Time is endless in thy hands, my lord (Song 82) by Rabindranath Tagore (Poem, Summary & Analysis)

 

Time is endless in thy hands, my lord (Song 82) by Rabindranath Tagore (Poem, Summary & Analysis) 

Time is endless in thy hands, my lord. There is none to count thy minutes.

Days and nights pass and ages bloom and fade like flowers. Thou knowest how to wait.

Thy centuries follow each other perfecting a small wild flower.

We have no time to lose, and having no time we must scramble for our chances. We are too poor to be late.

And thus it is that time goes by while I give it to every querulous man who claims it, and thine altar is empty of all offerings to the last.

At the end of the day I hasten in fear lest thy gate be shut; but I find that yet there is time.

Time is endless in thy hands, my lord. There is none to count thy minutes.

 

Summary

The poem is about time. Relative time goes by quickly and doesn’t last long. But absolute time is forever. Days and nights come and go, and years come and go, too. God is always in a still, timeless place. He can wait forever, but people rush for every second. They are so short on time that they can’t be late. Because of this, time passes, and the poet must share his time with those in need. This means there is nothing left for God, and His altar is empty. The poet hurries to God’s temple, worried that the door might be closed. But when he arrives, he sees the door is still open because there is always time in God’s world. God waits and hopes that people will come to Him.

 

Critical Analysis

The devotee might feel that he has wasted all his time on worldly things and that he is lost forever. But in His world, there is always time for His devotee. If he seeks His grace quickly, he will find the doors to His home still open.

The poet feels he has spent too much time with everyday people and has forgotten to spend time with Him. He feels he has wasted his words on annoying people and now has nothing left to say as an offering to the Great One. However, when he remembers Him and returns to Him, he finds His home still waiting for him. People often get caught up in trivial matters, but whenever they remember Him, they discover that He is always ready to welcome their souls back to Him.