Friday 30 December 2011

Day by day I float my paper boats ...by Rabindranath Tagore

Day by day I float my paper boats 
one by one down the running stream.

In big black letters I write my name on them 
and the name of the village where I live.

I hope that someone in some strange land will find them
and know who I am.

I load my little boats with shiuli flowers from our garden,
and hope that these blooms of the dawn
will be carried safely to land in the night.

I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky
and see the little clouds setting their white bulging sails.

I know not what playmate of mine in the sky
sends them down the air to race with my boats!

When night comes I bury my face in my arms
and dream that my paper boats float on
and on under the midnight stars.

The fairies of sleep are sailing in them,
and the lading is their baskets full of dreams.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful poem. I used this with my students--attributing it to your website, painting and all--and they absolutely loved it. May I ask where you found the painting? Is it yours? From another website?

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  2. Hi there - I love this painting too and would love to use it for a presentation. Do you know where it came from so I can seek permission?

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