower that embodies both purity and passion, uniting the virtues of the lily and the rose.