In the Street of the Fruit Stalls

Description:
In the Street of the Fruit Stalls
Wicks balance flame, a dark dew falls
 In the street of the fruit stalls .
Melon, guava, mandarin,
Pyramid-piled like cannon balls
Glow red-hot, gold-hot, from within.
Dark children with a coin to spend
 Enter the lantern's orbit; find
Melon, guava, mandarin-
The moon compacted to a rind,
The sun in a pitted skin.
They take it, break it open, let
A gold or silver fountain wet
 Mouth, fingers, cheek, nose, chin:
Radiant as lanterns, they forget
The dark street I am standing in.

Theme:

This is a symbolic poem. The world is threatened with war. enjoy the poverty. But all these have failed to crush man's love for pleasure. Childre sweet spray of the juice forgetting all about the misery they live in Paraphrase It is evening time. I t is wet and dark. There is a street of fruit sellers where various fruit are piled up in a conical form. They reflect hot, red and golden colours which in dim lantern light look like bombs. Poor children come there with a coin and stand in the light of the lanterns. They look at melon, guava and other fruit. Their mouths water. They pick up a fruit and break it open. Juice comes out and pours itself into their mouths, and also sticks on their fingers and cheeks. They enjoy the fruit, and are least conscious of their surroundings.