Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well (Song 67) by Rabindranath Tagore
Thou
art the sky and thou art the nest as well.
O
thou beautiful, there in the nest it is thy love that encloses the soul with
colours and sounds and odours.
There
comes the morning with the golden basket in her right hand bearing the wreath
of beauty, silently to crown the earth.
And
there comes the evening over the lonely meadows deserted by herds, through
trackless paths, carrying cool draughts of peace in her golden pitcher from the
western ocean of rest.
But
there, where spreads the infinite sky for the soul to take her flight in,
reigns the stainless white radiance. There is no day nor night, nor form nor
colour, and never, never a word.
Thou
art the sky and thou art the nest as well.
O thou beautiful, there in the nest it is thy love that encloses the
soul with colours and sounds and odours.
God
reveals Himself through all creation, even in non-living things like nature.
The poet sees two sides of God: one side is gentle and beautiful like a flower,
while the other is strong and mighty like a sword. In this poem, God also has a
side that is close and personal. The sky represents God’s infinite nature,
while the nest shows His closeness and care.
Humans
constantly search for God, wanting to connect with Him. However, they forget
they are already part of His creation. We’re never distant from God because we
belong to the world He created. But life’s distractions make us forget this. We
look for God, not realizing He’s already with us. Some spiritual seekers
believe that connecting with God means leaving the world behind, but Tagore
believes we can find joy in life and experience God’s presence in nature.
Tagore
says that earth is like a nest for the soul, where God lives with us. The
earth’s colors, sounds, and scents nurture us like a bird caring for its young.
The morning brings beauty to the world, and evening brings peace. Tagore loves
and honors all of God’s creation, seeing human life as precious. He doesn’t
seek to escape the world but to celebrate it.
Tagore
also explains that God exists both in the endless sky and here on earth. Like a
bird growing in a nest, the human soul is nurtured and loved by God. One day,
when it is wise and ready, the soul will fly into the sky, beyond day and
night, shape and color, and words.
He
believes that through nature, which is real and not an illusion, we can come
close to God. Earth is a part of God, who shows Himself in countless ways. One
side of God is tender, caring for humans as they grow. When people gain wisdom
and appreciate His creation, God calls them to the infinite sky. Tagore says
that if God represents death, He first represents life.
"There,
where the infinite sky opens, the soul is free to fly in pure white light,
beyond day and night, shape and color, beyond all words."
This
poem echoes the ancient Indian belief that God and creation are one. Though the
world may seem like an illusion, it is still part of God. Tagore begins by
saying, "You are the sky, and You are the nest as well."
Tagore
suggests that God is both limitless and limited. The sky symbolizes God’s
infinite side, while the nest represents His close, caring side. God is the
nest where the human soul grows, revealing Himself in nature’s beauty. In the
visible world, morning brings brightness, and evening brings calm. In the
spiritual world, there is a different light—neither day nor night—pure and
white, where the soul can soar freely in the endless sky. The poem journeys
from the finite to the infinite.
 by Rabindranath Tagore){kind=link}