PoetryFree BooksAuthors

Stray Birds V (41–50)

by Rabindranath Tagore
From Stray Birds (1916)

41. The trees, like the longings of the earth, stand a-tiptoe to peep at the heaven.

42. You smiled and talked to me of nothing and I felt that for this I had been waiting long.

43. The fish in the water is silent, the animal on the earth is noisy, the bird in the air is singing, But Man has in him the silence of the sea, the noise of the earth and the music of the air.

44. The world rushes on over the strings of the lingering heart making the music of sadness.

45. He has made his weapons his gods. When his weapons win he is defeated himself.

46. God finds himself by creating.

47. Shadow, with her veil drawn, follows Light in secret meekness, with her silent steps of love.

48. The stars are not afraid to appear like fireflies.

49. I thank thee that I am none of the wheels of power but I am one with the living creatures that are crushed by it.

50. The mind, sharp but not broad, sticks at every point but does not move.

This poem is in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.

More poems by Rabindranath Tagore

Keep reading

📰 From our blog: reading tips

📝

Famous Children’s Books Every Kid Should Read (and Which Are Free)

Read →
📝

What to Read: A Guide to the World’s Classics, Country by Country

Read →
📝

What to Read for Russian Classics: Where to Start, Reading Order & Free Books

Read →
📝

What to Read for British Classics: Where to Start, Reading Order & Free Books

Read →

All reading tips & book lists →