Where the voice of the wind calls our wandering feet,
Through echoing forest and echoing street,
With lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam,
All men are our kindred, the world is our home.

Our lays are of cities whose lustre is shed,
The laughter and beauty of women long dead;
The sword of old battles, the crown of old kings,
And happy and simple and sorrowful things.

What hope shall we gather, what dreams shall we sow?
Where the wind calls our wandering footsteps we go.
No love bids us tarry, no joy bids us wait:
The voice of the wind is the voice of our fate.

Sarojini Naidu (1879 - 1949) was known as 'the Nightingale of India'. She was a leader of the Indian Independence movement and a poet. All her poems have a musical quality and are full of rich, lifelike images. She wrote about nature, love, folklife and patriotism.

1. wandering feet: this refers to the singers who constantly move from place to place
2. echoing forest and echoing street: the sound of the singing echoes through the forests and streets
3. lutes: musical instruments with strings, played like guitars
4. kindred: (old usage) part of the same family
5. lays: (old usage) poems or songs that tell a story
6. lustre is shed: shine or glory is lost
7. bids us tarry: (old usage) asks us to stay longer in a place