The Gardener

Rabindranath Tagore

71

The day is not yet done, the fair is not over, the fair on the
   river-bank.
I had feared that my time had been squandered and my last penny
   lost.
But no, my brother, I have still something left. My fate has not
   cheated me of everything.

The selling and buying are over.
All the dues on both sides have been gathered in, and it is time
   for me to go home.
But, gatekeeper, do you ask for your toll?
Do not fear, I have still something left. My fate has not
   cheated me of everything.

The lull in the wind threatens storm, and the lowering clouds in
   the west bode no good.
The hushed water waits for the wind.
I hurry to cross the river before the night overtakes me.
O ferryman, you want your fee!
Yes, brother, I have still something left. My fate has not
   cheated me of everything.

In the wayside under the tree sits the beggar. Alas, he looks at
   my face with a timid hope!
He thinks I am rich with the day's profit.
Yes, brother, I have still something left. My fate has not
   cheated me of everything.

The night grows dark and the road lonely. Fireflies gleam among
   the leaves.
Who are you that follow me with stealthy silent steps?
Ah, I know, it is your desire to rob me of all my gains. I will
   not disappoint you!
For I still have something left, and my fate has not cheated me
   of everything.

At midnight I reach home. My hands are empty.
You are waiting with anxious eyes at my door, sleepless and
   silent.
Like a timorous bird you fly to my breast with eager love.
Ay, ay, my God, much remains still. My fate has not cheated me
   of everything.

[Rabindranath Tagore]

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was an Indian (Bengali) poet, novelist, playwright, philosopher and mystic, who became the first Indian winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He was born during the British colonial rule of India into a wealthy Brahmin family living in Calcutta. Tagore was also active as a social reformer and educator. In 1901 he founded the Santi-Niketan School in Bolpur, 180 km from Calcutta, which later developed into a university. In his writing about social and political topics, Tagore consciously sought after a harmonious connection between Western and Eastern philosophies, religions and cultures. He played an important part in the liberation of India and his name is associated with that of Gandhi.

Tagore wrote mainly in Bengali and created a kind of literature closer to spoken Bengali than had ever been written before. He translated many of his works into English himself. His work expresses great knowledge of both Western and Indian culture. He preached neither asceticism nor yoga, but a joyful and loving absorption into God in daily life.

Lecturing in different countries, he often visited Europe and America, especially after being awarded the Nobel Prize. His works include a tragedy entitled The King of the Dark Chamber (1910) and several novels, Gora (1908) being considered by some to be more important than Rudyard Kipling's portrayal of Indian life in Kim. However, Tagore remains best known as the poet of the Gitanjali (1909), whose own translations received great admiration. He wrote lyrical poetry (The Gardener, 1914) - in which he was the strongest – as well as several dramas with a philosophical meaning (Chitra, 1914), and numerous stories. In 1950 his poem “Jana Gana Mana” (“Lord of the heart of the people”) became the national anthem of India.

In addition to literary work, Tagore also wrote non-fiction about religious) philosophy, including The Religion of Man, a series of lectures he gave at the University of Oxford in May 1930. In it he dealt with universal themes such as God, divine experience, enlightenment and spirituality. A short conversation between him and Albert Einstein, "Note on the Nature of Reality", is included as an attachment.

Here is the first poem of his Gitanjali:

Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life.

This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales, and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new.

At the immortal touch of thy hands my little heart loses its limits in joy and gives birth to utterance ineffable.

Thy infinite gifts come to me only on these very small hands of mine. Ages pass, and still thou pourest, and still there is room to fill.

Rabindranth Tagore’s work is in the public domain. The Gardener has been quoted from Gutenberg.org.

Photo Tagore: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons