In This World,
with everyone
generally speaking I have a resemblance.
With dust,
with rocks
I have a resemblance;
with birds
and animals
I have a resemblance;
with the common people
I have a resemblance;
but,
there is one place
where
there is no resemblance at all -
where
I Am Special.
The Person
Whom
I'm calling 'I'
today -
It Has
no other second.
In the midst of
God's Infinite Creation
of the Universe -
This Creation
Is Completely
Wonderful;
This Is Only I,
I alone,
I beyond all comparisons and similes.
The World of This I -
Is verily my world only;
in That Extremely Lonesome1 Realm,
save my Indwelling Lord,
no one else
has any right to enter.
Oh My Lord,
That I alone,
That Special I -
in the midst of That
Reside
Your Special Joy,
Your Special Manifestation;
That Special Manifestation
Is not present
in any other place,
at any other time.
Oh Lord,
I wish
that I shall make
That Specialty of mine successful.
This One Special Play
of Yours
called 'I'
That Exists
completely independently
of Your everything else,
in This Special Play
I shall join
with You.
In Here,
with One -
I Shall Merge
by Becoming One.
In the Play-field of This World,
this human birth of mine -
may it consciously carry forward
That Special Play of Yours
with Beauty,
with Music,
with Chastity,
with Greatness.
That there Exists
A Special Presence of Yours in I,
may That
never be forgotten
on any day,
in any way.
In the Unending Life of This Universe,
that This One I have become,
May This I
be successful
in human life.
Making this I
independent
of everything else,
since time immemorial
You Have Been Carrying it Forward.
Through the midst of the Sun, the Moon, the Planets, and the Stars -
You Have Held its hand,
and Have Brought it so far -
but
You Have Not Mixed it Up
with anybody.
From the refulgent fountain of gas of some nebula,
You Have Moved atoms and molecules
and Have Brought About
so much nutrition,
so many changes,
so many outcomes;
through them,
You Have Given shape
to this I
today in this body.
That Companionship of Yours,
of Time Immemorial,
Has Been Stored
in This Body
of mine.
Since Time Immemorial,
until today
through the midst of Infinite Creation,
A Special Line
Has Been Drawn -
That Line
Is the Line of this I -
in the Course of That Line,
with You
I have always come2.
It is You,
Who Are
the Charioteer
of That Beginningless Path
of mine;
it is You,
Who Are
the Solitary Friend
of That Endless Path
of mine;
I shall experience You
in the Form of That
Solitary Friend of mine,
within the span of my life.
May nothing else
be equal to You,
be greater than You.
And,
this ordinary life of mine -
the life
that I'm enjoying
by
several hungers and thirsts,
by
several thoughts and actions -
in the company of
all the plants and trees,
all the birds and animals -
may that
life
not become dominant
from several sides;
may that life
not stand occluding
That One Special Touch of Yours -
That One Special Action,
That One Special Joy
That Reside
within I
in the form
of
a Friend
and Charioteer
of Endless Time.
Where
I'm engaged
in the World,
there
I obey You
as
the Master of the World -
I try to obey
All Your Rules;
if I do not obey,
I accept
Your Punishment;
but,
in the Form of 'I',
I want to know You
as mine only.
There You Have
Made me Independent;
for,
without Independence,
Love3 Shall Not Be Successful -
with Will,
will shall not merge -
with Play,
play shall not be able to connect.
This is why,
it is in This I-field of Independence,
where my Ultimate Misery
among all miseries
Is -
Separation from You,
that is -
the misery of ego;
and,
the Ultimate Happiness
among all happinesses
Is -
Union with You,
that is -
the Happiness of Love.
How this misery of ego
shall be eliminated -
meditating upon That
The Buddha
Performed austerities,
and how this misery of ego
does get eliminated -
proclaiming That
Jesus Christ
Gave His Life.
Oh Dearer than my son,
oh Dearer than my wealth -
oh Innermost One -
oh Dearest,
it is verily in this
I-abode
that
Your Ultimate Play
Unfolds.
That is precisely why
it is verily here
that
so much acute misery exists
and
that misery
has
such an Unbounded Cessation;
That is precisely why
it is verily here
that
death exists,
and
Immortality Is Gushing Out,
tearing apart the bosom
of that death.
This Misery and Happiness,
This Separation and Union,
This Death and Immortality -
This Right and Left - two arms of Yours,
within Them
may I be able to surrender completely,
and
may I be able to say,
'All my desires have been fulfilled,
I do not want anything else anymore.'
16 Paush 1315
(December 30, 1908)
Bengali original: http://www.tagoreweb.in/Render/ShowContent.aspx?ct=Essays&bi=72EE92F5-BE50-4057-6E6E-0F7410664DA3&ti=72EE92F5-BE50-4777-EE6E-0F7410664DA3&ch=c