I Know thee as my God and stand apart (Song 77) by Rabindranath Tagore
I
Know thee as my God and stand apart - I do not know thee as my own and come
closer. I know thee as my father and bow before thy feet - I do not grasp thy
hand as my friend's.
I
stand not where thou comest down and ownest thyself as mine, there to clasp
thee to my heart and take thee as my comrade.
Thou
art the Brother amongst my brothers, but I heed them not, I divide not my
earnings with them, thus sharing my all with thee.
In
pleasure and in pain I stand not by the side of men, and thus stand by thee. I
shrink to give up my life, and thus do not plunge into the great waters of
life.
I
Know thee as my God and stand apart - I do not know thee as my own and come
closer. I know thee as my father and bow before thy feet - I do not grasp thy
hand as my friend's.
The
song speaks about humanity and the way to be close to God. Helping others and
doing what’s right brings us closer to God, who is present in our friends and
family. Loving them is like loving God. The poet doesn’t fully understand that
God can be found in simple, everyday people. He sees God as a father but
doesn’t think of Him as a friend or a brother who is with us in daily life.
The
poet keeps his blessings to himself and doesn’t share with others. When we go
to God, it should be out of love, not fear. We should feel close to God, like a
friend—not just bow down as to a father but hold His hand as we would a friend.
By standing with people in both joy and pain, we stand with God. We don’t need
to fear death, as it leads us to eternal life with Him. When we die, our soul
returns to God and becomes one with Him.
Tagore,
born into a wealthy family, believed in treating everyone equally, even the
poor. He opposed old Indian traditions that divided people by class. Influenced
by the Brahmo Samaj, which taught love and care for others as the path to
finding God, he believed that God is with the farmer and the simple worker, not
just with priests and royals. In his poetry, Tagore had mixed feelings about
death—sometimes he was ready to accept it, but other times he feared the
unknown.
He
writes: "I know thee as my God and stand apart - do not know thee as my
own and come closer. I know thee as my father and bow before thy feet - I do
not grasp thy hand as my friend's."
The
poet wishes people would see God as a friend rather than fear Him. He says we
should love God like a friend, a brother, or a beloved. God is in all people.
He is humble like the poor, loving like a friend, and caring like a brother. To
truly love God, we need to show kindness to others, share in their joy and
sorrow, and help them. Living with love and compassion is the way to be close
to God.
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