Harvest Hymn
NoteWhat This Chapter Covers
The second chapter of Unit 4: Environment is a joyful poem by Sarojini Naidu, the “Nightingale of India,” called Harvest Hymn. It is a song of thanksgiving in which a whole village — men, women, and the community together — offers grateful praise to the powers of nature: the Sun, the Rain, and the Earth, for blessing them with a rich harvest. The poem captures the spirit of India’s harvest festivals, the dignity of the farmer’s labour, and the deep bond between people, nature, and the divine. You will read the hymn, study its poetic devices, build vocabulary, and practise CBSE-style questions.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- explain what the villagers are giving thanks for, and to whom;
- describe how the poem shows the interdependence of sun, rain, and earth;
- explain the theme — gratitude to nature — and why it is called a “hymn”;
- identify refrain, invocation (apostrophe), imagery, and alliteration;
- use the chapter’s vocabulary and write exclamatory sentences correctly.