The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stray Birds, by Rabindranath Tagore

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Stray Birds

Author: Rabindranath Tagore

[Posting Date: March 27, 2010 [EBook #6524

Release Date: September, 2004
First Posted: December 25, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRAY BIRDS ***

Produced by Chetan K. Jain and Eric Eldred

Stray Birds
By Rabindranath Tagore

[translated from Bengali to English by the author]

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916

[Frontispiece in color by Willy Pogány]

To
T. HARA
of
Yokohama
1

.STRAY birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away

.And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh

.O TROUPE of little vagrants of the world, leave your footprints in my words

.THE world puts off its mask of vastness to its lover

.It becomes small as one song, as one kiss of the eternal

.IT is the tears of the earth that keep her smiles in bloom

THE mighty desert is burning for the love of a blade of grass who shakes her head
.and laughs and flies away

6
.IF you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars

THE sands in your way beg for your song and your movement, dancing water. Will
?you carry the burden of their lameness

.HER wistful face haunts my dreams like the rain at night

.ONCE we dreamt that we were strangers

.We wake up to find that we were dear to each other

10

.SORROW is hushed into peace in my heart like the evening among the silent trees

11

SOME unseen fingers, like idle breeze, are playing upon my heart the music of the
.ripples

12

"?WHAT language is thine, O sea"

".The language of eternal question"

?What language is thy answer, O sky"

".The language of eternal silence"

13

.LISTEN, my heart, to the whispers of the world with which it makes love to you

14

THE mystery of creation is like the darkness of night--it is great. Delusions of

.knowledge are like the fog of the morning

15

.DO not seat your love upon a precipice because it is high

16

I SIT at my window this morning where the world like a passer-by stops for a
.moment, nods to me and goes

17

THESE little thoughts are the rustle of leaves; they have their whisper of joy in my
.mind

18

.WHAT you are you do not see, what you see is your shadow

19

.MY wishes are fools, they shout across thy songs, my Master

.Let me but listen

20

.I CANNOT choose the best

.The best chooses me

21

.THEY throw their shadows before them who carry their lantern on their back

22

.THAT I exist is a perpetual surprise which is life

23

WE, the rustling leaves, have a voice that answers the storms, but who are you so "
"?silent

".I am a mere flower"

24

.REST belongs to the work as the eyelids to the eyes

25

.MAN is a born child, his power is the power of growth

26
.GOD expects answers for the flowers he sends us, not for the sun and the earth

27

THE light that plays, like a naked child, among the green leaves happily knows not
.that man can lie

28

.O BEAUTY, find thyself in love, not in the flattery of thy mirror

29

MY heart beats her waves at the shore of the world and writes upon it her signature in
".tears with the words, "I love thee

30

"?MOON, for what do you wait"

".To salute the sun for whom I must make way"

31

.THE trees come up to my window like the yearning voice of the dumb earth

32

.HIS own mornings are new surprises to God

33

.LIFE finds its wealth by the claims of the world, and its worth by the claims of love

34

.THE dry river-bed finds no thanks for its past

35

.THE bird wishes it were a cloud. The cloud wishes it were a bird

36

".THE waterfall sings, "I find my song, when I find my freedom

37

.I CANNOT tell why this heart languishes in silence

.It is for small needs it never asks, or knows or remembers

38

WOMAN, when you move about in your household service your limbs sing like a hill
.stream among its pebbles

39

.THE sun goes to cross the Western sea, leaving its last salutation to the East

40

.DO not blame your food because you have no appetite

41

.THE trees, like the longings of the earth, stand a-tiptoe to peep at the heaven

42

YOU smiled and talked to me of nothing and I felt that for this I had been waiting
.long
43

THE fish in the water is silent, the animal on the earth is noisy, the bird in the air is
,singing

But Man has in him the silence of the sea, the noise of the earth and the music of the
.air
44

THE world rushes on over the strings of the lingering heart making the music of
.sadness
45

.HE has made his weapons his gods. When his weapons win he is defeated himself
46

.GOD finds himself by creating

47

SHADOW, with her veil drawn, follows Light in secret meekness, with her silent
.steps of love
48

.THE stars are not afraid to appear like fireflies

49
I THANK thee that I am none of the wheels of power but I am one with the living
.creatures that are crushed by it
50

.THE mind, sharp but not broad, sticks at every point but does not move
51

.YOUR idol is shattered in the dust to prove that God's dust is greater than your idol
52

.MAN does not reveal himself in his history, he struggles up through it

53

WHILE the glass lamp rebukes the earthen for calling it cousin, the moon rises, and
".the glass lamp, with a bland smile, calls her, "My dear, dear sister
54

LIKE the meeting of the seagulls and the waves we meet and come near. The seagulls
.fly off, the waves roll away and we depart
55

MY day is done, and I am like a boat drawn on the beach, listening to the dance-
.music of the tide in the evening
56

.LIFE is given to us, we earn it by giving it

57

.WE come nearest to the great when we are great in humility

58

.THE sparrow is sorry for the peacock at the burden of its tail
59

.NEVER be afraid of the moments--thus sings the voice of the everlasting

60

THE hurricane seeks the shortest road by the no-road, and suddenly ends its search in
.the Nowhere
61

.TAKE my wine in my own cup, friend

.It loses its wreath of foam when poured into that of others
62

.THE Perfect decks itself in beauty for the love of the Imperfect
63

".GOD says to man, "I heal you therefore I hurt, love you therefore punish
64

THANK the flame for its light, but do not forget the lampholder standing in the shade
.with constancy of patience
65

.TINY grass, your steps are small, but you possess the earth under your tread
66

".THE infant flower opens its bud and cries, "Dear World, please do not fade
67

.GOD grows weary of great kingdoms, but never of little flowers

68

.WRONG cannot afford defeat but Right can

69

I GIVE my whole water in joy," sings the waterfall, "though little of it is enough for "
".the thirsty
70

WHERE is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of

?ecstasy
71

.THE woodcutter's axe begged for its handle from the tree

.The tree gave it

72

IN my solitude of heart I feel the sigh of this widowed evening veiled with mist and
.rain
73

.CHASTITY is a wealth that comes from abundance of love

74

THE mist, like love, plays upon the heart of the hills and brings out surprises of
.beauty
75

.WE read the world wrong and say that it deceives us

76

.THE poet wind is out over the sea and the forest to seek his own voice
77

.EVERY child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man
78
.THE grass seeks her crowd in the earth

.The tree seeks his solitude of the sky

79

.MAN barricades against himself

80

YOUR voice, my friend, wanders in my heart, like the muffled sound of the sea
.among these listening pines
81

?WHAT is this unseen flame of darkness whose sparks are the stars
82

.LET life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves
83

.HE who wants to do good knocks at the gate; he who loves finds the gate open
84

.IN death the many becomes one; in life the one becomes many

.Religion will be one when God is dead

85

.THE artist is the lover of Nature, therefore he is her slave and her master
86

"?HOW far are you from me, O Fruit"

".I am hidden in your heart, O Flower"

87

.THIS longing is for the one who is felt in the dark, but not seen in the day
88

YOU are the big drop of dew under the lotus leaf, I am the smaller one on its upper "
.side," said the dewdrop to the lake
89

.THE scabbard is content to be dull when it protects the keenness of the sword
90

.IN darkness the One appears as uniform; in the light the One appears as manifold
91

.THE great earth makes herself hospitable with the help of the grass
92
THE birth and death of the leaves are the rapid whirls of the eddy whose wider circles
.move slowly among stars
93

.POWER said to the world, "You are mine

.The world kept it prisoner on her throne

".Love said to the world, "I am thine

.The world gave it the freedom of her house

94

.THE mist is like the earth's desire. It hides the sun for whom she cries
95

.BE still, my heart, these great trees are prayers

96

.THE noise of the moment scoffs at the music of the Eternal

97

I THINK of other ages that floated upon the stream of life and love and death and are
.forgotten, and I feel the freedom of passing away
98

.THE sadness of my soul is her bride's veil

.It waits to be lifted in the night

99

DEATH'S stamp gives value to the coin of life; making it possible to buy with life
.what is truly precious
100

.THE cloud stood humbly in a corner of the sky

.The morning crowned it with splendour

101

.THE dust receives insult and in return offers her flowers

102

DO not linger to gather flowers to keep them, but walk on, for flowers will keep
.themselves blooming all your way
103

.ROOTS are the branches down in the earth

.Branches are roots in the air
104

THE music of the far-away summer flutters around the Autumn seeking its former
.nest
105

.DO not insult your friend by lending him merits from your own pocket
106

.THE touch of the nameless days clings to my heart like mosses round the old tree
107

.THE echo mocks her origin to prove she is the original

108

.GOD is ashamed when the prosperous boasts of His special favour

109

I CAST my own shadow upon my path, because I have a lamp that has not been
.lighted
110

.MAN goes into the noisy crowd to drown his own clamour of silence
111

.THAT which ends in exhaustion is death, but the perfect ending is in the endless
112

.THE sun has his simple robe of light. The clouds are decked with gorgeousness
113

.THE hills are like shouts of children who raise their arms, trying to catch stars
114

.THE road is lonely in its crowd for it is not loved

115

THE power that boasts of its mischiefs is laughed at by the yellow leaves that fall, and
.clouds that pass by
116

THE earth hums to me to-day in the sun, like a woman at her spinng, some ballad of
.the ancient time in a forgotten tongue
117

.THE grass-blade is worth of the great world where it grows

118
.DREAM is a wife who must talk

.Sleep is a husband who silently suffers

119

THE night kisses the fading day whispering to his ear, "I am death, your mother. I am
".to give you fresh birth
120

I FEEL, thy beauty, dark night, like that of the loved woman when she has put out the
.lamp
121

.I CARRY in my world that flourishes the worlds that have failed

122

DEAR friend, I feel the silence of your great thoughts of may a deepening eventide on
.this beach when I listen to these waves
123

.THE bird thinks it is an act of kindness to give the fish a lift in the air
124

.IN the moon thou sendest thy love letters to me," said the night to the sun"

".I leave my answers in tears upon the grass"

125

.THE Great is a born child; when he dies he gives his great childhood to the world
126

.NOT hammerstrokes, but dance of the water sings the pebbles into perfection
127

.BEES sip honey from flowers and hum their thanks when they leave

.The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him
128

.TO be outspoken is easy when you do not wait to speak the complete truth
129

"?ASKS the Possible to the Impossible, "Where is your dwelling place

.In the dreams of the impotent," comes the answer"

130

.IF you shut your door to all errors truth will be shut out
131
.I HEAR some rustle of things behind my sadness of heart,--I cannot see them
132

.LEISURE in its activity is work

.The stillness of the sea stirs in waves

133

.THE leaf becomes flower when it loves

.The flower becomes fruit when it worships

134

.THE roots below the earth claim no rewards for making the branches fruitful
135

.THIS rainy evening the wind is restless

.I look at the swaying branches and ponder over the greatness of all things
136

STORM of midnight, like a giant child awakened in the untimely dark, has begun to
.play and shout
137

THOU raisest thy waves vainly to follow thy lover. O sea, thou lonely bride of the
.storm
138

.I AM ashamed of my emptiness," said the Word to the Work"

.I know how poor I am when I see you," said the Work to the Word"
139

TIME is the wealth of change, but the clock in its parody makes it mere change and
.no wealth
140

.TRUTH in her dress finds facts too tight

.In fiction she moves with ease

141

WHEN I travelled to here and to there, I was tired of thee, O Road, but now when
.thou leadest me to everywhere I am wedded to thee in love
142

LET me think that there is one among those stars that guides my life through the dark
.unknown
143
WOMAN, with the grace of your fingers you touched my things and order came out
.like music
144

.ONE sad voice has its nest among the ruins of the years

".It sings to me in the night,--"I loved you

145

.THE flaming fire warns me off by its own glow

.Save me from the dying embers hidden under ashes

146

,I HAVE my stars in the sky

.But oh for my little lamp unlit in my house

147

.THE dust of the dead words clings to thee

.Wash thy soul with silence

148

.GAPS are left in life through which comes the sad music of death
149

.THE world has opened its heart of light in the morning

.Come out, my heart, with thy love to meet it

150

MY thoughts shimmer with these shimmering leaves and my heart sings with the
touch of this sunlight; my life is glad to be floating with all things into the blue of
.space, into the dark of time
151

.GOD'S great power is in the gentle breeze, not in the storm

152

THIS is a dream in which things are all loose and they oppress. I shall find them
.gathered in thee when I awake and shall be free
153

.WHO is there to take up my duties?" asked the setting sun"

.I shall do what I can, my Master," said the earthen lamp"

154
.BY plucking her petals you do not gather the beauty of the flower
155

.SILENCE will carry your voice like the nest that holds the sleeping birds
156

.THE Great walks with the Small without fear

.The Middling keeps aloof

157

.THE night opens the flowers in secret and allows the day to get thanks
158

.POWER takes as ingratitude the writhings of its victims

159

.WHEN we rejoice in our fulness, then we can part with our fruits with joy
160

THE raindrops kissed the earth and whispered,--"We are thy homesick children,
".mother, come back to thee from the heaven
161

.THE cobweb pretends to catch dew-drops and catches flies

162

LOVE! when you come with the burning lamp of pain in your hand, I can see your
.face and know you as bliss
163

THE learned say that your lights will one day be no more." said the firefly to the "
.stars

.The stars made no answer

164

IN the dusk of the evening the bird of some early dawn comes to the nest of my
.silence
165

.THOUGHTS pass in my mind like flocks of ducks in the sky

.I hear the voice of their wings

166

.THE canal loves to think that rivers exist solely to supply it with water
167

.THE world has kissed my soul with its pain, asking for its return in songs
168

THAT which oppresses me, is it my soul trying to come out in the open, or the soul of
?the world knocking at my heart for its entrance
169

.THOUGHT feeds itself with its own words and grows

170

.I HAVE dipped the vessel of my heart into this silent hour; it has filled with love
171

.EITHER you have work or you have not

.When you have to say, "Let us do something," then begins mischief

172

.THE sunflower blushed to own the nameless flower as her kin

"?The sun rose and smiled on it, saying, "Are you well, my darling
173

"?WHO drives me forward like fate"

".The Myself striding on my back"

174

.THE clouds fill the watercups of the river, hiding themselves in the distant hills
175

,I SPILL water from my water jar as I walk on my way

.Very little remains for my home

176

.THE water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark

.The small truth has words that are clear; the great truth has great silence
177

YOUR smile was the flowers of your own fields, your talk was the rustle of your own
.mountain pines, but your heart was the woman that we all know
178

IT is the little things that I leave behind for my loved ones,--great things are for
.everyone
179

WOMAN, thou hast encircled the world's heart with the depth of thy tears as the sea
.has the earth
180

.THE sunshine greets me with a smile. The rain, his sad sister, talks to my heart
181

.MY flower of the day dropped its petals forgotten

.In the evening it ripens into a golden fruit of memory

182

.I AM like the road in the night listening to the footfalls of its memories in silence
183

.THE evening sky to me is like a window, and a lighted lamp, and a waiting behind it
184

.HE who is too busy doing good finds no time to be good

185

.I AM the autumn cloud, empty of rain, see my fulness in the field of ripened rice
186

.THEY hated and killed and men praised them

.But God in shame hastens to hide its memory under the green grass
187

.TOES are the fingers that have forsaken their past

188

.DARKNESS travels towards light, but blindness towards death

189

.THE pet dog suspects the universe for scheming to take its place
190

.SIT still my heart, do not raise your dust

.Let the world find its way to you

191

".THE bow whispers to the arrow before it speeds forth--"Your freedom is mine
192

.WOMAN, in your laughter you have the music of the fountain of life
193

.A MIND all logic is like a knife all blade

.It makes the hand bleed that uses it

194

.GOD loves man's lamp lights better than his own great stars
195

.THIS world is the world of wild storms kept tame with the music of beauty
196

.MY heart is like the golden casket of thy kiss," said the sunset cloud to the sun"
197

.BY touching you may kill, by keeping away you may possess
198

THE cricket's chirp and the patter of rain come to me through the dark, like the rustle
.of dreams from my past youth
199

I HAVE lost my dewdrop," cries the flower to the morning sky that has lost all its "
.stars
200

".THE burning log bursts in flame and cries,--"This is my flower, my death

201

.THE wasp thinks that the honey-hive of the neighbouring bees is too small

.His neighbours ask him to build one still smaller

202

.I CANNOT keep your waves," says the bank to the river"

".Let me keep your footprints in my heart"

203

.THE day, with the noise of this little earth, drowns the silence of all worlds
204

THE song feels the infinite in the air, the picture in the earth, the poem in the air and
;the earth

.For its words have meaning that walks and music that soars
205

WHEN the sun goes down to the West, the East of his morning stands before him in
.silence
206

.LET me not put myself wrongly to my world and set it against me

207
.PRAISE shames me, for I secretly beg for it
208

LET my doing nothing when I have nothing to do become untroubled in its depth of
.peace like the evening in the seashore when the water is silent
209

.MAIDEN, your simplicity, like the blueness of the lake, reveals your depth of truth
210

.THE best does not come alone. It comes with the company of the all
211

.GOD's right hand is gentle, but terrible is his left hand

212

MY evening came among the alien trees and spoke in a language which my morning
.stars did not know
213

.NIGHT'S darkness is a bag that bursts with the gold of the dawn
214

.OUR desire lends the colours of the rainbow to the mere mists and vapours of life
215

.GOD waits to win back his own flowers as gifts from man's hands
216

.MY sad thoughts tease me asking me their own names

217

THE service of the fruit is precious, the service of the flower is sweet, but let my
.service be the service of the leaves in its shade of humble devotion
218

.MY heart has spread its sails to the idle winds for the shadowy island of Anywhere
219

.MEN are cruel, but Man is kind

220

.MAKE me thy cup and let my fulness be for thee and for thine
221

.THE storm is like the cry of some god in pain whose love the earth refuses
222

.THE world does not leak because death is not a crack

223

.LIFE has become richer by the love that has been lost
224

MY friend, your great heart shone with the sunrise of the East like the snowy summit
.of a lonely hill in the dawn
225

.THE fountain of death makes the still water of life play

226

THOSE who have everything but thee, my God, laugh at those who have nothing but
.thyself
227

.THE movement of life has its rest in its own music

228

.KICKS only raise dust and not crops from the earth
229

OUR names are the light that glows on the sea waves at night and then dies without
.leaving its signature
230

.LET him only see the thorns who has eyes to see the rose
231

.SET bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in the sky
232

THE same lotus of our clime blooms here in the alien water with the same sweetness,
.under another name
233

.IN heart's perspective the distance looms large

234

.THE moon has her light all over the sky, her dark spots to herself
235

DO not say, "It is morning," and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the
.first time as a new-born child that has no name
236

.SMOKE boasts to the sky, and Ashes to the earth, that they are brothers to the fire
237

".THE raindrop whispered to the jasmine, "Keep me in your heart for ever
.The jasmine sighed, "Alas," and dropped to the ground
238

.TIMID thoughts, do not be afraid of me

.I am a poet
239

THE dim silence of my mind seems filled with crickets' chirp--the grey twilight of
.sound
240

.ROCKETS, your insult to the stars follows yourself back to the earth
241

.THOU hast led me through my crowded travels of the day to my evening's loneliness

.I wait for its meaning through the stillness of the night

242

.THIS life is the crossing of a sea, where we meet in the same narrow ship

.In death we reach the shore and go to our different worlds

243

.THE stream of truth flows through its channels of mistakes

244

.MY heart is homesick to-day for the one sweet hour across the sea of time
245

.THE bird-song is the echo of the morning light back from the earth
246

.ARE you too proud to kiss me?" the morning light asks the buttercup"
247

.HOW may I sing to thee and worship, O Sun?" asked the little flower"

.By the simple silence of thy purity," answered the sun"

248

.MAN is worse than an animal when he is an animal

249

.DARK clouds become heaven's flowers when kissed by light

250

.LET not the sword-blade mock its handle for being blunt
251

.THE night's silence, like a deep lamp, is burning with the light of its milky way
252

AROUND the sunny island of Life swells day and night death's limitless song of the
.sea
253

?IS not this mountain like a flower, with its petals of hills, drinking the sunlight
254

.THE real with its meaning read wrong and emphasis misplaced is the unreal
255

FIND your beauty, my heart, from the world's movement, like the boat that has the
.grace of the wind and the water
256

.THE eyes are not proud of their sight but of their eyeglasses
257

I LIVE in this little world of mine and am afraid to make it the least less. Lift me into
.thy world and let me have the freedom gladly to lose my all
258

.THE false can never grow into truth by growing in power

259

MY heart, with its lapping waves of song, longs to caress this green world of the
.sunny day
260

.WAYSIDE grass, love the star, then your dreams will come out in flowers
261

.LET your music, like a sword, pierce the noise of the market to its heart
262

.THE trembling leaves of this tree touch my heart like the fingers of an infant child
263

.THIS sadness of my soul is her bride's veil

.It waits to be lifted in the night

264

.THE little flower lies in the dust

.It sought the path of the butterfly

265

I AM in the world of the roads. The night comes. Open thy gate, thou world of the
.home
266

I HAVE sung the songs of thy day. In the evening let me carry thy lamp through the
.stormy path
267

.I DO not ask thee into the house

.Come into my infinite loneliness, my Lover

268

DEATH belongs to life as birth does. The walk is in the raising of the foot as in the
.laying of it down
269

I HAVE learnt the simple meaning of thy whispers in flowers and sunshine--teach me
.to know thy words in pain and death
270

THE night's flower was late when the morning kissed her, she shivered and sighed
.and dropped to the ground
271

.THROUGH the sadness of all things I hear the crooning of the Eternal Mother
272

I CAME to your shore as a stranger, I lived in your house as a guest, I leave your door
.as a friend, my earth
273

LET my thoughts come to you, when I am gone, like the afterglow of sunset at the
.margin of starry silence
274

LIGHT in my heart the evening star of rest and then let the night whisper to me of
.love
275

.I AM a child in the dark

.I stretch my hands through the coverlet of night for thee, Mother

276

.THE day of work is done. Hide my face in your arms, Mother

.Let me dream
277

.THE lamp of meeting burns long; it goes out in a moment at the parting
278

".ONE word keep for me in thy silence, O World, when I am dead, "I have loved
279

.WE live in this world when we love it

280

.LET the dead have the immortality of fame, but the living the immortality of love
281

I HAVE seen thee as the half-awakened child sees his mother in the dusk of the dawn
.and then smiles and sleeps again
282

.I SHALL die again and again to know that life is inexhaustible

283

WHILE I was passing with the crowd in the road I saw thy smile from the balcony
.and I sang and forgot all noise
284

.LOVE is life in its fulness like the cup with its wine
285

.THEY light their own lamps and sing their own words in their temples

.But the birds sing thy name in thine own morning light,--for thy name is joy
286

.LEAD me in the centre of thy silence to fill my heart with songs

287

.LET them live who choose in their own hissing world of fireworks

.My heart longs for thy stars, my God

288

LOVE'S pain sang round my life like the unplumbed sea, and love's joy sang like
.birds in its flowering groves
289

.PUT out the lamp when thou wishest

.I shall know thy darkness and shall love it

290
WHEN I stand before thee at the day's end thou shalt see my scars and know that I
.had my wounds and also my healing
291

SOME day I shall sing to thee in the sunrise of some other world, "I have seen thee
".before in the light of the earth, in the love of man
292

CLOUDS come floating into my life from other days no longer to shed rain or usher
.storm but to give colour to my sunset sky
293

.TRUTH raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast
294

.THE storm of the last night has crowned this morning with golden peace
295

.TRUTH seems to come with its final word; and the final word gives birth to its next
296

.BLESSED is he whose fame does not outshine his truth

297

SWEETNESS of thy name fills my heart when I forget mine--like thy morning sun
.when the mist is melted
298

.THE silent night has the beauty of the mother and the clamorous day of the child
299

THE world loved man when he smiled. The world became afraid of him when he
.laughed
300

.GOD waits for man to regain his childhood in wisdom

301

.LET me feel this world as thy love taking form, then my love will help it
302

THY sunshine smiles upon the winter days of my heart, never doubting of its spring
.flowers
303

.GOD kisses the finite in his love and man the infinite
304

.THOU crossest desert lands of barren years to reach the moment of fulfilment
305
.GOD's silence ripens man's thoughts into speech
306

.THOU wilt find, Eternal Traveller, marks of thy footsteps across my songs
307

.LET me not shame thee, Father, who displayest thy glory in thy children
308

CHEERLESS is the day, the light under frowning clouds is like a punished child with
traces of tears on its pale cheeks, and the cry of the wind is like the cry of a wounded
.world. But I know I am travelling to meet my Friend
309

TO-NIGHT there is a stir among the palm leaves, a swell in the sea, Full Moon, like
the heart throb of the world. From what unknown sky hast thou carried in thy silence
?the aching secret of love
310

I DREAM of a star, an island of light, where I shall be born and in the depth of its
.quickening leisure my life will ripen its works like the ricefield in the autumn sun
311

THE smell of the wet earth in the rain rises like a great chant of praise from the
.voiceless multitude of the insignificant
312

.THAT love can ever lose is a fact that we cannot accept as truth
313

WE shall know some day that death can never rob us of that which our soul has
.gained, for her gains are one with herself
314

GOD comes to me in the dusk of my evening with the flowers from my past kept
.fresh in his basket
315

WHEN all the strings of my life will be tuned, my Master, then at every touch of thine
.will come out the music of love
316

.LET me live truly, my Lord, so that death to me become true

317

.MAN'S history is waiting in patience for the triumph of the insulted man
318
I FEEL thy gaze upon my heart this moment like the sunny silence of the morning
.upon the lonely field whose harvest is over
319

.I LONG for the Island of Songs across this heaving Sea of Shouts
320

THE prelude of the night is commenced in the music of the sunset, in its solemn
.hymn to the ineffable dark
321

I HAVE scaled the peak and found no shelter in fame's bleak and barren height. Lead
me, my Guide, before the light fades, into the valley of quiet where life's harvest
.mellows into golden wisdom
322

THINGS look phantastic in this dimness of the dusk--the spires whose bases are lost
in the dark and tree tops like blots of ink. I shall wait for the morning and wake up to
.see thy city in the light
323

I HAVE suffered and despaired and known death and I am glad that I am in this great
.world
324

THERE are tracts in my life that are bare and silent. They are the open spaces where
.my busy days had their light and air
325

RELEASE me from my unfulfilled past clinging to me from behind making death

.difficult
326

.LET this be my last word, that I trust in thy love

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stray Birds, by Rabindranath Tagore

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRAY BIRDS ***

***** This file should be named 6524-h.htm or 6524-h.zip *****

:This and all associated files of various formats will be found in
/http://www.gutenberg.org/6/5/2/6524

Produced by Chetan K. Jain and Eric Eldred

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
.will be renamed

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without)
,permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
.redistribution

*** START: FULL LICENSE ***

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free

distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project)
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
.(http://gutenberg.net/license

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm

electronic works

A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm.1

electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all)
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
.all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
.entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8
B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be.1
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
.works. See paragraph 1.E below

"C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation.1

or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
.Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others

D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern.1
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
.States

:E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg.1

E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate.1
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
,Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed
:copied or distributed

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived.1
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
.E.9.1

E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted.1

with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
.permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work

E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm.1

License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
.work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm

E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this.1

electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
.Gutenberg-tm License

,E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary.1
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version"
,(posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.net
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
.License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1

,E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying.1

performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
.unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9

E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing.1

access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that

You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from -
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
".the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies -
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
.Project Gutenberg-tm works

You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any -

money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
.of receipt of the work

You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free -
.distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works

E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm.1

electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
.Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below

.F .1

F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable.1

effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or"
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
.your equipment

F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the .1

"Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE,
STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT
THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION,
THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS
AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL,
PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH
.DAMAGE

F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a.1

defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
.opportunities to fix the problem

F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth.1
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO
.WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE

F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied.1

.warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
.provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions

F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the.1
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
,with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production
,promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
,harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
.Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm

Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of

electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
.people in all walks of life

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the

assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
.and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
.and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive

Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit

c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the)501
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
.permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws

.The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S

Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email 809
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at http://pglaf.org

:For additional contact information

Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide

spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt 1$)
.status with the IRS

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating

charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit http://pglaf.org

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we

have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
.approach us with offers to donate

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make

any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
.outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff

Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic

.works

Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm

concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
.Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support

Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed

.editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
.keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition
:Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility

http://www.gutenberg.net

,This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm

including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
.subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks