Sita by Toru Dutt

About Author

Toru Dutt was an Indian English poet. She was born on March, 4, 1856 in Calcutta. Toru's father Govin Chunder Dutt was a poet and linguist and her mother was an educated lady. Govind Chandra had three children, a son, Abju and two daughters, Aru and Toru. the family was originally Hindu but in 1862 some members of the family including Govin  Chunder was attracted by the Western way of life and accepted Christianity as their religion. 

that family was very unfortunate in one respect. The shadow of death haunted it continuously and all the children of Govin Chander died in early youth. 1865 only son of the family Abju died at the age of 14. In 1869 The family left for the Europe and the two sisters attended a French School. Toru and Aru went London to learn lessons in music. Both girls devoted a lot of time to studies and acquired a good knowledge of both French and English.  Toru had a great liking for French, the country as well as its literature. Gosse said"To the end of her  days Toru was a better French then English scholar.  She loved French best, she knew its literature best she wrote its language with more perfect elegance". 

In 1871 the family moved to to Cambridge where both sisters attended higher lectures for women. 

Aru died of tuberculosis in 1874. Toru was very frail and fragile. She was rapidly losing health and by  1877. Last child of Dutt family Toru died in 1877. 

Toru's Work:

Her works include prose and poetry. 

1. A Scene from Contemporary History 1875

2. A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields 1875

3. Bianca 1878

6. Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan 1882

Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan is the best work of Toru Dutt. There are 9 ballads or legends in it. They are 'Savitri', 'Lakshman', 'Jogadhya Uma', 'The Royal Ascetic and the Hind', 'Dhruva', 'Butto', 'Sindhu', 'Prahlad' and 'Sita'. The Volume also contains a few personal poems. "Our Casuarina Tree" is the most popular and best short poem.

Text of "Sita"

Three happy children in a darkened room!
And in its centre a cleared spot.—There bloom
Gather, ah me! as erst at eventide?
What do they gaze on with wide-open eyes?
A dense, dense forest, where no sunbeam pries,
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;
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
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
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

Summary of the Poem: