Sindhi Woman

(Jan Stallworthy)

Bare foot, through the bazaar,

And with the same undulant grace

As the cloth blown back from her face,

She glides with a stone jar,

High on her head

And not a ripple on her tread.

Watching her cross erect

Stones, garbage, excrement and crumbs

Of glass in the Karachi slums,

I, with my stoop, reflect:

They stand most straight

Who learn to walk beneath a weight.

EXCERCISES

1. Write synonyms of the following words:

Bazaar Ripple
Undulant Tread
Grace Erect
Glides Garbage
Excrement Crumbs
Slums Stoop

2. Answer the following questions.

i. What is the theme of Sindhi Woman?
ii. Elaborate the lines: They stand most straight, Who learn to walk beneath a weight.
iii. Also give your thoughts about the possible ‘weight’ carried by the Sindhi Woman?
iv. What does the reference of Karachi slums and bazaar given by Jan Stallworthy indicate?
v. Is Sindhi Woman a tribute to the working woman or a depiction of stereotypical Sindhi
culture?
vi. Give your thoughts about the way poet reflects when he saw the woman?
vii. How is Sindhi Woman a reference to post-independence Pakistani society?

3 Explain the following lines with reference to context:

a) Bare foot, through the bazaar,

And with the same undulant grace

As the cloth blown back from her face,

She glides with a stone jar,

High on her head

And not a ripple on her tread.

b) Watching her cross erect

Stones, garbage, excrement and crumbs

Of glass in the Karachi slums,

I, with my stoop, reflect:

They stand most straight

Who learn to walk beneath a weight.