A synopsis of the theme, personification and imagery alluded to by Toru Dutt in 'Our Casuarina Tree'. Any inputs on these will be greatly appreciated!

The poem is in romantic suggestion and autobiographical
reminiscences. The very first line of it with its image " Like a huge python" conveys
the massiveness of the tree. Its grandeur is in its height and age " the rugged trunk
indented deep with scars upto its very summit the stars". The tree is a source of life
and "wears the scarf" of the creeper with casuarina flowers. Birds and bee gather here
and the song of bird at night is endless.

The second stanza
moves from the objective description of the tree to the impact it has on the
poet-narrator, whose "eyes delighted on its zest". Again, the power of observation and
the selection of detail instill the poem with interest---the gay baboon which sits "
statue like" while its puny offspring played, the kokilas hailing the day, sleepy cows
mending their way to pastures and water "like snow
enmassed".

The "delight"on sseing this sight makes the poet
nostalgic about her childhood. This may be taken as evidence of her romantic muse. While
the tree stands as a symbol of nature's magnificence, it is dear to the poet's soul
because of the sweet companions with whom she played beneath the tree. A "personal"
reading would justify the sadness of " hot tears" for her childhood playmates. So great
is the grief of loss that it seems the tree also laments with
her.