Spring
by Awadh Behari Lall
Rapid Learn 2-Minute Revision
Perfect for last-minute revision
2-Minute Revision Video
Video coming soon
Awadh Behari Lall's 'Spring', an extract from the first canto of his work Bihar: A Series of Poems, is a rich, sensory celebration of the spring season and the specific regional landscape of Bihar. Trees shed their bare winter branches to wear fresh green and red leaves, while pleasant blossoms and young fruits appear, and a gentle, fragrant breeze (gale) murmurs a sweet melody through the woods. The poet draws a philosophical contrast between Nature and human Art: an artist can copy the visual form and colours of a flower, but can never reproduce its natural, sweet fragrance, 'Whence, say, will you bring the natural fragrance?' Nature wears 'new liveries' of many colours, and the chief of all flowers is the red rose, 'Flora's great favourite', the queen of flowers and emblem of love. Surrounded by her 'kins and sisters' (the pale primrose, briar and eglantine), the flowers are personified as looking at one another with 'jealous eyes', competing in a friendly rivalry for the 'sweetest scent and loveliest dyes'.
Detailed Summary
Detailed Summary Video
Video coming soon
Awadh Behari Lall (b. 1866), a student of Patna College who began writing poetry at seventeen, wrote 'Spring' as an extract from the first canto of Bihar: A Series of Poems (Part I: The Country and the Season). The work seeks to establish a distinct geographical and cultural identity for Bihar through its local flora, fauna and changing seasons.
The awakening of nature
The poem begins with the trees shedding their cheerless, bare winter branches to wear new, fresh leaves in vibrant shades of green and red. Along with these leaves, pleasant blossoms and young, developing fruits appear on the branches, signalling a complete awakening of nature after its cold winter sleep.
A gentle, pleasant breeze (gale) flows softly through the trees, whispering a sweet melody and carrying a rich, intoxicating fragrance that increases the poet's joy and delights his soul.
Nature versus human art
As the poet looks around, he sees flowers blooming in every spot of ground, kindling pure delight within him. The flowers are of many kinds, coloured lavishly in a great variety of shades and hues by the profuse hands of Mother Nature.
The poet then draws a philosophical comparison between Nature and human Art. He asserts that human Art, even with all the majesty of its intellect and wit, can never perfectly copy these natural masterpieces. While an artist can easily paint the visual form of a flower, they are helpless before its real, essential element: 'Whence, say, will you bring the natural fragrance?'
The queen of flowers and the friendly rivalry
Nature appears to wear 'new liveries' (uniforms) of many colours, red, white, yellow, blue, pink, carnation, amaranth, gold and purple. The chief of all flowers, pleasing both sight and smell, is the red rose, celebrated as the 'queen of flowers' and 'Flora's great favourite', symbolising love and delight.
The rose is surrounded by her 'kins and sisters', the pale primrose, the briar and the eglantine, all joining to charm the senses. The flowers are playfully personified as looking at one another with 'jealous eyes', competing in a friendly rivalry to win the prize for the 'sweetest scent and loveliest dyes'.