Indian Nationalism
Derozio was a native of India and considered himself an Indian despite being of mixed parental heritage. He would establish himself as the first national Indian poet through verse that focused on the country’s past, present, and potential future. The central work defining and exhibiting this theme is manifested in its very title: “To India—My Native Land.” The opening line of this poem is almost a statement of the poet’s thematic intentions when he writes “My country! In thy days of glory past.” Much of Derozio’s poetry is dedicated to extolling the virtues of India’s long history which developed a distinct cultural identity that would be severely threatened by British imperialism and colonialist oppression. Many of Derozio’s poems focus on the division between India’s glorious past and its uncertain future in the wake of colonial rule.
Independent Thought
Derozio’s approach to themes of independent thought is not political in the sense of rallying for India’s independence from British rule. Often considered an iconoclast intent on breaking down old traditions, Derozio wrote poems with the thematic intent of encouraging younger people, especially to question traditions and generational beliefs. Despite his intense Indian nationalism, for instance, Derozio’s poetry often contains blistering critiques of Hinduism. The full impact of Derozio’s thematic focus on challenging traditions and encouraging independent thinking is perhaps best exemplified by the rise of the Young Bengal Movement. This group of free-thinking young Bengalis was actually at one time known as Derozians. Such was the poet’s dedication to independent thought that his radical views cost him a teaching position at Hindu College. That decision would only serve to inspire Derozio to express his continuing radicalism through verse.
Romanticism
Derozio was highly influenced by the Romantic poetry of England, especially that of Lord Byron. The result is an odd confluence of Indian and British ideas and forms. Derozio looks back to the past of his native country to reframe it through the precise lens of lyric poetry often conveyed in the form of the English sonnet. The theme of Romanticism is broadly applied to poems that touch upon several other major themes. For instance, one of the foundations of poets like Byron and Percy Shelley was radial free thinking yet the poetry itself is often classical and rigidly structured. Derozio’s poems of protest against British imperialism also occasionally take the somewhat paradoxical form of long but tightly controlled lyrical verse. Another aspect of Romanticism that Derozio adopts is strong attention and focus on the glorious wonders of nature. Whether in a poem directly about the natural world like “Leaves” or only tangentially related like “The Maniac’s Widow” the influence of the Romantic edification of nature is routinely exhibited.
