Adoration and ecstasy have often defined the peak of human happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction. Some find it through mortal pleasures while others find it through divinity. Rabindranath Tagore portrays its attainment in his poems and songs through poignant metaphors having their roots in spirituality, philosophy and his perception of world-theology. In the second poem of his collection of poems SONG OFFERINGS (Bengali – GITANJALI), he does precisely that.      

Rabindranath Tagore, a polymath, a philosopher and above all a humanist, through his works has time and again portrayed the entire gamut of such feelings and sentiments. His collection of poems SONG OFFERINGS (Bengali – GITANJALI), for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, is a testament to this.

There are 157 poems in this collection and all of them are the poet’s translations of his own writings in Bengali. Some of them are poems, while some of them are songs.

This particular Blog Series shall delve into these immortal creations of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore through the reading of his poems in English and through the recitation of their corresponding Bengali versions or through the rendition of those poems which had been set to tune as songs.

In this article, the focus is on the second poem in the collection:

When Thou Commandest Me …

The following is the original version of the poem – it is written in archaic English which was prevalent at the time of its writing.

Poem – Archaic English (Original)

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.

And this is the transcribed adaptation of it in modern English.

Poem – Modern English (Transcribed)

When you command me to sing

it seems that my heart would

break with pride;

and I look to your 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 you take pleasure in my singing.

I know that only as a singer

I come before your presence.

I touch by the edge of the

far spreading wing of my song

your feet which I could never aspire to reach

Drunk with the joy of singing

I forget myself

and call you friend

who are my lord.

For better comprehension of the array of emotions portrayed in this piece, here is a reading of it –

Now let us take a look at the Bengali poem from which it was freely translated by Tagore himself.

Poem in Bengali

তুমি যখন গান গাহিতে বল

গর্ব (গরব) আমার ভ’রে ওঠে বুকে;

দুই আঁখি মোর করে ছল ছল

নিমেষহারা চেয়ে তোমার মুখে।

কঠিন কটু যা আছে মোর প্রাণে

গলিতে চায় অমৃতময় গানে,

সব সাধনা আরাধনা মম

উড়িতে চায় পাখির মতো সুখে।

তৃপ্ত তুমি আমার গীতরাগে,

ভালো লাগে তোমার ভালো লাগে,

জানি আমি এই গানেরি বলে

বসি গিয়ে তোমার (ই) সম্মুখে।

মন দিয়ে যার নাগাল নাহি পাই,

গান দিয়ে সেই চরণ ছুঁয়ে যাই,

সুরের ঘোরে আপনাকে যাই ভুলে,

বন্ধু ব’লে ডাকি মোর প্রভুকে।

For those who cannot read the Bengali script, here is the poem written in Roman / English Alphabets –

Poem in Roman / English Alphabets:

Tumi jokhon gaan gahite bolo

Gorbo amar bhore othe buke;

Dui ankhi mor kore chhol-chhol

Nimesh-hara cheye tomar mukhe

Kothin kotu ja ache mor prane

Golite chaay amritomoy gaane,

Sob sadhana aradhana momo

Urite chaay pakhir moto sukhey

Tripto tumi amar geet-raage

Bhalo laage tomar bhalo laage

Jani ami ei ganer-i bole

Bosi giye tomar-i sommukhey

Mon diye jaar nagal nahi pai

Gaan diye shei choron chhuye jaai

Surer ghore aponake jai bhule

Bondhu bole daki mor probhuke

Before we move on to reading an interpretation of the poem, let us listen to the reading of this poem in Bengali –

Here is an image of the Bengali version of the poem written in Tagore’s own hand –

Interpretation:

SONG OFFERINGS is a volume of poems written by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore which have been freely translated into English by the poet himself from his own Bengali works. Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 1913 for this collection.

The poem, WHEN THOU COMMANDEST ME, is the second poem of the book and is the English version or transcreation of the Bengali poem TUMI JOKHON GAAN GAHITE BOLO written by Tagore himself.

In both the poems – English and Bengali – a common vein of thought runs through:

The poems are written from the point-of-view of a singer who feels fulfilled when he sings because he believes he is able to render the song only because the Almighty commands him to do so. He gets so emotional that his eyes well up with tears and he keeps staring though his mind’s eyes at the visage of the Almighty. Any trace of pride in his heart lies shattered.

The harshness and hardships of living in the real world dissolve into the harmony of the song and that liberates the singer, making him feel that his song has taken wings like a bird which flies across the endless sky and the vast sea with absolute freedom.

The singer feels that the Almighty is pleased with his song and that it is his ability to sing that endears him to the Almighty which in turn allows him to be in His proximity – something which would have been impossible otherwise. It is as if the tip of the wing on which his song flies brushes against the foot of the Almighty in reverence and veneration.

In his state of unmindfulness and inebriated by his feelings of ecstasy and adoration, the singer calls the Almighty his ‘friend’ and surprisingly does not regret doing so, because in his heart there is only respect and admiration for Him.