Question

Consider the repetition of these two lines at the end of each stanza in Tagore's "We Both Live in the Same Village": The name of our village is Khanjuna, and Anjana they call our river; My name is known to all the village and her name is Ranjana. When lines are repeated at the end of each stanza, it is called a refrain. What is the effect of this refrain?

Answer 1

The repetition brings the reader back to the main idea that the young lover is proclaiming the name of the girl he loves. Although each stanza explores some different ideas or perspectives, the refrain reminds the reader of the poem's overall focus.

Answer 2

The effect of this refrain is to show the deep love he feels for his beloved one.

Explanation:

These lines emphasize the desire of the man to demonstrate his love through words. It is not just an example of visual repetition in the syllables but also a phonetic repetition, the "na" sound repeated at the end of the words Khanjana, Anjana, and Ranjana produce a recurring assonance sound, which shows how important is this woman in his life and how they're deeply connected.