Basket of Offerings by Rabindranath

Borondala (Basket of offerings) was written by Tagore in 1928 and published in a collection called Mahua in 1929.

BASKET OF OFFERINGS  

Today, in this quiet bower, 
Within my being
My offering has grown
Into a garland of light. 
In this spring, with climbers
Of leaves and flowers,
My verses waft in the dawn
Of the golden rays. 
My whole being dances
Swinging with rhythm. 
If this song doesn’t find form
I will die of shame. 
Oh beloved, my body reverberates 
To the beat. 
I have not got you an 
external offering, 
My prayer flows from my own
Being like a stream. 
My heart leaps 
Free of my being
Impatiently pleading 
A meeting with you. 
Just as the stars glimmer 
With light in the dark night, 
A spark awakens within
My body. 
This luminosity illuminates 
All my work. 

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor & Anasuya Bhar

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