Religious
Poem
The Night is Nearly Spent
by Rabindranath Tagore
In
this sad poem, the poet talks about how much they want someone special to come.
They have been waiting all night, feeling tired and almost falling asleep. They
worry that the person might come in the morning but find them sleeping and not
knowing.
The
poet asks their friends to make sure the way is clear for the person to come
and not to stop them. They ask not to be woken up by the usual sounds of nature
in the morning, like birds chirping or wind blowing. They want to sleep without
any disturbance, even if the person comes unexpectedly.
Sleep
is very important to the poet because it will only take the touch of the person
to wake them up. They imagine opening their closed eyes and seeing the person's
happy smile, like coming out of a dream.
The
poet's biggest wish is to see the person as the most beautiful and bright
thing, the first thing that brings them joy when they wake up. They want to go
back to themselves immediately, which means being with the person again.
Using
strong pictures and deep longing, the poet expresses their strong desire for
the person's presence and shows how important they are for happiness and
fulfillment.
The Night is Nearly Spent
The
night is nearly spent waiting for him in vain. I fear lest in the morning he
suddenly come to my door when I have fallen asleep wearied out. Oh friends,
leave the way open to him ⎯
forbid him not.
If
the sound of his steps does not wake me, do not try to rouse me, I pray. I wish
not to be called from my sleep by the clamorous choir of birds, by the riot of
wind at the festival of morning light. Let me sleep undisturbed even if my lord
comes of a sudden to my door.
Ah,
my sleep, precious sleep, which only waits for his touch to vanish.
Ah,
my closed eyes that would open their lids to the light of his smile when he
stands before me like a dream emerging from darkness of sleep.
Let
him appear before my sight as the first of all lights and all forms. The first
thrill of joy to my awakened soul let it come from his glance. And let my
return to myself be immediate return to him.
Summary
The
poet talks about wanting to be united with God and saved. He compares this
longing to a person waiting for their loved one to wake them up at night. The
poet waited all night for God to come, but He didn't. He worries that God might
come in the morning when he's already asleep from being tired. The poet asks
his friends not to stop him from going home, but to keep the way open for him.
He asks that if he doesn't wake up when he hears God's footsteps, they should
let him keep sleeping. He only wants to wake up when God comes. He doesn't want
to wake up to the loud songs of birds, the blowing wind, or the sounds of dawn.
He prays that if God suddenly comes, they should let him keep sleeping.
The
poet says that his sleep is valuable, but just a gentle touch from God can wake
him up. He wants to wake up with the image of God in front of him, smiling at
him, and appearing like a dream in the darkness. The poet wants to see God as
the first source of light and life. He wants to feel the first burst of
happiness because of God looking at him. And when he turns to himself, he prays
that he is turning towards God.
Tagore
uses the image of a person waiting for their lover throughout the night to
express the poet's strong desire for God. The poet relates to the woman eagerly
waiting for her lover and spending the night in the rain. The woman feels
anxious and tired, worrying that her lover may come after she falls asleep and
they might miss each other. This reflects the poet's fear of missing the
opportunity to meet God.
Another
beautiful image in the poem is when the woman asks her friends not to wake her
up but wants to wake up by listening to her lover's footsteps. The poet also
wishes to see God's face first. This desire is emphasized through the imagery,
where the woman doesn't want to be awakened by the noise of birds, wind, or light,
but by the touch and sound of her lover. It implies that the poet seeks to
experience the splendor of God in his spiritual reality.
The
poem concludes with the poet returning to himself, which represents returning
to God. It expresses the idea that in the search for God, one needs to
introspect and realize that God resides within oneself.
The
erotic imagery symbolizes the religious and devotional idea. Tagore, disguised
as a bride, waits for the arrival of the bridegroom, which represents the
imminent, mysterious, and inevitable lover, God. However, she fears that He
might come late at night when she's asleep. If that happens, she tells her
friends not to wake her up. She wants to be awakened by the footfalls of her
lover. If that fails, she prefers that only the lover wakes her up, not anyone
else. When the lover wakes her up, the first thing she sees is his face, which
she perceives as the brightest and most beautiful. The lover's glance brings
the first burst of joy to her soul after awakening. Therefore, the beloved's
awakening is also her reunion with her lover.
