"The Gardener"

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, and 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.

- Quoted from "The Gardener" by Rabindranath Tagore

A really beautiful piece don't you think?! Very craftily stating that ever so often, we give away 'opportunities' that are within our grasp! Somehow, ever so often, we are so influenced by the people around us that we rarely stop and wonder if we should at all be doubting our intuitions!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ever so often do we get carried away by other people's interests, at the behest of our own. Easy to write about, talk about; but to practise otherwise... is but 'alien' - Manja Pai

Archun said...

@'Manja Pai'
hehe...thank u for the comment! Yeah...That's very true. But I think we atleast give it a thought when we write/talk about it - so that when we are faced with an actual situation, we will at least consider all the available options..

prithz said...

So beautifully written. He is one awesome person!

Well, its quite natural to be influenced by the people we mingle with. Life is all about making the right decisions, picking the right battles, making use of the right opportunities and most importantly, resisting temptations, for these are certain things that dunt give you another chance.

Bala said...

Nice words.

What is the lesson for me in this?

If you are sure of the wealth in what you have got, make an effort to convince near and dear ones on your conviction and take them with you.

For if you win they win, but if you lose they do so and given the mismatch (hinted between the persons in the poem)the family dooms itself for the thinking adventurist is shown to giving up.

Unknown said...

chanceless! Awesome! :)

yeah, i agree with prithz... we have to utilise the opportinities given.. or elsee..... we have to repent later.

Archun said...

@Prithz
Hey! Danku 4 de wonderful comments! Yeah..Tagore is one awesome poet! As you rightly said, life is all about making decisions and proving them right ones! great thoughts as usual! :-D
@Balakrishnan
Very beautifully said daddu! Written as a true leader!
@BSK
Yep..we should so that we don't cry over it later!