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The day was when I did not keep myself in readiness for thee; and entering my heart unbidden even as one of the common crowd, unknown to me, my king, thou didst press the signet of eternity upon many a fleeting moment of my life.
And to-day when by chance I light upon them and see thy signature, I find they have lain scattered in the dust mixed with the memory of joys and sorrows of my trivial days forgotten.
Thou didst not turn in contempt from my childish play among dust, and the steps that I heard in my playroom are the same that are echoing from star to star.
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| Gitanjali Poem no. 43 |
Summary
The poet here talks with regret about his unreadiness to receive God's grace. The poet regrets the time when he did not keep himself ready for God's blessings. Then one day God entered his heart uninvited and without his knowledge, out of the common crowd and left, leaving the seals of God's presence and seals of eternity on many such insignificant moments of his life.
The poet then comes across these moments by chance and then sees that God has left his seal of eternity on them. He also finds that these moments had been lying about scattered and mixed with other trivial and insignificant memories of joys and sorrows.
The poet expresses his belief that God did not turn away contemptuously on seeing his worldly activities and concerns and he is sure that God was near while he was a child playing in a play room and near now as he makes his journey through eternity.
Critical Analysis
Tagore woefully expresses his regret that he was not ready and remained unaware when God visited him. He is sad that he was ignorant of his spiritual longings and hopes that God has forgiven his lapse. He say's in the poem that he had not been even aware of God and spiritual realities and did not know when did God planted the seeds of realisation in his mind. He regrets being unaware of this and now he is able to distinguish the trivial thoughts in his mind and these relating to spiritual enlightenment. He regrets the time lost wherein he was ignorant. Now he hopes that God has forgiven him and uses a beautiful imagery to convey this wish. This lapses were committed during his childhood, and he had heard God's footsteps outside his playroom and now he sees God's presence in the stars and he is still the same.
Annotation
Unbidden: without invitation. Signet of eternity: seal of death. Thy signature: signs of God's presence