dada, how foolish you are!

So, i was in library looking for a book on Theban stories. I will write about them in another post. In the lowest rack of Greek literature started Indian literature and there was an anthology of Rabindra Nath Tagore there. I just picked it up and in my usual style opened a random page and started to read. But it was no longer an ordinary random page, even though I am yet to read complete book, that page is the best page of the book. There were two poems that i have copied below. I should not waste any words describing the poem because when you will read it, you will understand.

The first one is The Astronomer from his book - The Crescent moon
The Astronomer

I only said, "When in the evening the round full moon gets
entangled among the beaches of that Dadam tree, couldn't somebody
catch it?"
But dada laughed at me and said, "Baby, you are the silliest
child I have ever known. The moon is ever so far from us, how could
anybody catch it?"
I said, "Dada, how foolish you are! When mother looks out of
her window and smiles down at us playing, would you call her far
away?"
Still dada said, "You are a stupid child! But, baby where
could you find a net big enough to catch the moon with?"
I said, "Surely you could catch it with your hands."
But dada laughed and said, "You are the silliest child I have
known. If it came nearer, you would see how big the moon is."
I said, "Dada, what nonsense they teach at your school! When
mother bends her face down to kiss us, does her face look very
big?"
But still dada says, "You are a stupid child."


Next one is a parable from The Gardener

At midnight the would-be ascetic announced:
“This is the time to give up my home and seek for God. Ah, who has held me so long in delusion here?”
God whispered, “I, ” but the ears of the man were stopped.
With a baby asleep at her breast lay his wife, peacefully sleeping on one side of the bed.
The man said, “Who are you that have fooled me so long?”
The voice again said, “They are God, ” but he heard it not.
The baby cried out in its dream, nestling close to its mother.
God commanded, "Stop, fool, leave not thy home' but still he heard not.
God sighed and complained, “Why does my servant wander to seek me, forsaking me?”

Tagore mentioned that it is very difficult to retain the spirit of a poem after it is translated to some other language. Indeed, how true it is. While reading the astronomer, a person who had lived in Bengal (IIM Calcutta does not count :)) would experience greater joy. My joy is second grade as i am an Indian and for foreigners, it would be third grade. But the spirit of the poem is so strong that everyone will enjoy.

Crescent moon can be read here.

The reason the second poem is so interesting to me is i like the concept of having a character GOD and writing his lines. You can get away with anything because GOD is saying it, on the other hand, the responsibility of what you write is enormous. I remember Woody Allen has tried it and given GOD a satirical angle but in a nice manner. But here Tagore writes like a GOD about GOD and is so simple and direct.

This weekend is going to a Tagore weekend. It has only started.