Analysis-Leave this chanting by Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was an educationalist, poet and social reformer of India. He wrote hundreds of poems, plays, novels and short stories in English which enjoy universal appeal and esteem. He was a noted painter also. In a house where Thabala, Veena and Mridangam resounded day and night, it is no wonder music and rhythm found their way into his heart. Only the immovables in Tagore House did not sing, dance or write. Santhinikethan was a model educational institution founded by him where all Fine Arts faculties enjoyed privileges. Educated in England and in India, he himself was an educational visionary of exceptional dreams. His multitude of poems and songs written in the Bengali language brought renaissance to Bengal. He himself tuned his songs and never translated these songs to English, a very unfortunate affair.

Politics also seemed to fit him well. Along with Mahathma Gandhi, he served as a leading light and source of inspiration for the Independence Movement of India. His famous poetical collection Geethanjali was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. His poem Where The Mind Is Without Fear is world famous in which he mixed fact and fancy, reality and dream and politics and poetry. Without telling it directly and plainly, he skillfully portrayed in this poem the position into which British Rule pushed India with a heritage far longer than the British. This poem Leave This Chanting is equally important in World Literature due to his exposing the pseudo-zeal of worshippers everywhere. Just as 'Where The Mind Is Without Fear' contains his vision of a Free India, 'Leave This Chanting' contains his vision of Uncontaminated Worship.

In this poem “Leave This Chanting And Singing” Tagore deplores all selfish and barren ritualism (mere performance of rituals without any thought of general being). Tagore bids the holy man of prayer to abandon the outdated method of chanting, singing and murmuring loud prayers by holding tight the chain of beads one by one. He stresses on the holy man to contemplate on the fact of finding God inside a lonely dark room with all the doors shut. He must try to open his eyes inside the dark room to see whether God is really there in front of him. Will he even come near to the presence of God and expect a positive interaction with the Great Unknown? God is not in the dark chamber where the so called devotee is meditating and chanting hymns turning his back upon the world of toiling humanity. 

God is everywhere but His face can be mysteriously seen by the eyes of one’s heart in perhaps some of the most unusual places of the world. According to Tagore, God stands with the tiller who is tilling the hard ground and the path-maker who is breaking stones in the open air. He is with both of them in the heat of the sun and the shower of the summer rain, yet strengthening them unknowingly. Tagore even imagines that in the process even God’s garment is covered with dust. So he advises the holy man to at least try to imitate God by removing the ‘holy mantle’- the mendicant’s loose robe- and set foot upon the dusty soil.

After all man’s ultimate spiritual goal is to seek God’s deliverance. This is the liberation of the soul from the cycle of birth and death. God has bound himself in the process of creation and accepted its joys and sorrows. To be Godly is not to be restricted to self meditation and needless ritualistic flowers and incense, but let his clothes be tattered and stained for God’s sake. He should learn it the hard way to seek and find the face of God amidst the face of the world. God does not listen to his prayers, for he is with the poor and the down trodden. True religion consists in love of man and in lending a helping hand to the less fortunate men and women who struggle hard to make a bare living. Like Vivekananda and many other seers, Tagore believes that service of man is the service of God. That man is to be pitied who is seeking to find his personal salvation by running away from the world.Tagore conveys that participation in the activity of life is essential for the realization of God. This poem ‘Leave This Chanting’ is equally important in World Literature due to his exposing the pseudo-zeal of worshipers everywhere.


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Analysis-The wind tapped like a tired man by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was raised in a wealthy family and was known for her reluctant attitude towards guests. Dickinson, an american poet is known for many interpretations of her poems. She is told to harness power by holding back.Emily spent most of her time in her room writing poetry. She was also very reserved about publishing her poems, since only eleven of her thousands were published during her lifetime.The ones that she did publish, however were greatly modified to fit the poetic views of her time.

One meaning of the poem could be that the whole poem itself is about grief. The narrator has experienced the loss of a loved one."No Bone had He to bind Him-" also suggests that the wind has no definite shape.She tries to revisit him by thinking about the past memories with him. It is fine for a while, bu then she must face the reality that he is truly gone. The narrator has only the memories to hold on from the lost loved one. That is why the last line states "And I become alone-". This also refers to the loneliness she experiences in her personal life.

The other meaning of the poem could be that this poem is about Dickinson's personal loneliness. Since she is notorious for being lonely. In this interpretation the wind is eagerly welcomed by Dickinson. The wind provides company for a little while before she feels alone once again. The phrase "tapped like a tired Man" suggests that there is a subtle wind, and the phrase "He tapped-'twas flurriedly" means a large gust of wind.

The tone of the poem is sympathetic.The form of the poem is lyric because it expresses feelings of the narrator's grief and loneliness. The poem is written in quatrains and is considered free verse.it's mood is mysterious and powerful.The diction is smooth and simple that creates effect for the poem's meaning.(ie :"tapped" , "answered"," tired", "timid","passed" ) The poet employs end rhyme in the first, second and third stanzas in the second and fourth lines.There is no set rhythm. Although there are some cases of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter.

Literary devices used are 

• Personification(The wind as a man),
• Implied Metaphor ("A rapid- footless Guest-......... A Sofa to the Air-")-here the narrator is trying to reflect on the past memories, but it is extremely hard to do.
• Apostrophe ( "And like a host...........My residence within") This is an example of apostrophe because the narrator is talking to something that can't talk back.
• Simile ("His speech was............From a superior Bush-") This is comparing the speech of the wind to the sound of a bush filled with loud, singing humming birds

The themes of the poem are :We mustn't be overtaken by death, we must face the reality in front of us. Companionship is something we all strive for. We all want to be loved.

Disgruntled Royalty

We are the disgruntled royalty, ungrateful, because we're ignorant of our grand status.

Vanishing Green

A cry of agony, drenched in irony,

Echoed across the concrete jungles.

"I can't take the heat, I can't the heat,"

"Where can I find a bit of cool air?"-

Asks the man, sitting in an iron clad cage.

Should I laugh or should I cry?

At this comedy of errors, that transcended over a thousand years!

I look at my friend in the executive tux,

Hair as neat as a feather and sporting a gleaming watch.

He seems almost alien-not bearing the slightest of-

Resemblance to the ancient ancestor,

Who crawled out from the dirt.

The great mother cradled him in her arms,

He was weak, he was fragile, he was a slave-

To the everlasting mystery that went on.

He went about his ways, knowing not where he trod,

He crawled about, then one day stood up and walked.

His hands lost the love of the earth he dwelt.

Separated forever, since then to now....and forever ?

The child turned against the bosom that bore him.

The slave becomes the master and the master the slave.

Men conquered every land, far and wide,

Set sail across the seas and across stars.

In the hunt of the ages, did he lose-

Those that mattered and not to be lost?

A child renounced the mother the day he walked.

She cried for him, her tears drowned his kind.

Her heart trembled and many faltered under it's shock.

Yet he does not see Gaia's pain, or does he ?

When the last leaf falls, will we learn ?

Does he not know for every tree fallen,

A heart dies in a scorching furnace ?

Everyday I watch green replaced with gray.

I see concrete forests bury the living ones.

Innocent children whose dreams should sprout green,

Become gray old angry men with raging fumes.

When will man learn that money can't be eaten ?

When the last leaf falls ? When the last drop drains ?

When all but a barren dessert replaces all ?

I hope not as I still see hope !

Do not feed children thy wicked thoughts.

Water their minds, so they may sprout green.

Remember the times you crawled the earth.

Learn again its love and forgiveness.

Be the man you once were, not this monster.

Sing the songs of peace with the birds.

Drench yourselves in the eternal springs.
Remember that life is not eternal,
That the everlasting mystery goes on forever,
Contribute a verse like Whitman said
Contribute love, not hatred.
A mother will always love her children.
She is calling you back as loving as ever.
Go back home and make peace with her
"Come back my child, come back"-she calls.

Procrustes-Vayalar Poem-Dramatization

A Spring comes after every Winter

The sands of the hour glass drain away,

Seasons come and go by in time

Changes - Visible and invisible.

Do men change like seasons with time ?

The scent of flowers in spring,

The fruits born in the summer,

The leaves shed away in autumn,

The cold sleep of nature in winter.

Alike we see ideas which blossom-

To bore fruit and joy to millions,

Yet fade away with the draining of the sands,

And sleep the eternal slumber-long forgotten

Many a kingdom and men have risen and fallen,

In the pages we read of them, Yet many are forgotten.

Dead men tell no tales-but,

The defeated have no tale to tell of even !

I watched the kingdom of men through the ages.

Like seasons it has changed, many a dawn and dusk went by.

I saw many come with a promise of spring,

A summer in which new fruit would be picked,

I watched them fade away like leaves in autumn,

To be buried in the snow of winter that followed.

"Change is the only thing that doesn't change"

This is true that winter is inevitable.

He is like a foe inescapable from confrontation.

Or is he a friend ? This long forgotten old man ?

Does he lead thee onward to uncharted adventures ?

I do not know what gifts he may bring.

But this I know for sure, A young girl in Spring

Will come after every old grandpa in Winter.

Every sleep in Winter, comes with an eternal hope,

A hope of new flowers sprouting in Spring to come.

I watched an autumn go by me.

Old leaves shed, withered away in the sands.

I stand in this cold winter-shivering and frail.

Many are sleeping-many pretend to be asleep,

For the pain of this silver knife is too much to bear

Yet I stand here with that hope of which I speak.

It provides me with a fire and warmth.

To take arms against the cold wind that blows,

The Spring is coming, I feel it's warmth every hour.

Nothing is eternal, so this winter will end.

Change is the only thing that never changes in the world.

Do not try to escape change- He is not an enemy.

Life is a mixed bag of emotions to endure

Like seasons they come and go in an eternal parade

Since time immemorial I have stood and watched them go by

Do not be disheartened by the times my child-'cause

For every Winter that blows by, A new Spring is sure to follow.

Why I Care

Why I Care

“Why do you care? “ – The question

Into my heart came sinking

As cold water splashing

On an early winter morning

Oh my friend! How to tell?

I am afraid to look in Light’s face

For blinded am I by thy blazing gaze

I am dumb struck without a phrase

In all the tongues I’ve ever seen

There is no answer to give you

For there is not a single word

To express a loving heart

Yet an answer I give you friend

On a gloomy day I walked

Into thine loving presence

Devoid of glee, without an essence

Seeing you smile and sing

Filling all with loving cheer

Showing all that life is dear

Made me feel, there is still to care

Hatred the devil consuming me

Was defeated by light from thee

For even the mightiest army fails

At the sight of love and friends

I do not fear the darkest night

For resides with me thou love of light

I conquered all that I faced

With the hope that you gazed

Now I stand victorious knight

Heart filled with gratitude to thee

Yet why do you put on such a face?

Don’t you see the truth ablaze?

You are the light of love and life

For thy euphony fills one new life

And you alone can know the meaning

As I do the Light

And that’s the reason for caring

And to love without fright

                                                   ELVIN J PAUL

This is one of my older poems and can be considered to be a spiritual ancestor of sorts to 'Inspiration'