When Thou Commandest Me
by
Rabindranath Tagore
(Text
& Summary)
There
are a hundred and three poems in Tagore’s poetic collection, ‘Gitanjali’. This
is the second song of Gitanjali.
When Thou Commandest Me
When
thou commandest me to sing it seems that my
heart
would break with pride;
and
I look to thy face,
and
tears come to my eyes.
All
that is harsh and dissonant in my life melts
into
one sweet harmony-and my adoration spreads
wings
like a glad bird on its flight across the sea.
I
know thou takest pleasure in my singing. I know
that
only as a singer I come before thy presence.
I
touch by the edge of the far-spreading wing of
my
song, thy feet which I could never aspire to reach.
Drunk
with the joy of singing I forget myself and
call
thee friend, who art my lord.
Summary
Rabindranath
Tagore says that he sings only when God commands him to do so and when he gets
inspiration from God. He is happy and feels pride on being inspired by God. Because
of this immense joy, tears flow down from his eyes. In the moments of
inspiration, his soul becomes one with the divine and he feels that he is face
to face with God, his creator.
The
poet admits that his soul is not perfect, but when he gets inspiration from
God, his soul becomes pure and peace descends upon him. Wickedness of the soul
is dissolved into peace and harmony and in this exalted state, his heart is
overflowed with the feeling of devotion and submission. He gets zeal and energy
from God. Like a glad bird, he spreads his wings to sing in praise and
adoration of God. When a bird gets fresh energy, it spreads its wing to fly
across the sea. Similarly, under the divine inspiration, his soul strives to
seek a union with God, his creator.
The
poet feels that God is delighted, when he sings in His praise. God loves him as
a singer and as a sincere devotee. The poet says, that when he sings, in praise
of God, he becomes closer to his Creator. The poet feels that harmony of
discordant notes is the basis of the song and such harmony is also the basis of
God’s creation. A musician brings order out of disorder, just as God Himself
imposed law and order on chaos, a welter of warring elements, this is how the
creation took place. This creation is the music of God. Thus, according to the
poet, music is the only means through which he can reach God and his soul
becomes one with God. It is a mystic experience, which only inspired singers
can have.
The
poet says, that even under the state of divine inspiration, he cannot have the
full glimpse of his Creator. His only hope is to touch his feet with the
outspread wings of his soul. Divine inspiration fills his heart with immense
joy and he feels elevated spiritually, and he forgets that he is a humble slave
of God. He considers himself, a friend of God because the mystic experience
removes the veil between the two.
In
this poem, Tagore claims that God is the inspiration behind his songs. He is a
poet only because of divine command. Tagore experiences a mystic joy and his
life becomes one of harmony and melody. All harshness and dissonance have
disappeared from it. The divine inspiration fires him to transcend mortal bounds
and, with his poetry, he can touch God. The joy of singing makes the poet
forget his unworthiness. In the last line, Tagore says, that because of poetry
and its power, he is able to call God his master, his friend.
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