Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well (Song 67) by Rabindranath Tagore (Poem, Summary & Analysis)

 

Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well (Song 67) by Rabindranath Tagore (Poem, Summary & Analysis) 

Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well.

O thou beautiful, there in the nest it is thy love that encloses the soul with colours and sounds and odours.

There comes the morning with the golden basket in her right hand bearing the wreath of beauty, silently to crown the earth.

And there comes the evening over the lonely meadows deserted by herds, through trackless paths, carrying cool draughts of peace in her golden pitcher from the western ocean of rest.

But there, where spreads the infinite sky for the soul to take her flight in, reigns the stainless white radiance. There is no day nor night, nor form nor colour, and never, never a word.

Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well.  O thou beautiful, there in the nest it is thy love that encloses the soul with colours and sounds and odours.

 

Summary

God shows Himself through His creation, even in things that don’t live, like nature. The poet describes two sides of God: one is beautiful like a flower, and the other is powerful like a sword. In this poem, God also has another side, which is small and close to us. The sky represents the endless, and the nest represents the small, close part of God.

Humans are always looking for God and want to connect with Him. They don’t realize that they are already a part of God’s creation. We can never be far from God because we are a part of this world He made. But the illusion of life makes us forget this truth. We search for God, wanting to meet Him, not knowing He is already with us. Other mystics think that to connect with God, we must leave the world and its illusions behind. But the poet, Tagore, believes in the joy of life. He doesn’t reject the world around us. Instead, he says we can experience God through the beauty of the earth.

Tagore says that the earth, like a nest, is a shelter for the human soul, and God is present in this shelter. The earth, full of colors, sounds, and smells, takes care of us, just like a bird cares for its young in a nest. The morning, like a girl with a basket of flowers, brings beauty to the earth, while the evening, coming from the sea, brings peace. The poet loves and respects all of God’s creation, believing that human life is special. He is not focused on leaving the world behind but on celebrating life.

Tagore also says that God is both in the endless sky and on the earth. The human soul, like a bird, is growing in the nest of God, protected and loved. One day, when it is ready and wise, it will fly to the sky where there is no day, no night, no form, no color, and no words.

 

Critical Analysis

Tagore believes that we can become one with God's will through nature, which is not an illusion. He sees the Earth as a limited part of God, who shows Himself in many forms. One of His forms is tender and kind, caring for humans as they grow. Once people gain divine wisdom and enjoy His creation, God calls them to the sky to join His infinite form. If God represents death, He first represents life.

"But there, where the infinite sky spreads for the soul to fly, there is pure white light. It is neither day nor night, no form or color, and no words."

The poem reflects the ancient Indian belief that God and His creation are one. The world may seem like an illusion, but this illusion is still a part of God. That’s why Tagore begins the poem by saying, Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well.

Tagore suggests that God is both infinite and finite. The sky represents God’s infinite side, and the nest represents His finite side. God is the nest where the human soul grows. He shows Himself in many things in nature, like the beauty of morning and evening. In the visible world, morning brings beauty, and evening brings cool, gentle air. But in the spiritual world, there is a different kind of light, neither day nor night, without form or color. This is pure white light, and the soul can fly freely in the infinite sky. The poem moves from the idea of the finite to the infinite.