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Thy sunbeam comes upon this earth of mine with arms outstretched and stands at my door the livelong day to carry back to thy feet clouds made of my tears and sighs and songs.
With fond delight thou wrappest about thy starry breast that mantle of misty cloud, turning it into numberless shapes and folds and colouring it with hues ever changing.
It is so light and so fleeting, tender and tearful and dark, that is why thou lovest it, O thou spotless and serene. And that is why it may cover thy awful white light with its pathetic shadows.
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| Gitanjali Poem no. 68 |
Summary
The poem is very simple and beautiful. The song is again devotional. The poet praises the love, charity, large heartedness, kindness and caring nature of the Creator. The poet celebrates the bestowing love of God. He is thanking Him for His grace and meekness. He feels His live on the earth in the guise of sunbeams which come all the way from the heaven. Like a mother with stretched arms to embrace her child it stands at the door of the poet. The sunbeams carries the clouds made of the tears, sighs, his sufferings and his songs to the God. The poet accepts that God is very caring. He looks after the sufferings of everyone without discrimination and He accepts their plea and songs of gratitude and out of His love He keeps it closer to His breast without caring that this misty cloud of human sufferings will darken and conceal His radiance and stainless glow. He changes the hue and form of this cloud of human suffering and embraces it. He is calm and serene but He is moved by human grief and tears. The love for Humanity makes human cries, sighs and plea to be able to reach his stainless, glowing white breast and it obscures His glowing white light with its pathetic shadows.
Critical Analysis
God loves His creation and He is enough caring. He is meek, lovable, humble, kind, graceful and great. He is not indifferent to His smallest creature. He is aware of sufferings of human beings. He is as affectionate as a mother, as caring and large-hearted as a father. He is least concerned with the dirt and darkness of the misty cloud of human grief which will envelop His brightness and He embraces it with all His love and care.
The imagery is rich and extraordinary. The images of Tagore's poem are mostly from the Nature. Clouds, flowers, sunbeams and seasons all are taken from Nature's scenery. His imagery is not only exclusively Indian but quite often taken predominantly from the Bengal country-side.
Annotations
Mantle: covering, cloth. Misty: dim, thin like mist. Hues: colours. Fleeting: moving away. Tender: soft. Serene: noble. Awful: terrible. Pathetic: sorrowful, sorry, pity.