The Gardener 28
Your questioning eyes are sad. They seek to know my meaning as themoon would fathom the sea.I have bared my life before your eyes from end to end, withnothing 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 andstring them into a chain to put on your neck.If it were only a flower, round and small and sweet, I could pluckit 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 easysmile, and you could see it and read it in a moment.If it were merely a pain it would melt in limpid tears, reflectingits 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.
Words in this poem
- inmost a.
- Deepest within; farthest from the surface or external part; innermost. [OE. innemest, AS. innemest, a double superlative form fr. inne within, fr. in in. The modern form is due to confusion with most. See In, and cf. Aftermost, Fore]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Gardener 28 is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Gardener, translated by the author from the original Bengali (Macmillan, London and New York, 1913; this text the 1915 printing), Project Gutenberg ebook #6686; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Rabindranath Tagore, The Gardener 28, in The Gardener (1913), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6686, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/tagore-gardener/poem-28.html, id L27664.
About this section
The Gardener 28 is prose, printed in 1 paragraph. It is part of the edition and is kept for reading, but nothing here is measured: the line breaks are the printer's, so no metre, rhyme scheme or scansion is stated.
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