Written and published in 1901, Mrityu (Death) was a part of Rabindranath Tagore’s collection called Naibedya (Offering).
DEATH
Death is a stranger to me.
Today, I shiver in apprehension.
I cling to this life with all my might,
With tears in my eyes, I wait to bid
This world goodbye.
O ignorant, why did you grow
So attached to this life when
The cycle of life and death was
Known to you? The dawn of death
Is like reacquainting with a stranger.
I love this life so much that I am
Convinced I will love death equally.
A child torn from one breast wails but is comforted
Within moments of being held at the other breast.
This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input by Sohana Manzoor
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