Gitanjali

This is the Collection of Poems by Rabindranath Tagore.

One of the greatest spiritual poets during the last century in
India.
He is well nown leader and freedom fighter who stirred the
minds of Indians with his thoughts
He is often remembered for his collection named gitanjali.
!lthough language is in old "nglish and meaning deep we can
identify the real feelings of a #piritual #eeer.
I recommend this to e$erybody concerned about his spiritual
de$elopment and want to judge his own e%periences.
These poems are written in &engali and translated in "nglish
here.
'ets #tart the (ream )ourney in #piritual *orld of Tagore+
,- TH" 'ITT'" .'/T"
Thou hast made me endless0 such is thy pleasure. This frail
$essel thou emptiest again and again0 and fillest it e$er with
fresh life.
This little flute of a reed thou hast carried o$er hills and dales0
and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new.
!t the immortal touch of thy hands my little heart loses its
limits in joy and gi$es birth to utterance ineffable.
Thy infinite gifts come to me only on these $ery small hands of
mine. !ges pass0 and still thou pourest0 and still there is room
to fill.
1- #O2G .OR 34 'OR(
*hen thou commandest me to sing it seems that my heart
would brea with pride5 and I loo to thy face0 and tears come
to my eyes.
!ll that is harsh and dissonant in my life melts into one sweet
harmony 6 and my adoration spreads wings lie a glad bird on
its flight across the sea.
I now thou taest pleasure in my singing. I now that only as
a singer I come before thy presence.
I touch by the edge of the far6spreading wing of my song thy
feet which I could ne$er aspire to reach.
(run with the joy of singing I forget myself and call thee
friend who art my lord.
7- 3/#IC O. 'I."
I now not how thou singest0 my master+ I e$er listen in silent
ama8ement.
The light of thy music illumines the world. The life breath of
thy music runs from sy to sy. The holy stream of thy music
breas through all stony obstacles and rushes on.
3y heart longs to join in thy song0 but $ainly struggles for a
$oice. I would spea0 but speech breas not into song0 and I cry
out baffled. !h0 thou hast made my heart capti$e in the endless
meshes of thy music0 my master+
9- P/RIT4
'ife of my life0 I shall e$er try to eep my body pure0 nowing
that thy li$ing touch is upon all my limbs.
I shall e$er try to eep all untruths out from my thoughts0
nowing that thou art that truth which has indled the light of
reason in my mind.
I shall e$er try to dri$e all e$ils away from my heart and eep
my lo$e in flower0 nowing that thou hast thy seat in the
inmost shrine of my heart.
!nd it shall be my endea$our to re$eal thee in my actions0
nowing it is thy power gi$es me strength to act.
:- 3O3"2T;# I2(/'G"2C"
I as for a moment;s indulgence to sit by thy side. The wors
that I ha$e in hand I will finish afterwards.
!way from the sight of thy face my heart nows no rest nor
respite0 and my wor becomes an endless toil in a shoreless
sea of toil.
Today the summer has come at my window with its sighs and
murmurs5 and the bees are plying their minstrelsy at the court
of the flowering gro$e.
2ow it is time to sit <uite0 face to face with thee0 and to sing
dedication of li$e in this silent and o$erflowing leisure.
=- TH" .'O*"R
Pluc this little flower and tae it0 delay not+ I fear lest it droop
and drop into the dust.
I may not find a place in thy garland0 but honour it with a
touch of pain from thy hand and pluc it. I fear lest the day end
before I am aware0 and the time of offering go by.
Though its colour be not deep and its smell be faint0 use this
flower in thy ser$ice and pluc it while there is time.
>- #O2G /2(R"##"(
3y song has put off her adornments. #he has no pride of dress
and decoration. Ornaments would mar our union5 they would
come between thee and me5 their jingling would drown thy
whispers.
3y poet;s $anity dies in shame before thy sight. O master poet0
I ha$e sat down at thy feet. Only let me mae my life simple
and straight0 lie a flute of reed for thee to fill with music.
?- TH" &O2(!G" O. .I2"R4
The child who is deced with prince;s robes and who has
jewelled chains round his nec loses all pleasure in his play5
his dress hampers him at e$ery step.
In fear that it may be frayed0 or stained with dust he eeps
himself from the world0 and is afraid e$en to mo$e.
3other0 it is no gain0 thy bondage of finery0 if it eeps one shut
off from the healthful dust of the earth0 if it rob one of the right
of entrance to the great fair of common human life.
@- TH" .OO' !2( TH" &"GG!R
O .ool0 try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders+ O beggar0
to come beg at thy own door+
'ea$e all thy burdens on his hands who can bear all0 and ne$er
loo behind in regret.
Thy desire at once puts out the light from the lamp it touches
with its breath. It is unholy 6 tae not thy gifts through its
unclean hands. !ccept only what is offered by sacred lo$e.
,A- TH" POOR"#T0 TH" 'O*'I"#T !2( TH" 'O#T
Here is thy footstool and there rest thy feet where li$e the
poorest0 and lowliest0 and lost.
*hen I try to bow to thee0 my obeisance cannot reach down to
the depth where thy feet rest among the poorest0 and lowliest0
and lost.
Pride can ne$er approach to where thou walest in the clothes
of the humble among the poorest0 and lowliest0 and lost.
3y heart can ne$er find its way to where thou eepest
company with the companionless among the poorest0 the
lowliest0 and the lost.
,,- OP"2 THI2" "4"#
'ea$e this chanting and singing and telling of beads+ *hom
dost thou worship in this lonely dar corner of a temple with
doors all shutB Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before
thee+
He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and
where the pathmaer is breaing stones. He is with them in
sun and in shower0 and his garment is co$ered with dust. Put
of thy holy mantle and e$en lie him come down on the dusty
soil+
(eli$eranceB *here is this deli$erance to be foundB Our
master himself has joyfully taen upon him the bonds of
creation5 he is bound with us all for e$er.
Come out of thy meditations and lea$e aside thy flowers and
incense+ *hat harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and
stainedB 3eet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy
brow.
,1- (I#T!2T )O/R2"4
The time that my journey taes is long and the way of it long.
I came out on the chariot of the first gleam of light0 and
pursued my $oyage through the wildernesses of worlds
lea$ing my trac on many a star and planet.
It is the most distant course that comes nearest to thyself0 and
that training is the most intricate which leads to the utter
simplicity of a tune.
The tra$eller has to noc at e$ery alien door to come to his
own0 and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to
reach the innermost shrine at the end.
3y eyes strayed far and wide before I shut them and said
CHere art thou+;
The <uestion and the cry COh0 whereB; melt into tears of a
thousand streams and deluge the world with the flood of the
assurance CI am+;
,7- #O2G /2#/2G
The song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day.
I ha$e spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my
instrument.
The time has not come true0 the words ha$e not been rightly
set5 only there is the agony of wishing in my heart.
The blossom has not opened5 only the wind is sighing by.
I ha$e not seen his face0 nor ha$e I listened to his $oice5 only I
ha$e heard his gentle footsteps from the road before my house.
The li$elong day has passed in spreading his seat on the floor5
but the lamp has not been lit and I cannot as him into my
house.
I li$e in the hope of meeting with him5 but this meeting is not
yet.
,9- #TRO2G 3"RC4
3y desires are many and my cry is pitiful0 but e$er didst thou
sa$e me by hard refusals5 and this strong mercy has been
wrought into my life through and through.
(ay by day thou art maing me worthy of the simple0 great
gifts that thou ga$est to me unased 6 this sy and the light0
this body and the life and the mind 6 sa$ing me from perils of
o$ermuch desire.
There are times when I languidly linger and times when I
awaen and hurry in search of my goal5 but cruelly thou
hidest thyself from before me.
(ay by day thou art maing me worthy of thy full acceptance
by refusing me e$er and anon0 sa$ing me from perils of wea0
uncertain desire.
,:- HO2O/R 3" TO #I2G
I am here to sing thee songs. In this hall of thine I ha$e a
corner seat.
In thy world I ha$e no wor to do5 my useless life can only
brea out in tunes without a purpose.
*hen the hour stries for thy silent worship at the dar temple
of midnight0 command me0 my master0 to stand before thee to
sing.
*hen in the morning air the golden harp is tuned0 honour me0
commanding my presence.
,=- TH" I2DIT!TIO2
I ha$e had my in$itation to this world;s festi$al0 and thus my
life has been blessed. 3y eyes ha$e seen and my ears ha$e
heard.
It was my part at this feast to play upon my instrument0 and I
ha$e done all I could.
2ow0 I as0 has the time come at last when I may go in and see
thy face and offer thee my silent salutationB
,>- *!ITI2G .OR 'OD"
I am only waiting for lo$e to gi$e myself up at last into his
hands. That is why it is so late and why I ha$e been guilty of
such omissions.
They come with their laws and their codes to bind me fast5 but
I e$ade them e$er0 for I am only waiting for lo$e to gi$e myself
up at last into his hands.
People blame me and call me heedless5 I doubt not they are
right in their blame.
The maret day is o$er and wor is all done for the busy.
Those who came to call me in $ain ha$e gone bac in anger. I
am only waiting for lo$e to gi$e myself up at last into his
hands.
,?- (!RE"2I2G #EI"#
Clouds heap upon clouds and it darens. !h0 lo$e0 why dost
thou let me wait outside at the door all aloneB
In the busy moments of the noontide wor I am with the
crowd0 but on this dar lonely day it is only for thee that I
hope.
If thou showest me not thy face0 if thou lea$est me wholly
aside0 I now not how I am to pass these long0 rainy hours.
I eep ga8ing on the far6away gloom of the sy0 and my heart
wanders wailing with the restless wind.
,@- P!TI"2C"
If thou speaest not I will fill my heart with thy silence and
endure it. I will eep still and wait lie the night with starry
$igil and its head bent low with patience.
The morning will surely come0 the darness will $anish0 and
thy $oice pour down in golden streams breaing through the
sy.
Then thy words will tae wing in songs from e$ery one of my
birds; nests0 and thy melodies will brea forth in flowers in all
my forest gro$es.
1A- TH" 'OT/# .'O*"R
On the day when the lotus bloomed0 alas0 my mind was
straying0 and I new it not. 3y baset was empty and the
flower remained unheeded.
Only now and again a sadness fell upon me0 and I started up
from my dream and felt a sweet trace of a strange fragrance in
the south wind.
That $ague sweetness made my heart ache with longing and it
seemed to me that is was the eager breath of the summer
seeing for its completion.
I new not then that it was so near0 that it was mine0 and that
this perfect sweetness had blossomed in the depth of my own
heart.
1,- !/T/32;# &O!T
I must launch out my boat. The languid hours pass by on the
shore 6 !las for me+
The spring has done its flowering and taen lea$e. !nd now
with the burden of faded futile flowers I wait and linger.
The wa$es ha$e become clamorous0 and upon the ban in the
shady lane the yellow lea$es flutter and fall.
*hat emptiness do you ga8e upon+ (o you not feel a thrill
passing through the air with the notes of the far6away song
floating from the other shoreB
11- )/'4
In the deep shadows of the rainy )uly0 with secret steps0 thou
walest0 silent as night0 eluding all watchers.
Today the morning has closed its eyes0 heedless of the insistent
calls of the loud east wind0 and a thic $eil has been drawn
o$er the e$er6waeful blue sy.
The woodlands ha$e hushed their songs0 and doors are all shut
at e$ery house. Thou art the solitary wayfarer in this deserted
street. Oh my only friend0 my best belo$ed0 the gates are open
in my house 6 do not pass by lie a dream.
17- 34 .RI"2(
!rt thou abroad on this stormy night on thy journey of lo$e0
my friendB The sy groans lie one in despair.
I ha$e no sleep tonight. "$er and again I open my door and
loo out on the darness0 my friend+
I can see nothing before me. I wonder where lies thy path+
&y what dim shore of the in6blac ri$er0 by what far edge of
the frowning forest0 through what ma8y depth of gloom art
thou threading thy course to come to me0 my friendB
19- *H"2 (!4 I# (O2"
If the day is done0 if birds sing no more0 if the wind has flagged
tired0 then draw the $eil of darness thic upon me0 e$en as
thou hast wrapt the earth with the co$erlet of sleep and
tenderly closed the petals of the drooping lotus at dus.
.rom the tra$eller0 whose sac of pro$isions is empty before
the $oyage is ended0 whose garment is torn and dustladen0
whose strength is e%hausted0 remo$e shame and po$erty0 and
renew his life lie a flower under the co$er of thy indly night.
1:- &'"##"( #'""P
In the night of weariness let me gi$e myself up to sleep without
struggle0 resting my trust upon thee.
'et me not force my flagging spirit into a poor preparation for
thy worship.
It is thou who drawest the $eil of night upon the tired eyes of
the day to renew its sight in a fresher gladness of awaening.
1=- C/R#"( #'""P
He came and sat by my side but I woe not. *hat a cursed
sleep it was0 O miserable me+
He came when the night was still5 he had his harp in his hands0
and my dreams became resonant with its melodies.
!las0 why are my nights all thus lostB !h0 why do I e$er miss
his sight whose breath touches my sleepB
1>- '!3P O. 'OD"
'ight0 oh where is the lightB Eindle it with the burning fire of
desire+
There is the lamp but ne$er a flicer of a flame 6 is such thy
fate0 my heartB !h0 death were better by far for thee+
3isery nocs at thy door0 and her message is that thy lord is
waeful0 and he calls thee to the lo$e6tryst through the
darness of night.
The sy is o$ercast with clouds and the rain is ceaseless. I
now not what this is that stirs in me 6 I now not its meaning.
! moment;s flash of lightning drags down a deeper gloom on
my sight0 and my heart gropes for the path to where the music
of the night calls me.
'ight0 oh where is the light+ Eindle it with the burning fire of
desire+ It thunders and the wind rushes screaming through the
$oid. The night is blac as a blac stone. 'et not the hours pass
by in the dar. Eindle the lamp of lo$e with thy life.
1?- .R""(O3
Obstinate are the trammels0 but my heart aches when I try to
brea them.
.reedom is all I want0 but to hope for it I feel ashamed.
I am certain that priceless wealth is in thee0 and that thou art
my best friend0 but I ha$e not the heart to sweep away the
tinsel that fills my room
The shroud that co$ers me is a shroud of dust and death5 I hate
it0 yet hug it in lo$e.
3y debts are large0 my failures great0 my shame secret and
hea$y5 yet when I come to as for my good0 I <uae in fear lest
my prayer be granted.
1@- 34 (/2G"O2
He whom I enclose with my name is weeping in this dungeon. I
am e$er busy building this wall all around5 and as this wall
goes up into the sy day by day I lose sight of my true being in
its dar shadow.
I tae pride in this great wall0 and I plaster it with dust and
sand lest a least hole should be left in this name5 and for all the
care I tae I lose sight of my true being.
7A- 34 #TR!2G"R #"'.
I came out alone on my way to my tryst. &ut who is this that
follows me in the silent darB
I mo$e aside to a$oid his presence but I escape him not.
He maes the dust rise from the earth with his swagger5 he
adds his loud $oice to e$ery word that I utter.
He is my own little self0 my lord0 he nows no shame5 but I am
ashamed to come to thy door in his company.
7,- TH" PRI#O2"R
CPrisoner0 tell me0 who was it that bound youB;
CIt was my master0; said the prisoner. CI thought I could outdo
e$erybody in the world in wealth and power0 and I amassed in
my own treasure6house the money due to my ing. *hen sleep
o$ercame me I lay upon the bad that was for my lord0 and on
waing up I found I was a prisoner in my own treasure6house.;
CPrisoner0 tell me0 who was it that wrought this unbreaable
chainB;
CIt was I0; said the prisoner0 Cwho forged this chain $ery
carefully. I thought my in$incible power would hold the world
capti$e lea$ing me in a freedom undisturbed. Thus night and
day I wored at the chain with huge fires and cruel hard
stroes. *hen at last the wor was done and the lins were
complete and unbreaable0 I found that it held me in its grip.;
71- .R"" 'OD"
&y all means they try to hold me secure who lo$e me in this
world. &ut it is otherwise with thy lo$e which is greater than
theirs0 and thou eepest me free.
'est I forget them they ne$er $enture to lea$e me alone. &ut
day passes by after day and thou art not seen.
If I call not thee in my prayers0 if I eep not thee in my heart0
thy lo$e for me still waits for my lo$e.
77- GR""(
*hen it was day they came into my house and said0 C*e shall
only tae the smallest room here.;
They said0 C*e shall help you in the worship of your God and
humbly accept only our own share in his grace;5 and then they
too their seat in a corner and they sat <uiet and mee.
&ut in the darness of night I find they brea into my sacred
shrine0 strong and turbulent0 and snatch with unholy greed
the offerings from God;s altar.
79- 'ITT'" O. 3"
'et only that little be left of me whereby I may name thee my
all.
'et only that little be left of my will whereby I may feel thee on
e$ery side0 and come to thee in e$erything0 and offer to thee
my lo$e e$ery moment.
'et only that little be left of me whereby I may ne$er hide thee.
'et only that little of my fetters be left whereby I am bound
with thy will0 and thy purpose is carried out in my life 6 and
that is the fetter of thy lo$e.
7:- 3I2( *ITHO/T ."!R
*here the mind is without fear and the head is held high5
*here nowledge is free5
*here the world has not been broen up into fragments by
narrow domestic walls5
*here words come out from the depth of truth5
*here tireless stri$ing stretches its arms towards perfection5
*here the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit5
*here the mind is led forward by thee into e$er6widening
thought and action 6
Into that hea$en of freedom0 my .ather0 let my country awae.
7=- GID" 3" #TR"2GTH
This is my prayer to thee0 my lord 6 strie0 strie at the root of
penury in my heart.
Gi$e me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.
Gi$e me the strength to mae my lo$e fruitful in ser$ice.
Gi$e me the strength ne$er to disown the poor or bend my
nees before insolent might.
Gi$e me the strength to raise my mind high abo$e daily trifles.
!nd gi$e me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will
with lo$e.
7>- I2.I2IT" DO4!G"
I thought that my $oyage had come to its end at the last limit
of my power0 6 that the path before me was closed0 that
pro$isions were e%hausted and the time come to tae shelter in
a silent obscurity.
&ut I find that thy will nows no end in me. !nd when old
words die out on the tongue0 new melodies brea forth from
the heart5 and where the old tracs are lost0 new country is
re$ealed with its wonders.
7?- O2'4 TH"" I *!2T
That I want thee0 only thee 6 let my heart repeat without end.
!ll desires that distract me0 day and night0 are false and empty
to the core.
!s the night eeps hidden in its gloom the petition for light0
e$en thus in the depth of my unconsciousness rings the cry 6 CI
want thee0 only thee;.
!s the storm still sees its end in peace when it stries against
peace with all its might0 e$en thus my rebellion stries against
thy lo$e and still its cry is 6 CI want thee0 only thee;.
7@- #"T 3" .R""
*hen the heart is hard and parched up0 come upon me with a
shower of mercy.
*hen grace is lost from life0 come with a burst of song.
*hen tumultuous wor raises its din on all sides shutting me
out from beyond0 come to me0 my lord of silence0 with thy
peace and rest.
*hen my beggarly heart sits crouched0 shut up in a corner0
brea open the door0 my ing0 and come with the ceremony of
a ing.
*hen desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust0 O thou
holy one0 thou waeful0 come with thy light and thy thunder.
9A- #TOR3#
The rain has held bac for days and days0 my God0 in my arid
heart. The hori8on is fiercely naed 6 not the thinnest co$er of a
soft cloud0 not the $aguest hint of a distant cool shower.
#end thy angry storm0 dar with death0 if it is thy wish0 and
with lashes of lightning startle the sy from end to end.
&ut call bac0 my lord0 call bac this per$ading silent heat0 still
and een and cruel0 burning the heart with dire despair.
'et the cloud of grace bend low from abo$e lie the tearful loo
of the mother on the day of the father;s wrath.
9,- TH" CO3I2G
*here dost thou stand behind them all0 my lo$er0 hiding
thyself in the shadowsB They push thee and pass thee by on the
dusty road0 taing thee for naught. I wait here weary hours
spreading my offerings for thee0 while passers6by come and
tae my flowers0 one by one0 and my baset is nearly empty.
The morning time is past0 and the noon. In the shade of
e$ening my eyes are drowsy with sleep. 3en going home
glance at me and smile and fill me with shame. I sit lie a
beggar maid0 drawing my sirt o$er my face0 and when they
as me0 what it is I want0 I drop my eyes and answer them not.
Oh0 how0 indeed0 could I tell them that for thee I wait0 and that
thou hast promised to come. How could I utter for shame that I
eep for my dowry this po$erty. !h0 I hug this pride in the
secret of my heart.
I sit on the grass and ga8e upon the sy and dream of the
sudden splendour of thy coming 6 all the lights abla8e0 golden
pennons flying o$er thy car0 and they at the roadside standing
agape0 when they see thee come down from thy seat to raise
me from the dust0 and set at thy side this ragged beggar girl a6
tremble with shame and pride0 lie a creeper in a summer
bree8e.
&ut time glides on and still no sound of the wheels of thy
chariot. 3any a procession passes by with noise and shouts
and glamour of glory. Is it only thou who wouldst stand in the
shadow silent and behind them allB !nd only I who would wait
and weep and wear out my heart in $ain longingB
91- #!I' !*!4
"arly in the day it was whispered that we should sail in a boat0
only thou and I0 and ne$er a soul in the world would now of
this our pilgrimage to no country and to no end.
In that shoreless ocean0 at thy silently listening smile my
songs would swell in melodies0 free as wa$es0 free from all
bondage of words.
Is the time not come yetB !re there wors still to doB 'o0 the
e$ening has come down upon the shore and in the fading light
the seabirds come flying to their nests.
*ho nows when the chains will be off0 and the boat0 lie the
last glimmer of sunset0 $anish into the nightB
97- #IG2"T O. "T"R2IT4
The day was when I did not eep myself in readiness for thee5
and entering my heart unbidden e$en as one of the common
crowd0 unnown to me0 my ing0 thou didst press the signet of
eternity upon many a fleeting moment of my life.
!nd today when by chance I light upon them and see thy
signature0 I find they ha$e lain scattered in the dust mi%ed
with the memory of joys and sorrows of my tri$ial days
forgotten.
Thou didst not turn in contempt from my childish play among
dust0 and the steps that I heard in my playroom are the same
that are echoing from star to star.
99- *H"R" #H!(O* CH!#"# 'IGHT
This is my delight0 thus to wait and watch at the wayside
where shadow chases light and the rain comes in the wae of
the summer.
3essengers0 with tidings from unnown sies0 greet me and
speed along the road. 3y heart is glad within0 and the breath
of the passing bree8e is sweet.
.rom dawn till dus I sit here before my door0 and I now that
of a sudden the happy moment will arri$e when I shall see.
In the meanwhile I smile and I sing all alone. In the meanwhile
the air is filling with the perfume of promise.
9:- #I'"2T #T"P#
Ha$e you not heard his silent stepsB He comes0 comes0 e$er
comes.
"$ery moment and e$ery age0 e$ery day and e$ery night he
comes0 comes0 e$er comes.
3any a song ha$e I sung in many a mood of mind0 but all their
notes ha$e always proclaimed0 CHe comes0 comes0 e$er comes.;
In the fragrant days of sunny !pril through the forest path he
comes0 comes0 e$er comes.
In the rainy gloom of )uly nights on the thundering chariot of
clouds he comes0 comes0 e$er comes.
In sorrow after sorrow it is his steps that press upon my heart0
and it is the golden touch of his feet that maes my joy to
shine.
9=- (I#T!2T TI3"
I now not from what distant time thou art e$er coming nearer
to meet me. Thy sun and stars can ne$er eep thee hidden from
me for aye.
In many a morning and e$e thy footsteps ha$e been heard and
thy messenger has come within my heart and called me in
secret.
I now not only why today my life is all astir0 and a feeling of
tremulous joy is passing through my heart.
It is as if the time were come to wind up my wor0 and I feel in
the air a faint smell of thy sweet presence.
9>- PR"CIO/# #'""P
The night is nearly spent waiting for him in $ain. I fear lest in
the morning he suddenly come to my door when I ha$e fallen
asleep wearied out. Oh friends0 lea$e the way open to him 6
forbid him not.
If the sounds of his steps does not wae me0 do not try to rouse
me0 I pray. I wish not to be called from my sleep by the
clamorous choir of birds0 by the riot of wind at the festi$al of
morning light. 'et me sleep undisturbed e$en if my lord comes
of a sudden to my door.
!h0 my sleep0 precious sleep0 which only waits for his touch to
$anish. !h0 my closed eyes that would open their lids only to
the light of his smile when he stands before me lie a dream
emerging from darness of sleep.
'et him appear before my sight as the first of all lights and all
forms. The first thrill of joy to my awaened soul let it come
from his glance. !nd let my return to myself be immediate
return to him.
9?- TH" )O/R2"4
The morning sea of silence broe into ripples of bird songs5
and the flowers were all merry by the roadside5 and the wealth
of gold was scattered through the rift of the clouds while we
busily went on our way and paid no heed.
*e sang no glad songs nor played5 we went not to the $illage
for barter5 we spoe not a word nor smiled5 we lingered not on
the way. *e <uicened our pace more and more as the time
sped by.
The sun rose to the mid sy and do$es cooed in the shade.
*ithered lea$es danced and whirled in the hot air of noon. The
shepherd boy drowsed and dreamed in the shadow of the
banyan tree0 and I laid myself down by the water and
stretched my tired limbs on the grass.
3y companions laughed at me in scorn5 they held their heads
high and hurried on5 they ne$er looed bac nor rested5 they
$anished in the distant blue ha8e. They crossed many
meadows and hills0 and passed through strange0 far6away
countries. !ll honour to you0 heroic host of the interminable
path+ 3ocery and reproach priced me to rise0 but found no
response in me. I ga$e myself up for lost in the depth of a glad
humiliation 6 in the shadow of a dim delight.
The repose of the sun6embroidered green gloom slowly spread
o$er my heart. I forgot for what I had tra$elled0 and I
surrendered my mind without struggle to the ma8e of shadows
and songs.
!t last0 when I woe from my slumber and opened my eyes0 I
saw thee standing by me0 flooding my sleep with thy smile.
How I had feared that the path was long and wearisome0 and
the struggle to reach thee was hard+
9@- 34 COTT!G" (OOR
4ou came down from your throne and stood at my cottage
door.
I was singing all alone in a corner0 and the melody caught
your ear. 4ou came down and stood at my cottage door.
3asters are many in your hall0 and songs are sung there at all
hours. &ut the simple carol of this no$ice struc at your lo$e.
One plainti$e little strain mingled with the great music of the
world0 and with a flower for a pri8e you came down and
stopped at my cottage door.
:A- TH" P!R!&'" O. GIDI2G
I had gone a6begging from door to door in the $illage path0
when thy golden chariot appeared in the distance lie a
gorgeous dream and I wondered who was this Eing of all
ings+
3y hopes rose high and methought my e$il days were at an
end0 and I stood waiting for alms to be gi$en unased and for
wealth scattered on all sides in the dust.
The chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell on me and
thou camest down with a smile. I felt that the luc of my life
had come at last. Then of a sudden thou didst hold out thy
right hand and say C*hat hast thou to gi$e to meB;
!h0 what a ingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar to
beg+ I was confused and stood undecided0 and then from my
wallet I slowly too out the least little grain of corn and ga$e it
to thee.
&ut how great my surprise when at the day;s end I emptied my
bag on the floor to find a least little gram of gold among the
poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished that I had had the heart
to gi$e thee my all.
:,- TH" CO3I2G O. TH" EI2G
The night darened. Our day;s wors had been done. *e
thought that the last guest had arri$ed for the night and the
doors in the $illage were all shut. Only some said the ing was
to come. *e laughed and said C2o0 it cannot be+;
It seemed there were nocs at the door and we said it was
nothing but the wind. *e put out the lamps and lay down to
sleep. Only some said0 CIt is the messenger+; *e laughed and
said C2o0 it must be the wind+;
There came a sound in the dead of the night. *e sleepily
thought it was the distant thunder. The earth shoo0 the walls
roced0 and it troubled us in our sleep. Only some said it was
the sound of wheels. *e said in a drowsy murmur0 C2o0 it must
be the rumbling of clouds+;
The night was still dar when the drum sounded. The $oice
came C*ae up+ delay not+; *e pressed our hands on our
hearts and shuddered with fear. #ome said0 C'o0 there is the
ing;s flag+; *e stood up on our feet and cried CThere is no time
for delay+;
The ing has come 6 but where are lights0 where are wreathsB
*here is the throne to seat himB Oh0 shame+ Oh utter shame+
*here is the hall0 the decorationsB #omeone has said0 CDain is
this cry+ Greet him with empty hands0 lead him into thy rooms
all bare+;
Open the doors0 let the conch6shells be sounded+ in the depth of
the night has come the ing of our dar0 dreary house. The
thunder roars in the sy. The darness shudders with
lightning. &ring out thy tattered piece of mat and spread it in
the courtyard. *ith the storm has come of a sudden our ing
of the fearful night.
:1- TH" #*OR(
I thought I should as of thee 6 but I dared not 6 the rose wreath
thou hadst on thy nec. Thus I waited for the morning0 when
thou didst depart0 to find a few fragments on the bed. !nd lie
a beggar I searched in the dawn only for a stray petal or two.
!h me0 what is it I findB *hat toen left of thy lo$eB It is no
flower0 no spices0 no $ase of perfumed water. It is thy mighty
sword0 flashing as a flame0 hea$y as a bolt of thunder. The
young light of morning comes through the window and spread
itself upon thy bed. The morning bird twitters and ass0
C*oman0 what hast thou gotB; 2o0 it is no flower0 nor spices0
nor $ase of perfumed water 6 it is thy dreadful sword.
I sit and muse in wonder0 what gift is this of thine. I can find no
place to hide it. I am ashamed to wear it0 frail as I am0 and it
hurts me when press it to my bosom. 4et shall I bear in my
heart this honour of the burden of pain0 this gift of thine.
.rom now there shall be no fear left for me in this world0 and
thou shalt be $ictorious in all my strife. Thou hast left death
for my companion and I shall crown him with my life. Thy
sword is with me to cut asunder my bonds0 and there shall be
no fear left for me in the world.
.rom now I lea$e off all petty decorations. 'ord of my heart0
no more shall there be for me waiting and weeping in corners0
no more coyness and sweetness of demeanour. Thou hast gi$en
me thy sword for adornment. 2o more doll;s decorations for
me+
:7- DI#H2/
&eautiful is thy wristlet0 deced with stars and cunningly
wrought in myriad6coloured jewels. &ut more beautiful to me
thy sword with its cur$e of lightning lie the outspread wings
of the di$ine bird of Dishnu0 perfectly poised in the angry red
light of the sunset.
It <ui$ers lie the one last response of life in ecstasy of pain at
the final stroe of death5 it shines lie the pure flame of being
burning up earthly sense with one fierce flash.
&eautiful is thy wristlet0 deced with starry gems5 but thy
sword0 O lord of thunder0 is wrought with uttermost beauty0
terrible to behold or thin of.
:9- *!T"R
I ased nothing from thee5 I uttered not my name to thine ear.
*hen thou too;st thy lea$e I stood silent. I was alone by the
well where the shadow of the tree fell aslant0 and the women
had gone home with their brown earthen pitchers full to the
brim. They called me and shouted0 CCome with us0 the morning
is wearing on to noon.; &ut I languidly lingered awhile lost in
the midst of $ague musings.
I heard not thy steps as thou camest. Thine eyes were sad
when they fell on me5 thy $oice was tired as thou spoest low 6
C!h0 I am a thirsty tra$eller.; I started up from my day6dreams
and poured water from my jar on thy joined palms. The lea$es
rustled o$erhead5 the cucoo sang from the unseen dar0 and
perfume of babla flowers came from the bend of the road.
I stood speechless with shame when my name thou didst as.
Indeed0 what had I done for thee to eep me in remembranceB
&ut the memory that I could gi$e water to thee to allay thy
thirst will cling to my heart and enfold it in sweetness. The
morning hour is late0 the bird sings in weary notes0 neem
lea$es rustle o$erhead and I sit and thin and thin.
::- *!E"0 OH !*!E"2+
'anguor is upon your heart and the slumber is still on your
eyes.
Has not the word come to you that the flower is reigning in
splendour among thornsB *ae0 oh awaen+ let not the time
pass in $ain+
!t the end of the stony path0 in the country of $irgin solitude0
my friend is sitting all alone. (ecei$e him not. *ae0 oh
awaen+
*hat if the sy pants and trembles with the heat of the midday
sun 6 what if the burning sand spreads its mantle of thirst 6
Is there no joy in the deep of your heartB !t e$ery footfall of
yours0 will not the harp of the road brea out in sweet music of
painB
:=- 34 P!RT2"R TH" 'OR(
Thus it is that thy joy in me is so full. Thus it is that thou hast
come down to me. O thou lord of all hea$ens0 where would be
thy lo$e if I were notB
Thou hast taen me as thy partner of all this wealth. In my
heart is the endless play of thy delight. In my life thy will is
e$er taing shape.
!nd for this0 thou who art the Eing of ings hast deced thyself
in beauty to capti$ate my heart. !nd for this thy lo$e loses
itself in the lo$e of thy lo$er0 and there art thou seen in the
perfect union of two.
:>- 'IGHT
'ight0 my light0 the world6filling light0 the eye6issing light0
heart6sweetening light+
!h0 the light dances0 my darling0 at the centre of my life5 the
light stries0 my darling0 the chords of my lo$e5 the sy opens0
the wind runs wild0 laughter passes o$er the earth.
The butterflies spread their sails on the sea of light. 'ilies and
jasmines surge up on the crest of the wa$es of light.
The light is shattered into gold on e$ery cloud0 my darling0 and
it scatters gems in profusion.
3irth spreads from leaf to leaf0 my darling0 and gladness
without measure. The hea$en;s ri$er has drowned its bans
and the flood of joy is abroad.
:?- )O4
'et all the strains of joy mingle in my last song 6 the joy that
maes the earth flow o$er in the riotous e%cess of the grass0 the
joy that sets the twin brothers0 life and death0 dancing o$er the
wide world0 the joy that sweeps in with the tempest0 shaing
and waing all life with laughter0 the joy that sits still with its
tears on the open red lotus of pain0 and the joy that throws
e$erything it has upon the dust0 and nows not a word.
:@- P!##I2G &R""F"
4es0 I now0 this is nothing but thy lo$e0 O belo$ed of my heart
6 this golden light that dances upon the lea$es0 these idle
clouds sailing across the sy0 this passing bree8e lea$ing its
coolness upon my forehead.
The morning light has flooded my eyes 6 this is thy message to
my heart. Thy face is bent from abo$e0 thy eyes loo down on
my eyes0 and my heart has touched thy feet.
=A- #"!#HOR"
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. The infinite
sy is motionless o$erhead and the restless water is
boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds the children
meet with shouts and dances.
They build their houses with sand and they play with empty
shells. *ith withered lea$es they wea$e their boats and
smilingly float them on the $ast deep. Children ha$e their play
on the seashore of worlds.
They now not how to swim0 they now not how to cast nets.
Pearl fishers di$e for pearls0 merchants sail in their ships0
while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. they
see not for hidden treasures0 they now not how to cast nets.
The sea surges up with laughter and pale gleams the smile of
the sea beach. (eath6dealing wa$es sing meaningless ballads
to the children0 e$en lie a mother while rocing her baby;s
cradle. The sea plays with children0 and pale gleams the smile
of the sea beach.
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. Tempest
roams in the pathless sy0 ships get wreced in the tracless
water0 death is abroad and children play. On the seashore of
endless worlds is the great meeting of children.
=,- ! &!&4 #'""P#
The sleep that flits on baby;s eyes 6 does anybody now from
where it comesB 4es0 there is a rumour that it has its dwelling
where0 in the fairy $illage among shadows of the forest dimly
lit with glow6worms0 there hang two timid buds of
enchantment. .rom there it comes to iss baby;s eyes.
The smile that flicers on baby;s lips when he sleeps 6 does
anybody now where it was bornB 4es0 there is a rumour that
a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched the edge of a
$anishing autumn cloud0 and there the smile was first born in
the dream of a dew6washed morning 6 the smile that flicers on
baby;s lips when he sleeps.
The sweet0 soft freshness that blooms on baby;s limbs 6 does
anybody now where it was hidden so longB 4es0 when the
mother was a young girl it lay per$ading her heart in tender
and silent mystery of lo$e 6 the sweet0 soft freshness that has
bloomed on baby;s limbs.
=1- I GID" TO 4O/
*hen I bring to you coloured toys0 my child0 I understand why
there is such a play of colours on clouds0 on water0 and why
flowers are painted in tints 6 when I gi$e coloured toys to you0
my child.
*hen I sing to mae you dance I truly now why there is
music in lea$es0 and why wa$es send their chorus of $oices to
the heart of the listening earth 6 when I sing to mae you
dance.
*hen I bring sweet things to your greedy hands I now why
there is honey in the cup of the flowers and why fruits are
secretly filled with sweet juice 6 when I bring sweet things to
your greedy hands.
*hen I iss your face to mae you smile0 my darling0 I surely
understand what pleasure streams from the sy in morning
light0 and what delight that is which the summer bree8e brings
to my body 6 when I iss you to mae you smile.
=7- O'( !2( 2"*
Thou hast made me nown to friends whom I new not. Thou
hast gi$en me seats in homes not my own. Thou hast brought
the distant near and made a brother of the stranger.
I am uneasy at heart when I ha$e to lea$e my accustomed
shelter5 I forget that there abides the old in the new0 and that
there also thou abidest.
Through birth and death0 in this world or in others0 where$er
thou leadest me it is thou0 the same0 the one companion of my
endless life who e$er linest my heart with bonds of joy to the
unfamiliar.
*hen one nows thee0 then alien there is none0 then no door is
shut. Oh0 grant me my prayer that I may ne$er lose the bliss of
the touch of the one in the play of many.
=9- TH" 3!I("2;# '!3P
On the slope of the desolate ri$er among tall grasses I ased
her0 C3aiden0 where do you go shading your lamp with your
mantleB 3y house is all dar and lonesome 6 lend me your
light+; she raised her dar eyes for a moment and looed at my
face through the dus. CI ha$e come to the ri$er0; she said0 Cto
float my lamp on the stream when the daylight wanes in the
west.; I stood alone among tall grasses and watched the timid
flame of her lamp uselessly drifting in the tide.
In the silence of gathering night I ased her0 C3aiden0 your
lights are all lit 6 then where do you go with your lampB 3y
house is all dar and lonesome 6 lend me your light.; #he raised
her dar eyes on my face and stood for a moment doubtful. CI
ha$e come0; she said at last0 Cto dedicate my lamp to the sy.; I
stood and watched her light uselessly burning in the $oid.
In the moonless gloom of midnight I as her0 C3aiden0 what is
your <uest0 holding the lamp near your heartB 3y house is all
dar and lonesome 6 lend me your light.; #he stopped for a
minute and thought and ga8ed at my face in the dar. CI ha$e
brought my light0; she said0 Cto join the carni$al of lamps.; I
stood and watched her little lamp uselessly lost among lights.
=:- TH" C/P O. 'I."
*hat di$ine drin wouldst thou ha$e0 my God0 from this
o$erflowing cup of my lifeB
3y poet0 is it thy delight to see thy creation through my eyes
and to stand at the portals of my ears silently to listen to thine
own eternal harmonyB
Thy world is wea$ing words in my mind and thy joy is adding
music to them. Thou gi$est thyself to me in lo$e and then
feelest thine own entire sweetness in me.
==- TH" *O3!2 I2 34 #O/'
#he who e$er had remained in the depth of my being0 in the
twilight of gleams and of glimpses5 she who ne$er opened her
$eils in the morning light0 will be my last gift to thee0 my God0
folded in my final song.
*ords ha$e wooed yet failed to win her5 persuasion has
stretched to her its eager arms in $ain.
I ha$e roamed from country to country eeping her in the core
of my heart0 and around her ha$e risen and fallen the growth
and decay of my life.
O$er my thoughts and actions0 my slumbers and dreams0 she
reigned yet dwelled alone and apart.
3any a man noced at my door and ased for her and turned
away in despair.
There was none in the world who e$er saw her face to face0 and
she remained in her loneliness waiting for thy recognition.
=>- 2"D"R ! *OR(
Thou art the sy and thou art the nest as well.
O thou beautiful0 there in the nest is thy lo$e that encloses the
soul with colours and sounds and odours.
There comes the morning with the golden baset in her right
hand bearing the wreath of beauty0 silently to crown the earth.
!nd there comes the e$ening o$er the lonely meadows deserted
by herds0 through tracless paths0 carrying cool draughts of
peace in her golden pitcher from the western ocean of rest.
&ut there0 where spreads the infinite sy for the soul to tae
her flight in0 reigns the stainless white radiance. There is no
day nor night0 nor form nor colour0 and ne$er0 ne$er a word.
=?- TH" #/2&"!3
Thy sunbeam comes upon this earth of mine with arms
outstretched and stands at my door the li$elong day to carry
bac to thy feet clouds made of my tears and sighs and songs.
*ith fond delight thou wrappest about thy starry breast that
mantle of misty cloud0 turning it into numberless shapes and
folds and colouring it with hues e$erchanging.
It is so light and so fleeting0 tender and tearful and dar0 that
is why thou lo$est it0 O thou spotless and serene. !nd that is
why it may co$er thy awful white light with its pathetic
shadows.
=@- #TR"!3 O. 'I."
The same stream of life that runs through my $eins night and
day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the
earth in numberless blades of grass and breas into
tumultuous wa$es of lea$es and flowers.
It is the same life that is roced in the ocean6cradle of birth and
of death0 in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of
life. !nd my pride is from the life6throb of ages dancing in my
blood this moment.
>A- PROGR"##IO2
Is it beyond thee to be glad with the gladness of this rhythmB
To be tossed and lost and broen in the whirl of this fearful
joyB
!ll things rush on0 they stop not0 they loo not behind0 no
power can hold them bac0 they rush on.
Eeeping steps with that restless0 rapid music0 seasons come
dancing and pass away 6 colours0 tunes0 and perfumes pour in
endless cascades in the abounding joy that scatters and gi$es
up and dies e$ery moment.
>,- 3!4!
That I should mae much of myself and turn it on all sides0
thus casting coloured shadows on thy radiance 6 such is thy
maya.
Thou settest a barrier in thine own being and then callest thy
se$ered self in myriad notes. This thy self6separation has taen
body in me.
The poignant song is echoed through all the sy in many6
coloured tears and smiles0 alarms and hopes5 wa$es rise up
and sin again0 dreams brea and form. In me is thy own
defeat of self.
This screen that thou hast raised is painted with innumerable
figures with the brush of the night and the day. &ehind it thy
seat is wo$en in wondrous mysteries of cur$es0 casting away
all barren lines of straightness.
The great pageant of thee and me has o$erspread the sy. *ith
the tune of thee and me all the air is $ibrant0 and all ages pass
with the hiding and seeing of thee and me.
>1- TH" I22"R3O#T O2"
He it is0 the innermost one0 who awaens my being with his
deep hidden touches.
He it is who puts his enchantment upon these eyes and joyfully
plays on the chords of my heart in $aried cadence of pleasure
and pain.
He it is who wea$es the web of this maya in e$anescent hues of
gold and sil$er0 blue and green0 and lets peep out through the
folds his feet0 at whose touch I forget myself.
(ays come and ages pass0 and it is e$er he who mo$es my
heart in many a name0 in many a guise0 in many a rapture of
joy and of sorrow.
>7- #"2#"#
(eli$erance is not for me in renunciation. I feel the embrace of
freedom in a thousand bonds of delight.
Thou e$er pourest for me the fresh draught of thy wine of
$arious colours and fragrance0 filling this earthen $essel to the
brim.
3y world will light its hundred different lamps with thy flame
and place them before the altar of thy temple.
2o0 I will ne$er shut the doors of my senses. The delights of
sight and hearing and touch will bear thy delight.
4es0 all my illusions will burn into illumination of joy0 and all
my desires ripen into fruits of lo$e.
>9- "D"2TI("
The day is no more0 the shadow is upon the earth. It is time
that I go to the stream to fill my pitcher.
The e$ening air is eager with the sad music of the water. !h0 it
calls me out into the dus. In the lonely lane there is no passer6
by0 the wind is up0 the ripples are rampant in the ri$er.
I now not if I shall come bac home. I now not whom I shall
chance to meet. There at the fording in the little boat the
unnown man plays upon his lute.
>:- 3"!2I2G#
Thy gifts to us mortals fulfil all our needs and yet run bac to
thee undiminished.
The ri$er has its e$eryday wor to do and hastens through
fields and hamlets5 yet its incessant stream winds towards the
washing of thy feet.
The flower sweetens the air with its perfume5 yet its last
ser$ice is to offer itself to thee.
Thy worship does not impo$erish the world.
.rom the words of the poet men tae what meanings please
them5 yet their last meaning points to thee.
>=- .!C" TO .!C"
(ay after day0 O lord of my life0 shall I stand before thee face
to face. *ith folded hands0 O lord of all worlds0 shall I stand
before thee face to face.
/nder thy great sy in solitude and silence0 with humble heart
shall I stand before thee face to face.
In this laborious world of thine0 tumultuous with toil and with
struggle0 among hurrying crowds shall I stand before thee face
to face.
!nd when my wor shall be done in this world0 O Eing of
ings0 alone and speechless shall I stand before thee face to
face.
>>- &ROTH"R O. 34 &ROTH"R#
I now thee as my God and stand apart 6 I do not now thee as
my own and come closer. I now thee as my father and bow
before thy feet 6 I do not grasp thy hand as my friend;s.
I stand not where thou comest down and ownest thyself as
mine0 there to clasp thee to my heart and tae thee as my
comrade.
Thou art the &rother amongst my brothers0 but I heed them
not0 I di$ide not my earnings with them0 thus sharing my all
with thee.
In pleasure and in pain I stand not by the side of men0 and thus
stand by thee. I shrin to gi$e up my life0 and thus do not
plunge into the great waters of life.
>?- TH" 'O#T #T!R
*hen the creation was new and all the stars shone in their
first splendour0 the gods held their assembly in the sy and
sang COh0 the picture of perfection+ the joy unalloyed+;
&ut one cried of a sudden 6 CIt seems that somewhere there is a
brea in the chain of light and one of the stars has been lost.;
The golden string of their harp snapped0 their song stopped0
and they cried in dismay 6 C4es0 that lost star was the best0 she
was the glory of all hea$ens+;
.rom that day the search is unceasing for her0 and the cry goes
on from one to the other that in her the world has lost its one
joy+
Only in the deepest silence of night the stars smile and whisper
among themsel$es 6 CDain is this seeing+ unbroen perfection
is o$er all+;
>@- '"T 3" 2OT .ORG"T
If it is not my portion to meet thee in this life then let me e$er
feel that I ha$e missed thy sight 6 let me not forget for a
moment0 let me carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams
and in my waeful hours.
!s my days pass in the crowded maret of this world and my
hands grow full with the daily profits0 let me e$er feel that I
ha$e gained nothing 6 let me not forget for a moment0 let me
carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams and in my
waeful hours.
*hen I sit by the roadside0 tired and panting0 when I spread
my bed low in the dust0 let me e$er feel that the long journey is
still before me 6 let me not forget a moment0 let me carry the
pangs of this sorrow in my dreams and in my waeful hours.
*hen my rooms ha$e been deced out and the flutes sound
and the laughter there is loud0 let me e$er feel that I ha$e not
in$ited thee to my house 6 let me not forget for a moment0 let
me carry the pangs of this sorrow in my dreams and in my
waeful hours.
?A- RO!3I2G C'O/(
I am lie a remnant of a cloud of autumn uselessly roaming in
the sy0 O my sun e$er6glorious+ Thy touch has not yet melted
my $apour0 maing me one with thy light0 and thus I count
months and years separated from thee.
If this be thy wish and if this be thy play0 then tae this fleeting
emptiness of mine0 paint it with colours0 gild it with gold0 float
it on the wanton wind and spread it in $aried wonders.
!nd again when it shall be thy wish to end this play at night0 I
shall melt and $anish away in the dar0 or it may be in a smile
of the white morning0 in a coolness of purity transparent.
?,- 'O#T TI3"
On many an idle day ha$e I grie$ed o$er lost time. &ut it is
ne$er lost0 my lord. Thou hast taen e$ery moment of my life
in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into
sprouts0 buds into blossoms0 and ripening flowers into
fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined all wor
had ceased. In the morning I woe up and found my garden
full with wonders of flowers.
?1- "2('"## TI3"
Time is endless in thy hands0 my lord. There is none to count
thy minutes.
(ays and nights pass and ages bloom and fade lie flowers.
Thou nowest how to wait.
Thy centuries follow each other perfecting a small wild flower.
*e ha$e no time to lose0 and ha$ing no time we must scramble
for a chances. *e are too poor to be late.
!nd thus it is that time goes by while I gi$e it to e$ery
<uerulous man who claims it0 and thine altar is empty of all
offerings to the last.
!t the end of the day I hasten in fear lest thy gate to be shut5
but I find that yet there is time.
?7- T"!R# O. P"!R'#
3other0 I shall wea$e a chain of pearls for thy nec with my
tears of sorrow.
The stars ha$e wrought their anlets of light to dec thy feet0
but mine will hang upon thy breast.
*ealth and fame come from thee and it is for thee to gi$e or to
withhold them. &ut this my sorrow is absolutely mine own0
and when I bring it to thee as my offering thou rewardest me
with thy grace.
?9- TH" PO"T;# H"!RT
It is the pang of separation that spreads throughout the world
and gi$es birth to shapes innumerable in the infinite sy.
It is this sorrow of separation that ga8es in silence all nights
from star to star and becomes lyric among rustling lea$es in
rainy darness of )uly.
It is this o$erspreading pain that deepens into lo$es and
desires0 into sufferings and joy in human homes5 and this it is
that e$er melts and flows in songs through my poet;s heart.
?:- H"'P'"## *!RRIOR#
*hen the warriors came out first from their master;s hall0
where had they hid their powerB *here were their armour and
their armsB
They looed poor and helpless0 and the arrows were showered
upon them on the day they came out from their master;s hall.
*hen the warriors marched bac again to their master;s hall
where did they hide their powerB
They had dropped the sword and dropped the bow and the
arrow5 peace was on their foreheads0 and they had left the
fruits of their life behind them on the day they marched bac
again to their master;s hall.
?=- ("!TH
(eath0 thy ser$ant0 is at my door. He has crossed the unnown
sea and brought thy call to my home.
The night is dar and my heart is fearful 6 yet I will tae up the
lamp0 open my gates and bow to him my welcome. It is thy
messenger who stands at my door.
I will worship him placing at his feet the treasure of my heart.
He will go bac with his errand done0 lea$ing a dar shadow
on my morning5 and in my desolate home only my forlorn self
will remain as my last offering to thee.
?>- TH" &RI2E O. "T"R2IT4
In desperate hope I go and search for her in all the corners of
my room5 I find her not.
3y house is small and what once has gone from it can ne$er be
regained.
&ut infinite is thy mansion0 my lord0 and seeing her I ha$e to
come to thy door.
I stand under the golden canopy of thine e$ening sy and I lift
my eager eyes to thy face.
I ha$e come to the brin of eternity from which nothing can
$anish 6 no hope0 no happiness0 no $ision of a face seen
through tears.
Oh0 dip my emptied life into that ocean0 plunge it into the
deepest fullness. 'et me for once feel that lost sweet touch in
the allness of the uni$erse.
??- ("IT4 O. TH" R/I2"( T"3P'"
(eity of the ruined temple+ The broen strings of Dina sing no
more your praise. The bells in the e$ening proclaim not your
time of worship. The air is still and silent about you.
In your desolate dwelling comes the $agrant spring bree8e. It
brings the tidings of flowers 6 the flowers that for your
worship are offered no more.
4our worshipper of old wanders e$er longing for fa$our still
refused. In the e$entide0 when fires and shadows mingle with
the gloom of dust0 he wearily comes bac to the ruined temple
with hunger in his heart.
3any a festi$al day comes to you in silence0 deity of the ruined
temple. 3any a night of worship goes away with lamp unlit.
3any new images are built by masters of cunning art and
carried to the holy stream of obli$ion when their time is come.
Only the deity of the ruined temple remains unworshipped in
deathless neglect.
?@- 34 *HI#P"RI2G H"!RT
2o more noisy0 loud words from me 6 such is my master;s will.
Henceforth I deal in whispers. The speech of my heart will be
carried on in murmurings of a song.
3en hasten to the Eing;s maret. !ll the buyers and sellers are
there. &ut I ha$e my untimely lea$e in the middle of the day0 in
the thic of wor.
'et then the flowers come out in my garden0 though it is not
their time5 and let the midday bees strie up their la8y hum.
.ull many an hour ha$e I spent in the strife of the good and the
e$il0 but now it is the pleasure of my playmate of the empty
days to draw my heart on to him5 and I now not why is this
sudden call to what useless inconse<uence+
@A- O.."RI2G#
On the day when death will noc at thy door what wilt thou
offer to himB
Oh0 I will set before my guest the full $essel of my life 6 I will
ne$er let him go with empty hands.
!ll the sweet $intage of all my autumn days and summer
nights0 all the earnings and gleanings of my busy life will I
place before him at the close of my days when death will noc
at my door.
@,- *!ITI2G .OR ("!TH
O thou the last fulfilment of life0 (eath0 my death0 come and
whisper to me+
(ay after day I ha$e ept watch for thee5 for thee ha$e I borne
the joys and pangs of life.
!ll that I am0 that I ha$e0 that I hope and all my lo$e ha$e e$er
flowed towards thee in depth of secrecy. One final glance from
thine eyes and my life will be e$er thine own.
The flowers ha$e been wo$en and the garland is ready for the
bridegroom. !fter the wedding the bride shall lea$e her home
and meet her lord alone in the solitude of night.
@1- TH" C/RT!I2 C'O#"#
I now that the day will come when my sight of this earth shall
be lost0 and life will tae its lea$e in silence0 drawing the last
curtain o$er my eyes.
4et stars will watch at night0 and morning rise as before0 and
hours hea$e lie sea wa$es casting up pleasures and pains.
*hen I thin of this end of my moments0 the barrier of the
moments breas and I see by the light of death thy world with
its careless treasures. Rare is its lowliest seat0 rare is its
meanest of li$es.
Things that I longed for in $ain and things that I got 6 let them
pass. 'et me but truly possess the things that I e$er spurned
and o$erlooed.
@7- .!R"*"''
I ha$e got my lea$e. &id me farewell0 my brothers+ I bow to
you all and tae my departure.
Here I gi$e bac the eys of my door 6 and I gi$e up all claims
to my house. I only as for last ind words from you.
*e were neighbours for long0 but I recei$ed more than I could
gi$e. 2ow the day has dawned and the lamp that lit my dar
corner is out. ! summons has come and I am ready for my
journey.
@9- TH" ("P!RT/R"
!t this time of my parting0 wish me good luc0 my friends+ The
sy is flushed with the dawn and my path lies beautiful.
!s not what I ha$e with me to tae there. I start on my
journey with empty hands and e%pectant heart.
I shall put on my wedding garland. 3ine is not the red6brown
dress of the tra$eller0 and though there are dangers on the way
I ha$e no fear in mind.
The e$ening star will come out when my $oyage is done and
the plainti$e notes of the twilight melodies be struc up from
the Eing;s gateway.
@:- TH" THR"#HO'( O. 'I."
I was not aware of the moment when I first crossed the
threshold of this life.
*hat was the power that made me open out into this $ast
mystery lie a bud in the forest at midnight+
*hen in the morning I looed upon the light I felt in a moment
that I was no stranger in this world0 that the inscrutable
without name and form had taen me in its arms in the form of
my own mother.
"$en so0 in death the same unnown will appear as e$er
nown to me. !nd because I lo$e this life0 I now I shall lo$e
death as well.
The child cries out when from the right breast the mother taes
it away0 in the $ery ne%t moment to find in the left one its
consolation.
@=- P!RTI2G *OR(#
*hen I go from hence let this be my parting word0 that what I
ha$e seen is unsurpassable.
I ha$e tasted of the hidden honey of this lotus that e%pands on
the ocean of light0 and thus am I blessed 6 let this be my parting
word.
In this playhouse of infinite forms I ha$e had my play and here
ha$e I caught sight of him that is formless.
3y whole body and my limbs ha$e thrilled with his touch who
is beyond touch5 and if the end comes here0 let it come 6 let this
be my parting word.
@>- #I'"2T #T!R#
*hen my play was with thee I ne$er <uestioned who thou
wert. I new nor shyness nor fear0 my life was boisterous.
In the early morning thou wouldst call me from my sleep lie
my own comrade and lead me running from glade to glade.
On those days I ne$er cared to now the meaning of songs thou
sangest to me. Only my $oice too up the tunes0 and my heart
danced in their cadence.
2ow0 when the playtime is o$er0 what is this sudden sight that
is come upon meB The world with eyes bent upon thy feet
stands in awe with all its silent stars.
@?- "#C!P"
I will dec thee with trophies0 garlands of my defeat. It is ne$er
in my power to escape uncon<uered.
I surely now my pride will go to the wall0 my life will burst its
bonds in e%ceeding pain0 and my empty heart will sob out in
music lie a hollow reed0 and the stone will melt in tears.
I surely now the hundred petals of a lotus will not remain
closed for e$er and the secret recess of its honey will be bared.
.rom the blue sy an eye shall ga8e upon me and summon me
in silence. 2othing will be left for me0 nothing whate$er0 and
utter death shall I recei$e at thy feet.
@@- #TI'' H"!RT
*hen I gi$e up the helm I now that the time has come for thee
to tae it. *hat there is to do will be instantly done. Dain is
this struggle.
Then tae away your hands and silently put up with your
defeat0 my heart0 and thin it your good fortune to sit perfectly
still where you are placed.
These my lamps are blown out at e$ery little puff of wind0 and
trying to light them I forget all else again and again.
&ut I shall be wise this time and wait in the dar0 spreading
my mat on the floor5 and whene$er it is thy pleasure0 my lord0
come silently and tae thy seat here.
,AA- OC"!2 O. .OR3#
I di$e down into the depth of the ocean of forms0 hoping to gain
the perfect pearl of the formless.
2o more sailing from harbour to harbour with this my
weather6beaten boat. The days are long passed when my sport
was to be tossed on wa$es.
!nd now I am eager to die into the deathless.
Into the audience hall by the fathomless abyss where swells up
the music of toneless strings I shall tae this harp of my life.
I shall tune it to the notes of fore$er0 and when it has sobbed
out its last utterance0 lay down my silent harp at the feet of the
silent.
,A,- R"3"3&"R!2C"#
"$er in my life ha$e I sought thee with my songs. It was they
who led me from door to door0 and with them ha$e I felt about
me0 searching and touching my world.
It was my songs that taught me all the lessons I e$er learnt5
they showed me secret paths0 they brought before my sight
many a star on the hori8on of my heart.
They guided me all the day long to the mysteries of the country
of pleasure and pain0 and0 at last0 to what palace gate ha$e the
brought me in the e$ening at the end of my journeyB
,A1- G/"#TIO2# /2!2#*"R"(
I boasted among men that I had nown you. They see your
pictures in all wors of mine. They come and as me0 C*ho is
heB; I now not how to answer them. I say0 CIndeed0 I cannot
tell.; They blame me and they go away in scorn. !nd you sit
there smiling.
I put my tales of you into lasting songs. The secret gushes out
from my heart. They come and as me0 CTell me all your
meanings.; I now not how to answer them. I say0 C!h0 who
nows what they mean+; They smile and go away in utter
scorn. !nd you sit there smiling.
,A7- #!'/T!TIO2
In one salutation to thee0 my God0 let all my senses spread out
and touch this world at thy feet.
'ie a rain6cloud of )uly hung low with its burden of unshed
showers let all my mind bend down at thy door in one
salutation to thee.
'et all my songs gather together their di$erse strains into a
single current and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation to
thee.
'ie a floc of homesic cranes flying night and day bac to
their mountain nests let all my life tae its $oyage to its eternal
home in one salutation to thee.