Introduction to the Poem:
Toru Dutt’s “The Tree of Life” is a symbolic poem that meditates on the unity shared by all forms of existence and the continual rhythms of life. Drawing inspiration from both Christian and Eastern philosophies, Dutt employs the image of a flourishing tree to examine harmony, the interplay of contrasting energies, and the quest for spiritual wholeness and self-development.
The poem urges a balanced, all-embracing view of life, implying that true growth emerges only when we nurture both our inner world and our outward deeds.
“The Tree of Life” by Toru Dutt is a reflective and deeply symbolic poem that explores the themes of hope, resilience, and spiritual renewal. Drawing inspiration from Indian mythology—especially the concept of the Kalpavriksha, the wish-fulfilling divine tree—Dutt presents the tree as a timeless emblem of strength and continuity amidst life’s struggles. Through graceful imagery and lyrical language, the poem evokes a sense of inner awakening, reminding readers that even in moments of despair, life holds the potential for regeneration. As one of the significant works of Toru Dutt, a pioneering figure in Indian English literature, the poem beautifully blends mythological motifs with personal emotion, creating a universal message of endurance and faith.
Summary of the Poem “The Tree of Life”:
Rare Daylight Visions and the Poetess’ Bond with Her Father:
The poetess describes those rare moments of daylight vision that visit human beings only once in a while. She herself often drifted into such luminous reveries. Deeply devoted to her father, she found in his presence a profound sense of peace. Whenever she was troubled—by worry, exhaustion, or inner conflict—she longed for his gentle, loving touch. His nearness alone was enough to ease her mind. She remembers one such day, when the sunlight lingered unusually long.
Silent Companionship and Emotional Comfort:
Feeling a quiet fatigue, she sat beside her father. Though her eyes were shut, sleep had not yet claimed her. Her fingers rested in his, and his nearness wrapped around her like a gentle assurance. In his tender company, her mind slowly unwound. They remained like that for hours, sharing a deep silence. Words felt unnecessary; whatever stirred within one heart was already understood by the other. Their pulse beats drifted in harmony with the passing moments, a soft rhythm binding time and presence together.
Flight of Fancy in Broad Daylight:
As she sat beside her father, her heart softened by emotion and affection, she let her eyelids fall. In the brightness of day, her mind lifted into a realm of imagination. She wasn’t asleep—fully awake, fully aware—yet she drifted into a quiet stream of daydreams. With her eyes shut, a vision rose before her, born from her wandering fancy. She saw an unusual, radiant light, a glow that instantly transformed everything around her. Still conscious, she found herself gazing upon a vast, open plain stretching endlessly in every direction. It appeared boundless, without any edge or end. The sheer immensity of this limitless landscape filled her with wonder.
The Strange Light and Its Serene Beauty:
A strange radiance drifted across the field. It resembled the brilliant glow of stars on a clear, icy winter night, their light sweeping gently over the snow-covered ground. The shining glow was powerful, yet filled with a deep calm and quiet. It brought her a sense of peace and comfort, carrying with it an unusual, almost enchanting allure. In the vision she experienced—though it was broad daylight and her eyes were closed while she remained fully awake—she saw a tree whose spreading branches were heavy with leaves of many kinds.
The Enchanting Tree of Silver and Gold:
The leaves that clung to the tree’s branches shimmered with muted silver and radiant gold. The boughs swayed gently in the soft, luminous glow, their splendour almost impossible to put into words. Laden with those silver-and-gold leaves, they formed a scene of pure enchantment. In her vision, the poetess beheld an angel standing beside the tree. The angel gathered a few delicate, young twigs and wove them into a circlet for her head.
The Angel’s Healing Touch:
As the angel gently wove a few soft twigs around the poetess’s brow, she sensed the faint, soothing caress of those mysterious leaves. The throbbing in her forehead eased, and the feverish weakness in her limbs disappeared. She asked the angel to place the same leaves on her father’s forehead. Taking one leaf, the angel touched it to her father with quiet grace. When she looked at the angel’s face, she was filled with awe—never before had she seen such radiant kindness, a face shining with sacred compassion and divine love.
The Angel’s Divine Grace and the End of the Vision:
The angel possessed a rare and radiant grace that left her almost unable to believe what she was seeing. For a moment, she glanced around, filled with awe and astonishment. The sacred beauty of the angel moved the poetess deeply, and tears welled up in her eyes until her sight grew blurred. Overcome by the wonder of the moment, she blinked and tried to clear her vision, but the celestial glow—brilliant like stars glittering in a clear, snowy winter sky—had already faded. The angel’s face had disappeared. Instead, she found her father sitting quietly beside her, his hand gently clasping hers as he watched over her with patience.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem “The Tree of Life”:
Introduction:
“The Tree of Life” is a meditative lyric—tinged with imaginative sorrow, autobiographical undertones, and an almost prophetic sense of the poetess’ brief life. Its atmosphere is dreamlike, shaped in the spirit of a mystical experience reminiscent of Wordsworth. Among Toru Dutt’s works, it stands out as perhaps the finest illustration of the deep-rooted mysticism in her nature. The poem unfolds as a dream-vision, and in it Toru paints the image of the tree of life with remarkable clarity and intensity.
“And in the mist of that vast plan I saw,
For I was wide awake, it was no dream
A tree with spreading branches and with leaves
Of divers kinds, dead silver and live gold,
Shimmering in radiance that no words may tell! ”
Thought – Content:
The poetess shared a deep emotional bond with her father; his presence alone brought her a sense of peace. A single affectionate touch from him had the power to ease her troubled mind. She recalls a moment in broad daylight when she slipped into a vivid daydream. In the first of her visions, an endless plain stretched out before her, reaching far into the distance.
Then a second vision unfolded: a strange, radiant light spread across the landscape, like starlight pouring over snow-covered fields on a clear, frost-bitten winter night—only brighter and more serene. After this, she beheld the branches of a tree heavy with leaves shimmering in muted silver and brilliant gold, trembling gently in the soft glow. Their beauty defied description.
In the next vision, an angel appeared beside the tree. He plucked a few delicate sprigs and placed them around her head, though she felt no feverish heat from their touch. She asked the angel to place the same sacred leaves upon her father’s forehead. The angel picked a leaf and gently touched it to her father’s brow.
The poetess was deeply moved by the angel’s divine and gentle face. Overwhelmed with emotion, she found her eyes brimming with tears. And when she finally opened them, the enchanting visions vanished completely.
Biographical Elements:
The poem is an account of those daylight visions which come to mortals but rarely. Biographically, it is of interest as the last poem written by her. The opening line is vividly suggestive:
“Broad daylight, with a sense of weariness!”
It describes how, as the invalid lay with her father’s hand in hers, in that intimate, voiceless communion which the two knew and loved so well:
“Suddenly there shone
A strange light and the scene as sudden changed.”
In the midst of an illimitable plain stretched out before her eyes, the visionary saw:
“A tree with spreading branches and with leaves
Of divers kinds, -dead silver and live gold. “
Beside the tree stood an angel, who plucked some of the leaves and bound them round the poetess ‘ brow, till its wild throbbing ceased. So wonderful was their effect that she pleaded for some to be bound round her father’s brow also:
“Once leaf the Angel took, and therewith touched
His forehead, and then gently whispered ‘Nay’! ”
Her Craftsmanship:
The poem evinces remarkable development in Toru Dutt’s poetic craftsmanship. Her poetic style attained maturity. Her expression is flawless and her words are well chosen, for example:
“It was an open plain
Illimitable, stretching, stretching – oh, so far!
And o’er it that strange light, a glorious light
Like that the stars shed over fields of snow
In a clear, cloudless, frosty winter night,
Only intenser in its brilliance calm.”
The Use of Imagery:
The imagery here feels distinctly Western, for no poet of the Orient ever longed for a laurel wreath to crown his brow, nor did he look to any external authority—divine or otherwise—for validation of his artistic worth. Yet the sentiment, “Bind too my father’s forehead with these leaves,” is profoundly Indian. It reflects her deep affection for her father, a man with whom she felt almost no separation, for she believed her entire existence—both bodily and spiritual—flowed from him.
The poem appears to have been written in the shadow of her approaching death, when thoughts of the life beyond were already circling in her mind. The atmosphere she evokes is deliberately cold and funereal, shaped through an uncanny and otherworldly imagery.