Gitanjali 61
The sleep that flits on baby’s eyes—does anybody know from where itcomes? Yes, there is a rumour that it has its dwelling there, in thefairy village among shadows of the forest dimly lit with glow-worms,there hang two timid buds of enchantment. From there it comes to kissbaby’s eyes.
The smile that flickers on baby’s lips when he sleeps—does anybody knowwhere it was born? Yes, there is a rumour that a young pale beam of acrescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and therethe smile was first born in the dream of a dew-washed morning—the smilethat flickers on baby’s lips when he sleeps.
The sweet, soft freshness that blooms on baby’s limbs—does anybody knowwhere it was hidden so long? Yes, when the mother was a young girl itlay pervading her heart in tender and silent mystery of love—the sweet,soft freshness that has bloomed on baby’s limbs.
Words in this poem
- rumour n.
- A flying or popular report; the common talk; hence, public fame; notoriety. [F. rumeur, L. rumor; cf. rumificare, rumitare to rumor, Skr. ru to cry.]
- dimly adv.
- In a dim or obscure manner; not brightly or clearly; with imperfect sight.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Gitanjali 61 is in the public domain. This text is taken from Gitanjali (Song Offerings), a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats (India Society, London, 1912), Project Gutenberg ebook #7164; 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, Gitanjali 61, in Gitanjali (Song Offerings) (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #7164, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/tagore-gitanjali/poem-61.html, id L27923.
About this section
Gitanjali 61 is prose, printed in 3 paragraphs. 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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