Clouds and Waves by Rabindrananth Tagore - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

     CLOUDS AND WAVES

Rabindranath Tagore

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Serenity in the Garden

Mother, the folk who live up in the clouds call out to me -

"We play from the time we wake till the day ends.

We play with the golden dawn, we play with the silver moon."

I ask, "But how am I to get up to you?"

They answer, "Come to the edge of the earth, lift up your

hands to the sky, and you will be taken up into the clouds."

"My mother is waiting for me at home," I say, "How can I leave

her and come?"

Then they smile and float away.  

 But I know a nicer game than that, mother.

I shall be the cloud and you the moon. 

I shall cover you with both my hands, and our house-top

will be the blue sky. 

The folk who live in the waves call out to me -

"We sing from morning till night; on and on we travel and know not

where we pass. 

          Sunaina Coelho

I ask, "But how am I to join you?

They tell me, "Come to the edge of the shore and stand with

your eyes tight shut, and you will be carried out upon the waves."

I say, "My mother always wants me at home in the everything -

how can I leave her and go?"

They smile, dance and pass by.

But I know a better game than that.

I will be the waves and you will be a strange shore.

I shall roll on and on and on, and break upon your lap with laughter. 

And no one in the world will know where we both are.

The Poet: Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

If there is one name that evokes awe and reverence in the Indian context, it is that of poet laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, that wonderful writer who won The Nobel Prize for Literature for his Gitanjali!

Though born in Bengal, the English translations of his exquisite poetry won him accolades in the West as well. He soon turned into a luminary, as his words swept across the world, earning him friends and admirers across continents. He was considered a living institution, and there were even people who referred to him as India’s spiritual voice.

Tagore’s poetry is known for its sensitivity and its tenderness. The poem ‘Clouds and Waves’ is especially beautiful as the poet shares his tribute to the vivid imagination of a child.

The little girl tells her mother that the folk who live in the clouds invite her to play with them. They play all day with the golden dawn and the silver moon. She asks them how she can get there, and they ask her to come to the edge of the earth, hold out her hands and be taken up to the clouds. However, she is reluctant to leave her mother alone. She devises a new game that she and her mother can play instead.

The folk who live in the waves call out to the little girl, inviting her to play, and when she asks them how she can get there, they ask her to come to the edge of the shore, from where she will be carried out upon the waves. Once again, she does not want to leave her mother alone, and she decides to devise yet another game with her.

 When one reads this poem, one is amazed with the simplicity and the beauty of its language.

 

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