Poems of Rabindranath Tagore 3
memory the priestess
kills the present
and offers its heart
to the shrine of the dead past
from the solemn gloom of the temple
children run out to sit in the dust;
God watches them play
and forgets the priest;
God seeks comrades and claims love;
the Devil seeks slaves and claims obedience
in return for her service
the soil keeps the tree tied to her;
sky asks nothing and leaves it free
jewel-like the immortal
does not boast of its length of years
but of the scintillating point
of its moment;
the child ever dwells in the mystery
of ageless time
unobscured by the dust of history
a light laughter in the steps of creation
carries it swiftly across time
one who was distant came near to me in the morning
and still nearer when taken away by night
white and pink oleanders meet
and make merry in different dialects;
when peace is active sweeping its dirt
it is storm
the lake lies low by the hill
a tearful entreaty of love
at the foot of the inflexible
Rabindranath Tagore (1928)