Introduction

Our Casuarina Tree by the women Poetess Toru Dutt, a romantic lyric, has an intimately personal association. The tree belonged to the big garden house at Rambagan where the poetess passed her girlhood and youth. She used to play, with her young mates, under the boughs of that vast tree which occupied much of her young heart.

Our Casuarina Tree is an impulsive, frank expression of the poetess’ intimate attachment to the big, hoary tree that bore the happy memories of her early days and sweet companions. Though she lived apart from her country home and favorite tree for a pretty long time, when she was in France and Italy, she could not forget that and remained with it even in her quiet mood an happy vision.

Our Casuarina Tree is a touching recollection in a pleasant lyric of an object of Nature. The poetess is very much intimate to the poetess.

Stanza 1

The poetess sketches, with a fond attachment, the features of her dear casuarinas tree of her garden-home, so majestic and grand. She details it with the climbing creeper, winding its rugged trunk, like a scarf, the clusters of crimson flowers, hanging from its boughs, on which birds and bees gather. The sweet song from a solitary bird, settling on it, seems to enchant the drowsy night.

Stanza 2

The poetess relates, in a tone of intimacy, the sights and the song enjoyed by her out of her association with that tree. The tree itself, the sight of the gray sole baboon and its playful offspring’s on its boughs, the sweet tune of the kokilas, the slow move of the sleepy cows under the tree, the reflection of that massive tree on a big tank of the garden and blooming snow-white water-lilies hereon serve to delight her often.

Stanza 3

The poetess affirms that the tree is so dear to her not merely for its grandeur and majesty but also for the happy memory of her beloved companions with whom she used to play (in her girlhood days) beneath its boughs. Though many years have passed, their sweet remembrance yet persists in her and affects her emotionally. But this is not all. The poetess seems to hear in the soft murmur (raised by its branches) its sad mourning that may reach far-off lands.

Stanza 4

The poetess admits feeling by how she was deeply touched and stirred by the memory of the tree, when she was away in some foreign country of France or Italy. She recalls her visualization of the majestic grand form of the tree, so much known to her from her early girlhood, of her native place from her foreign abode.

Stanza 5

The poetess proposes to dedicate a song in the honour of her beloved tree, so much in association with her dear mates, now no more. She believes that this will remain, along with other trees, as it is now, even after her own death. She has also a firm conviction that her poem, written in praise of her casuarinas tree will ever keep it alive in the memory of the world.