My Prayer......by Rabindranath Tagore

THIS is my prayer to thee,
my lord - strike, strike at the root of penury in my heart.

Give me the strength
lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.

Give me the strength
to make my love fruitful in service.

Give me the strength
never to disown the poor
or bend my knees before insolent might.

Give me the strength
to raise my mind high above daily trifles.

And give me the strength
to surrender my strength to thy will with love.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

THE GRASP OF YOUR HAND.....by Rabindranath Tagore

Let me not pray
to be sheltered from dangers
But to be fearless in facing them.

Let me not beg 
for the stilling of my pain
But for the heart to conquer it.

Let me not crave
in anxious fear to be saved
But hope for the patience to win my freedom

Grant me that I may not be a coward ,
feeling your mercy in my success alone;
But let me find the grasp of Your hand in my failure.

~ Rabindranath Tagore
(THE GRASP OF YOUR HAND)
From The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore
by Rabindranath Tagore (Author), Herbert F. Vetter (Edited)

My life.....................by Rabindranath Tagore

My life when young 
was like a flower

A flower 
that loosens a petal or two 
from her abundance 
and never feels the loss
when the spring breeze comes
to beg at her door.

Now at the end of youth
my life is like a fruit,
having nothing to spare,
and waiting to offer herself completely
with her full burden of sweetness.

to you....

~ Rabindranath Tagore
Art by Guri Stark

Where roads are made I lose my way.....by Rabindranath Tagore

Where roads are made 
I lose my way.

In the wide water, in the blue sky 
there is no line of a track.

The pathway is hidden by the birds' wings,
by the star-fires,
by the flowers of the wayfaring seasons.

And I ask my heart
if its blood carries
the wisdom of the unseen way.

~ Rabindranath Tagore
Art by Mario Sanchez Nevado

Lips' language to lips' ears....by Rabindranath Tagore

Lips' language to lips' ears.
Two drinking each other's heart, it seems.

Two roving loves who have left home,
pilgrims to the confluence of lips.

Two waves rise by the law of love
to break and die on two sets of lips.

Two wild desires craving each other
meet at last at the body's limits.

Love's writing a song in dainty letters,
layers of kiss-calligraphy on lips.

Plucking flowers from two sets of lips
perhaps to thread them into a chain later.

This sweet union of lips
is the red marriage-bed of a pair of smiles.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

In the morning I cast my net into the sea...by Rabindranath Tagore

In the morning I cast my net into the sea.
I dragged up from the dark abyss things 
of strange aspect and strange beauty

some shone like a smile, some glistened like
tears, and some were flushed like the cheeks of a bride.

When with the day's burden I went home,
my love was sitting in the garden
idly tearing the leaves of a flower.

I hesitated for a moment,
and then placed at her feet all that I
had dragged up, and stood silent.

She glanced at them and said,
"What strange things are these?
I know not of what use they are!"

I bowed my head in shame and thought,
"I have not fought for these,
I did not buy them in the market;
they are not fit gifts for her."

Then the whole night through
I flung them one by one into the street.

In the morning travelers came;
they picked them up
and carried them into far countries.

~ Rabindranath Tagore
From The Gardener

I hate it, yet hug it in love. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Obstinate are the trammels, 
but my heart aches 
when I try to break them. 

Freedom is all I want, but 
to hope for it I feel ashamed. 

I am certain
that priceless wealth is in thee,
and that thou art my best friend,

but I have not the heart to sweep away
the tinsel that fills my room.

The shroud that covers me
is a shroud of dust and death;
I hate it, yet hug it in love.

~ Rabindranath Tagore
From Gitānjali
Art by Jaeda DeWalt

The Home...by Kabir

HE is dear to me indeed 
who can call back the wanderer to his home. 

In the home is the true union, 
in the home is enjoyment of life: 
why should I forsake my home and wander in the forest? 

If Creator helps me to realize truth, verily
I will find both bondage and deliverance in home.

He is dear to me indeed who has power to dive deep into Him; whose mind loses itself with ease in His contemplation.

He is dear to me who knows Him,
and can dwell on His supreme truth in meditation;
and who can play the melody of the Infinite
by uniting love and renunciation in life.

Kabîr says:
"The home is the abiding place; in the home is reality;
the home helps to attain Him Who is real.
So stay where you are, and all things shall come to you in time."

~ Kabir
The Songs of Kabir,
Trans by Rabindranath Tagore
Art by Yuliya Glavnaya

But it is a heart, my beloved. Where are its shores and its bottom ?...by Rabindranath Tagore

Your questioning eyes are sad. 
They seek to know my meaning 
as the moon would fathom the sea.

I have bared my life before your eyes from end to end, 
with nothing hidden or held back. 

That is why you know me not.

If it were only a gem I could break it into a hundred pieces
and string them into a chain to put on your neck.

If it were only a flower, round and small and sweet,
I could pluck it from its stem to set it in your hair.

But it is a heart, my beloved.
Where are its shores and its bottom ?

You know not the limits of this kingdom,
still you are its queen.

If it were only a moment of pleasure
it would flower in an easy smile,
and you could see it and read it in a moment.

If it were merely a pain it would melt in limpid tears,
reflecting its inmost secret without a word.

But it is love, my beloved.
Its pleasure and pain are boundless,
and endless its wants and wealth.

It is as near to you as your life,
but you can never wholly know it.

~ Rabindranath Tagore
The Gardener
Art by Nik Helbig

Do not keep to yourself the secret of your heart, my friend...by Rabindranath Tagore

Do not keep to yourself 
the secret of your heart, 
my friend !

Say it to me, 
only to me, in secret.

You who smile so gently, softly whisper,
my heart will hear it,
not my ears.

The night is deep, the house is silent,
the birds' nests are shrouded with sleep.

Speak to me through hesitating tears,
through faltering smiles,
through sweet shame and pain,
the secret of your heart !

~ Rabindranath Tagore
The Gardener

Tagore - Plack - Lisa Bonet - Nothing Lasts Forever

Nothing lasts forever
No one lives forever
Keep that in mind, and love

Our life is not the same old burden
Our path is not the same long journey

The flower fades and dies
We must pause to weave perfection into music
Keep that in mind, and love

Love droops towards its sunset
To be drowned in the golden shadows
Love must be called from its play
And love must be born again to be free
Keep that in mind, and love

Let us hurry to gather our flowers
Before they are plundered by the passing winds
It quickens our blood and brightens our eyes
To snatch kisses that would vanish
If we delayed

Our life is eager
Our desires are keen
For time rolls by
Keep that in mind, and love

Beauty is sweet for a short time
And then it is gone
Knowledge is precious
But we will never have time to complete it

All is done and finished
In eternal heaven
But our life here is eternally fresh
Keep that in mind, and love

~ Adap­ta­tion of a Ra­bindranath Tagore Po­em
The Gardener LXVIII: None Lives For Ever

http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/5073413#pm_cmp=vid_OEV_P_P

Burst your sheath, my heart, and come forth ! ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Be ready to launch forth, my heart !
and let those linger who must.

For your name has been called 
in the morning sky.

Wait for none!

The desire of the bud is for the night and dew,
but the blown flower cries for the freedom of light.

Burst your sheath, my heart,
and come forth !

~ Rabindranath Tagore
Fruit-Gathering
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916

this unread letter has lightened my burdens and turned my thoughts into songs. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

I woke and found his letter with the morning.
I do not know what it says, for I cannot read.

I shall leave the wise man alone with his books, 
I shall not trouble him, 
for who knows if he can read what the letter says.

Let me hold it to my forehead
and press it to my heart.

When the night grows still
and stars come out one by one
I will spread it on my lap and stay silent.

The rustling leaves will read it aloud to me,
the rushing stream will chant it,
and the seven wise stars will sing it to me from the sky.

I cannot find what I seek,
I cannot understand what I would learn;
but this unread letter has lightened my burdens
and turned my thoughts into songs.

~ Rabindranath Tagore
Fruit-Gathering
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916

My life will be one with your smile. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

There are numerous strings in your lute, 
let me add my own among them.

Then when you smite your chords, 
my heart will break its silence, 
and my life will be one with your song.

Amidst your numberless stars
let me place my own little lamp.

In the dance of your festival lights
my heart will throb
and my life will be one with your smile.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

waiting to offer herself completely with her full burden of sweetness. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

My life when young 
was like a flower

A flower 
that loosens a petal or two 
from her abundance 
and never feels the loss 
When the spring breeze 
comes to beg at her door.

Now at the end of youth 
my life is like a fruit, 
having nothing to spare

And waiting to offer 
herself completely 
with her full burden 
of sweetness.

~ Rabindranath Tagore 
Fruit-Gathering
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916

I will not row my boat by your bank. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

If you would have it so, 
I will end my singing.

If it sets your heart aflutter,
I will take away my eyes from your face.

If it suddenly startles you in your walk,
I will step aside and take another path.

If it confuses you in your flower-weaving,
I will shun your lonely garden.

If it makes the water wanton and wild,
I will not row my boat by your bank.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

It is for the union of you and me that there is light in the sky....by Rabindranath Tagore

It is for the union of you and me 
that there is light in the sky.

It is for the union of you and me 
that the earth is decked in dusky green.

It is for the union of you and me
that the night sits motionless
with the world in her arms;

Dawn appears opening the eastern door
with sweet murmurs in her voice.

The boat of hope sails along the currents
of eternity toward that union;

Flowers of the ages are being gathered together
for its welcoming ritual.

It is for the union of you and me
that this heart of mine, in the garb of a bride,

Has proceeded from birth to birth upon the surface
of this ever-turning world to chose the beloved.

~ Rabindranath Tagore

I must launch out my boat..by Rabindranath Tagore

I must launch out my boat.
The languid hours pass by on the
shore---Alas for me!

The spring has done its flowering and taken leave.
And now with the burden of faded futile flowers I wait and linger.

The waves have become clamorous, 
and upon the bank in the shady lane
the yellow leaves flutter and fall.

What emptiness do you gaze upon!
Do you not feel a thrill passing through the air
with the notes of the far-away song
floating from the other shore?

~ Rabindranath Tagore

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

My song has put off her adornments..by Rabindranath Tagore

My song has put off her adornments. 
She has no pride of dress and decoration. 

Ornaments would mar our union; 
they would come between thee and me; 
their jingling would drown thy whispers.

My poet's vanity dies in shame before thy sight. 
O master poet, 
I have sat down at thy feet. 

Only let me make my life simple and straight, 
like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music.

~ Rabindranath Tagore 
Art by Arlena Willow