The child who is decked with prince's robes by Rabindranath Tagore (Summary)

The child who is decked with prince's robes

by Rabindranath Tagore

(Summary)

 

THE child who is decked with prince's robes and who has jeweled chains round his neck loses all pleasure in his play; his dress hampers him at every step.

In fear that it may be frayed, or stained with dust he keeps himself from the world, and is afraid even to move.

Mother, it is no gain, thy bondage of finery, if it keeps one shut off from the healthful dust of the earth, if it robs one of the rights of entrance to the great fair of common human life.

 

Summary

In this lyric. Tagore says that a child, wearing heavy and ornate dress, that is fit for a prince, is hampered at playing, similarly his poetry is hampered if it has too much decoration, like similies, metaphors, personifications, alliterations, etc. The child also fears of having his dress dusty or torn. He also does not mingle with other children. He is afraid even to move. Tagore, then says, that all the ornaments are worthless, if they keep him away from the dust of the earth, the simple life, or from the nature.

In this lyric, Tagore uses an imagery of an over-decorated child. The poet wants to live a simple life, close to Nature and among the common people rather than the luxurious life. The child, he says, wearing fine, magnificent clothes cannot play due to his clothes and jewels because they hamper his movements. Similarly, a poet, who uses luxurious and ornamental elements, cannot compose pure and simple poetry. In this poem, Tagore has compared the poet to a child, and human life to fair. He says that a child or the poet who is thus decorated is at a loss, there is no gain in being bound by finery if it stops the child / man from living the common life of enjoying all the sights to be found in a fair.