Explanation of our casuarina tree by toru dutt?

Our Casuarina Tree.

[please bear with me. i was actually searching for a crit appr. myself..DX. ;P]

so

essentially, Dutt is praising the 'Casuarina Tree', [obv.] and her associated memories with it[her siblings/childhood friends].

okay, so, first stanza.

'The giant' is clearly the casuarina tree, wearing the 'scarf' [the creeper, or 'python']. this basically says, its a huge tree['its very summit near the stars'] and thick, since it is very strong['no other tree could live']. mostly this stanza deals with the physical aspects of the tree itself: 'rugged, indented trunk', giving us an image of age and endurance, 'summit near the stars', same thing; 'gallantly the giant..], strength, majesty[not majesty, another Word...eh.] and so on. the flowers are somewhat reminiscent of ceremonial garlands, and with the majestic[or not] theme[in India, Dutt's homeland, it is a common custom to hang flower garlands on important people on special occasions]. the gathering of the birds and animals reiterate its importance, as a meeting place[theres another Word im thinking of...DX]. the 'sung darkling' portion agains deals with imagery; the 'sweet song' that acts as a lullaby, that goes on forever.

second stanza.

This is Dutt's personal memories now, of the Tree. She describes the baboon that sits upon it, and its 'puny offspring' [offtopic, but i despise the use of that Word. anyways.], the 'kokilas', which i belieave means cuckoo birds[dont sue me though] and the cows, and the water lilies. all of this gives the tree an element of..mobility? more like, it brings it to life. ish. before, it was presented as majestic[dang..] and so forth, vagualy unattainable, a bit too lofty. by referencing it with cows and birds and monkeys, it birngs it to life; it seems more homely, friendly..amiable, sort of. the waterlilies-and-snow add a bit of elegance to the image.

the third stanza is the poets confession, that all this so far actually means naught to her. her love is entirely based on her memories; 'sweet companions', who are clearly dead now. she speaks of her friends with emotion, remembering bygone days. the 'dirge-like murmur' is an allusion to their death. as she remembers her friends, she also rememebers their deaths, which is also now, in a roundabout way associated with the tree. the 'tree's lament', personifies the tree with her own emotions.

is that helpful? prolly not. there are two stanzas left...but i have to go now. models tomorrow. DX. i hope i wasnt too annoying.. : ).