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In one salutation to thee, my God, let all my senses spread out and touch this world at thy feet.
Like a rain-cloud of July hung low with its burden of unshed showers let all my mind bend down at thy door in one salutation to thee.
Let all my songs gather together their diverse strains into a single current and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation to thee.
Like a flock of homesick cranes flying night and day back to their mountain nests let all my life take its voyage to its eternal home in one salutation to thee.
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| Gitanjali Poem no. 103 |
Summary
The last poem of Gitanjali is the last flower of devotion which the poet is offering at His feet. The poet wishes to offer every possession of his to the holy feet. With a spirit of contentment and joy he surrenders himself to the Immanent will. His senses, mind and inner self is offered to the Supreme and silent one in different images. He wishes to bend down minds at His door, like a rain-cloud of July which bends low with its burden of water which is yet to come in the form of showers. Just as a stream flows into the sea, so also all his songs will unite to form a single stream which will flow into the eternal sea. His soul, sick of Eternal abode wishes to fly to Him as the homesick cranes fly to their nests in the mountains for eternal peace.
Critical Analysis
The beautiful poem through vivid and expressive images offers the poet's true devotion to God. The beautiful flowers of devotion are chained in a beautiful garland to deck His neck with this last lyric which ends in a salutation to God. The wish to offer himself through his songs and ultimate aim of eternal union is fulfilled through his last song.
"Like a flock of homesick cranes flying night and day back to their mountain nests let all my life take hits voyage it its eternal home in one salutation to thee"
The poet in these lines have expressed his idea of origin. He believes that everything flows out from the God and again turns back to Him. Here again he is using the same doctrine and devoting his last flower of offering to his feet. This flower is the flower of prayer, Poet's prayer to the Immanent will. His cry for consummation to his feet. The soul of the poet, or the mystic is like a crane which travels back long distances to reach its nest. He too is homesick of the eternal and wants to rejoin it after his brief sojourn here on the temporal plane.
The Book ends in a salutation to God. He uses a beautiful image to depict the idea of his journey to the heavenly abode, the ultimate aim of mankind.
Annotations
Salutations: greeting. Unshed showers: the cloud which still carries the burden of rain water. Eternal: everlasting. Diverse: various. Current: river. Sea of silence: eternity. Crane: long legged migratory bird.