The First Jasmines
by Rabindranath Tagore
.

o remember the first day when I filled my hands with
these jasmines, these white jasmines.
I have loved the sunlight, the sky and the green earth;
I have heard the liquid murmur of the river thorough the
darkness of midnight;
Autumn sunsets have come to me at the bend of a road in the
lonely waste, like a bride raising her veil to accept her lover.
Yet my memory is still sweet with the first white jasmines
that I held in my hands when I was a child.
Many a glad day has come in my life, and I have laughed with
merrymakers on festival nights.
On grey mornings of rain I have crooned many an idle song.
I have worn round my neck the evening wreath of bakulas woven
by the hand of love.
Yet my heart is sweet with the memory of the first fresh
jasmines that filled my hands when I was a child.

Hello, and welcome back to Poetry Wednesday 4/15/09. You can sign in today and take the tour thru Thursday, so take your time.

I’ll be your hostess again this week. My sister, Sans Souci, is on a break, putting together her own poetry book, but she will check in.

Before we get started, please make sure that your post has a link to get back to this page to make it easier to take the tour:

1) Copy and paste the following link that I have provided for you from this page to somewhere on your poetry post.

  Link back to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita’s page

 2) Leave the link of your poetry post in the comments section below. This is the link guests will click on to read your poem (see my post below as an example).

Rabindranath Tagore (May 6, 1861 – August 7, 1941) also called Robi Thakur or Gurudeb was an Indian poet, Hindu philosopher and nationalist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913.

Tagore was born into a Hindu family in Kolkata, the son of Debendranath Tagore, leader of one of two Brahmo Samaj splinter groups. His last name, in Bengali, is Thakur, literally meaning The Lord, and for this reason signed his works as ‘Rabindranath Thakur’ in his native and favored language of Bengali. ‘Tagore’ is an Anglicized corruption of his proper name. Be that as it may, ‘Thakur’ is Brahmin, and his family was indeed of an educated and intellectually diverse lineage. Tagore is known to Westerners as a poet rather than as a formal philosopher, but these two arts are seldom differentiated in traditional Indian culture. An implicit philosophy can be seen in Tagore’s poetry.

While his prose often dealt with social questions, political ideas, educational ideals, and his vision of the universal brotherhood of man, Tagore’s poetry and songs, apart from its deep religious, spiritual and devotional streak, often expressed simply a celebration of nature and life. Life’s multifarious variety was ever a source of Ohoituki Ananda, pleasure without outward reason, for him. No less noteworthy are his outputs on love, which recurs as a major motif throughout his literature, and on patriotism.

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Would anyone care for some jasmine tea before we start the tour ?

deletereply skeezicks1957 wrote on Apr 13, ’09 I very much miss Jayajaya’s Poetry Wednesday’s posts too. And I would enjoy a cup of tea as I read through every one’s posts. I have two weeks to catch up on! Here is mine for this week. http://skeezicks1957.multiply.com/journal/item/679/Poetry_Wednesday_041509

deletereply billatplay wrote on Apr 13, ’09 We Brits love everything about India. Its religions, food, culture, and I think I would be correct in writing the people of that Country have us as their first choice too. It was used to instil in us old uns a value scale of right and wrong via Kipling and the Scout movement. Thank you a very nice presentation of memories from the past. And so is my poem. http://billatplay.multiply.com/journal/item/149/Hush_Its_a_secret.

deletereply starfishred wrote on Apr 13, ’09 LOVELY LAURITA http://starfishred.multiply.com/journal/item/1266/POETRY_WEDNESDAY-KHALIL_GIBRAN

deletereply johnthad wrote on Apr 13, ’09 With apologies to T.S. Eliot: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040301918.html

deletereply sassyangelac wrote on Apr 14, ’09 http://sassyangelac.multiply.com/journal/item/458/Poetry_Wednesday–Dirt_Into_Soil

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Apr 14, ’09 Here I am, too! http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1269/Poetry_Wednesday_041509_Roses

deletereply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Apr 14, ’09 Laurita: What a lovely welcome ..one of my favorites! Here is my selection for the week: http://sweetpotatoqueen.multiply.com/journal/item/271/Poetry_Wednesday_The_Third_Body

deletereply sanssouciblogs wrote on Apr 14, ’09 How lovely! Well, our blogs can play music why not waft the odor of jasmine. I have a couple of jasmine plants, and an orange tree and they both remind me of the headiness of gardenia. It makes me punchy with joy. Gorgeous poem and post, postess with the mostest. I might post, I am wonky and crazed with work. Love to all.

deletereply gileson wrote on Apr 14, ’09 A weekend with 3 grand-daughters who are almost 6, almost 4 and almost 2 (and all going on 16) sent me scurrying for comfort from Ogden Nash http://gileson.multiply.com/journal/item/490/On_Being_a_Grampa

deletereply bostonsdandd wrote on Apr 14, ’09 I finally made it LOL. Here’s my link for the week :o). http://bostonsdandd.multiply.com/journal/item/284

deletereply bostonsdandd wrote on Apr 14, ’09 Hey Johnthad you’re post is blocked by a sign in page.

deletereply carlox11 wrote on Apr 15, ’09 well done But Ravi Shankar in monterrey my Older brother turn the film camera off after John Phillips told him we had to pay him 20 thousand dollars no rock star performed for Money in Monterrey California . He even insisted on getting paid to play in George Harrison Memorial .I have the original clips he left when my brother die .

This post is dedicated to my Multiply friend, Jayajaya because he introduced me to Tagore’s poetry. Jaya, if you’re out there, I hope you’re ok.