The song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day.
I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument.
The time has not come true, the words have not been rightly set;
only there is the agony of wishing in my heart.
The blossom has not opened; only the wind is sighing by.
I have not seen His face, nor have I heard His voice;
only I have heard His gentle footsteps from the road before my house.
The lifelong day has passed in spreading His seat on the floor;
but the lamp has not been lit and I cannot ask Him into my house.
I live in the hope of meeting with Him; but this meeting is not yet.
Yet on his deathbed Tagore regretted, that so great is the Divine that he could hardly express it. There can be no doubt that Tagore was one with the Universal energy and it can be experienced in the beauty and the gentle yet powerfully moving poetry, lyrics and music of his hymns and songs.
Tagore rightly felt for the individual to merge with the divine, it is the individual that has to lose all sense of the ego. This is the greatest challenge for us humans to lose ourselves so that the Divine may enter us. Tagore expresses his frustration and anguish at being unable to ready himself to receive and merge with the Divine.
One can apply the poem’s message to our day to day materialistic world.
If we wish to achieve something then we should proceed from thought and discussions to making plans and move into action. For action alone not thoughts and plans that brings results.
Organisations are increasingly busy in meetings instructing and reviewing, sometimes planning, wasting a disproportionate amount of time on talk and blame. This leaves too little if any time for doing and hence achieving results.
In religious terms we usually grab onto a religion and blindly believe and follow what the priests and their interpretation of the books dictate to the followers. It is however imperative that we ask ourselves ‘are we progressing on our chosen religious path or are we just squatting on it?’
As many Christians celebrate the birth of their saviour Jesus. It is an excellent time to reflect upon Jesu’s message and teachings.
I send to all Christians, greetings and good wishes!
#Bengal #Christmas #devotional #God #hymn #India #poet #RabindranathTagore #song #SongUnsung #Tagore
Interesting Links:
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‘Song Unsung’ by Shri. Ravindranath Tagore – Gitanjali (Song Offerings) ~ YouTube
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Tagore’s Nobel award winning Gitanjali Collection – 103 poems translated into English – Sacred Texts
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‘The Bard of Bengal’, Rabindranath Tagore ji (1861 – 1941) ~ Wikipedia
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Jana Gana Mana Indian national anthem, written by Tagore ji ~ Wikipedia
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Amar Sonar Bangla. – Bangladesh’s national anthem also written by Tagore ji.
