“Sita” appears in Toru Dutt’s Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan. Though the title suggests that the poem is about goddess Sita actually it is based on the reaction of three children after listening to the story of the second exile of Sita.
The poem starts as three happy children (the poet, her sister and brother) are eagerly waiting to hear a story from their mother. They are sitting in a dark room. The story begins with a description of natural beauty. The mother tells the children about a dense forest. The forest is so thick that even the rays of sunlight cannot enter into it. In the centre place of the forest, there is a clear spot where very large flowers are blooming on creepers that embrace tall trees. Apart from these, there is a beautiful lake which has clean and clear water and is quiet. The white swans swim here making the sound of wings moving quickly from an area full of bushes. The peacocks also dance with joy. There are even herds of wild deer racing among them. The patches are shining bright because of the yellow grains which are waving. The blue smoke of the strange altar is spreading light to the forest.
In this forest, the great poet Valmiki lives in peace. In the hut of that great sage, a beautiful lady is also living. The lady is weeping; perhaps there is a great cause of her shading tears. The three children also begin to shed tears. It is an old story, very ancient, a short narrative poem on the sad incidents of Sita’s life. Dutt says the impact of the story is going to stay with them until the next morning. In the end, she asks about when those children sat around their mother to listen to the story. In reply, she clarifies that this is an autobiographical poem and those children are none other than the poet herself and her siblings Aru and Abju.
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