10 Poem by Rabindranath Tagore

Death

O thou the last fulfilment of life, 
Death, my death, come and whisper to me! 

Day after day I have kept watch for thee; 
for thee have I borne the joys and pangs of life. 

All that I am, that I have, that I hope and all my love 
have ever flowed towards thee in depth of secrecy. 

One final glance from thine eyes 
and my life will be ever thine own. 

The flowers have been woven 
and the garland is ready for the bridegroom. 

After the wedding the bride shall leave her home 
and meet her lord alone in the solitude of night. 

Defamation

Whey are those tears in your eyes, my child?
How horrid of them to be always scolding you for nothing!
You have stained your fingers and face with ink while writing-
is that why they call you dirty?
O, fie! Would they dare to call the full moon dirty because
it has smudged its face with ink?
For every little trifle they blame you, my child. They are
ready to find fault for nothing.
You tore your clothes while playing-is that why they call you
untidy?
O, fie! What would they call an autumn morning that smiles
through its ragged clouds?
Take no heed of what they say to you, my child.
They make a long list of your misdeeds.
Everybody knows how you love sweet things-is that why they
call you greedy?
O, fie! What then would they call us who love you? 

Distant Time

I know not from what distant time 
thou art ever coming nearer to meet me. 
Thy sun and stars can never keep thee hidden from me for aye. 

In many a morning and eve thy footsteps have been heard 
and thy messenger has come within my heart and called me in secret. 

I know not only why today my life is all astir, 
and a feeling of tremulous joy is passing through my heart. 

It is as if the time were come to wind up my work, 
and I feel in the air a faint smell of thy sweet presence. 

Dungeon

He whom I enclose with my name is weeping in this dungeon. 
I am ever busy building this wall all around; and as this wall goes up into 
the sky day by day I lose sight of my true being in its dark shadow. 

I take pride in this great wall, and I plaster it with dust and sand 
lest a least hole should be left in this name; 
and for all the care I take I lose sight of my true being. 

Endless Time

Time is endless in thy hands, my lord. 
There is none to count thy minutes. 

Days and nights pass and ages bloom and fade like flowers. 
Thou knowest how to wait. 

Thy centuries follow each other perfecting a small wild flower. 

We have no time to lose, 
and having no time we must scramble for a chance. 
We are too poor to be late. 

And thus it is that time goes by 
while I give it to every querulous man who claims it, 
and thine altar is empty of all offerings to the last. 

At the end of the day I hasten in fear lest thy gate be shut; 
but I find that yet there is time. 

Face To Face

Day after day, O lord of my life, 
shall I stand before thee face to face. 
With folded hands, O lord of all worlds, 
shall I stand before thee face to face. 

Under thy great sky in solitude and silence, 
with humble heart shall I stand before thee face to face. 

In this laborious world of thine, tumultuous with toil 
and with struggle, among hurrying crowds 
shall I stand before thee face to face. 

And when my work shall be done in this world, 
O King of kings, alone and speechless 
shall I stand before thee face to face. 

Clouds And Waves

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."
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. 

Closed Path

I thought that my voyage had come to its end 
at the last limit of my power,---that the path before me was closed, 
that provisions were exhausted 
and the time come to take shelter in a silent obscurity. 

But I find that thy will knows no end in me. 
And when old words die out on the tongue, 
new melodies break forth from the heart; 
and where the old tracks are lost, 
new country is revealed with its wonders. 

Chain Of Pearls

Mother, I shall weave a chain of pearls for thy neck 
with my tears of sorrow. 

The stars have wrought their anklets of light to deck thy feet, 
but mine will hang upon thy breast. 

Wealth and fame come from thee 
and it is for thee to give or to withhold them. 
But this my sorrow is absolutely mine own, 
and when I bring it to thee as my offering 
thou rewardest me with thy grace. 

Beggarly Heart

When the heart is hard and parched up, 
come upon me with a shower of mercy. 

When grace is lost from life, 
come with a burst of song. 

When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides shutting me out from 
beyond, come to me, my lord of silence, with thy peace and rest. 

When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner, 
break open the door, my king, and come with the ceremony of a king. 

When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one, 
thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder