Sunday Morning Reflections

 

This morning, I'm posting my favorite poem here. 

I was about 15 years old when I first read this poem and copied it on a yellow piece of paper. Later, I learned that the poet, Rabindranath Tagore, 1861 - 1941, had written about 50 volumes of poetry, Gitanjali (Song Offerings) 1910, is the one I'm most familiar with. 

In 1913, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

I don't know the name of this poem, I neglected to note it when I copied it so many years ago. 

I have since read many of his poems about love and love lost and been touched by them, but this remains my favorite. 

I walked along a path overgrown with grass when suddenly I heard from someone behind, "See if you know me?"

I turned round and looked at her and said, "I cannot remember your name."

She said, "I am that first great sorrow whom you met when you were young."

Her eyes looked like a morning whose dew is still in the air. 

I stood silent for some time til I said, "Have you lost all the great burden of your tears?"

She smiled and said nothing.

I felt that her tears had had time to learn the language of smiles.

"Once you said," she whispered,"that you would cherish your grief forever."

I blushed and said, "Yes, but years have passed and I forget."

Then I took her hand in mine and said, "But you have changed."

"What was sorrow once has now become peace," she said. 

R. Tagore