Seek a more beautiful translation of Tagore's "The Book of Living Light".

1

My fancies are fireflies,----Specks of living light

twinkling in the dark.

2

The voice of wayside pansies,that do not attract the

careless glance,murmurs in these desultory lines.

The wayside violets do not attract the negligent glance,murmurs its voice in these desultory lines.

3

In the drowsy dark caves of the mind dreams build their

nest with fragments dropped from day's caravan. Crowsy dark caves of the mind dreams build their

nest with fragments dropped from day's caravan.

Nest with fragments dropped from day's caravan.

4

Spring scatters the petals of flowers that are not for

the fruits of the future,but for the moment's whim.

Spring scatters the petals of flowers that are not for

the fruits of the future,but for the moment's whim.

5

Joy freed from the bond of earth's slumber rushes into creating a fragrant nest.

numberless leaves, and dances in the air for a day.

Joy freed from the earth's slumber rushes into numberless leaves, and dances in the air for a day.

6

My words that are slight

may lightly dance upon time's waves

when my works heavy with import

have gone down.

My words that are slight

may lightly dance upon time's waves

when my works heavy with import

have gone down.

7

Mind's underground moths grow filmy wings

and take a farewell flight in the sunset sky.

Moths of the heart grow filmy wings

and take a farewell flight in the sunset sky.

8

The butterfly counts not months but moments,

and has time enough.

7

Mind's underground moths grow filmy wings

and take a farewell flight in the sunset sky.

9

My thoughts, like sparks, ride on the sky.

My thoughts, like sparks, ride on winged surprises,

carrying a single laughter.

The tree gazes in love at its own beautiful shadow

which yet it can never grasp. which yet it never can grasp.

My thoughts are like sparks, with a simple smile, riding on winged amazement.

The tree gazed adoringly at its beautiful shadow, but yet it never can grasp it.

10

Let my love, like sunlight, surround you and yet give

you illumined freedom.

11

Days are coloured bubbles that float upon

the surface of fathomless night.

12

My offerings are too timid to claim your

remembrance, and therefore you may remember

them. you may forget them.

13

Leave out my name from the gift if it be a burden,

but keep my song.

14

April,

April,

like a child, writes hieroglyphs on dust

with flowers,

wipes them away and forgets. urden,

and wipes them away and forgets.

15

Memory, the priestess, kills the present and

offers it heart to the shrine of the dead past.

Memory, the priestess, kills the present, and then offers its heart to t

The dead past. p>

The shrine of the dead past.

16

From the solemn gloom of the temple

children run out to sit in the dust,

God watches them play and forget the

priest .

Children run out to sit in the dust,

God watches them play and forgets the

priest.

17

My mind starts up at some flash on the

flow of its thoughts like a brook at a

sudden liquid note of its own that is

never repeated. never repeated.

My mind became active at some flash on the

flow of its thoughts like a brook at a

sudden liquid note of its own that is

never repeated.

18

In the mountain, stillness surges up to

explore its own height; in the lake,

movement stands still to contemplate

its own depth.

Mountains, stillness surges up to

explore its own height;in the lake,

movement stands still to contemplate

its own depth.

19

The departing night's one kiss on the

closed eyes of morning glows in the

star of down. Eyes on a kiss become glowing in the morning star.

20

Maiden,thy beauty is like a fruit which

is yet to mature,tense with an unyielding secret.

Beauty is like a fruit waiting to ripen, tense with an unyielding secret.

21

Sorrow that has lost its memory is like the

dumb dark hours that have no bird songs but

only the cricket's chirp.

Sorrow that has lost its memory is like the

dumb dark hours that have no bird songs but

only the cricket's chirp.

22

Bigotry tries to keep truth safe in its hand

with a grip that kills it.

Wishing to hearten a timid lamp great night

Wishing to hearten a timid lamp great night

lights all her stars.

Prejudice wants to keep truth safe in its hand

with a grip that kills it.

Wishing to hearten a timid lamp great night

lights all her stars.

23

Though he holds in his arms the earthbride,

the sky is ever immensely away.

24

God seeks comrades and claims love,the Devil seeks stars.

slaves and claims obedience.

God seeks comrades and claims love, the Devil seeks slaves and claims obedience.

25

The soil in return for her service keeps the tree

tied to her,the sky asks nothing and leaves it free.

The land binds the tree to her as a reward for her service,

the sky asks nothing and leaves it free.

26

Jewel-like the immortal does not boast of

its length of years but of the scintillating

point of its moment. The Immortal does not boast of

its length of years but of the scintillating

point of its moment.

27

The child ever dwells in the mystery of

ageless time,unobscured by the dust of history. unobscured by the dust of history.

28

A light laughter in the steps of creation

carries it swiftly across time.

29

One who was distant came near to me in the

morning,and still nearer when taken awayhe

by night. me, and still nearer when taken awayhe

by night.

The one who is far away from me is nearer to me in the morning.

A soft smile in the footsteps of creation swiftly carries creation through the stream of time.

30

White and pink oleanders meet and make merry

in different dialects.

31

When peace is active sweeping its dirt, it is storm.

32

The lake lies low by the hill, a tearful entreaty

of love at the foot of the inflexible.

33

There smiles the Divine Child among his playthings

of unmeaning clouds and ephemeral lights and shadows. his playthings

of unmeaning clouds and ephemeral lights and shadows.

34

The breeze whispers to the lotus, "what is thy secret?"

"It is myself," says the lotus, "steal it and I disapper!"

The breeze to the lotus whispered, "What is your secret?"

Lotus said, "It's myself, steal it and I disappearer!"

35

The freedom of the storm and the bondage of the stem

jion hands in the dance of swaying branches. dance among the swaying branches.

36

The jasmine's lisping of love to the sun is

her flowers.

37

The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom and

yet to keep it for himself.

38

Gods, tired of their paradise, envy man.

The gods, tired of their paradise, envy man.

39

Clouds are hills in vapour,hills are clouds

in stone,-a phantasy in time's dream.

Clouds are hills in vapour,hills are clouds in stone,-this is a phantasy in time's dream.

40

While God waits for His temple to be built of

love, men bring stones.

41

I touch God in my song as the hill touches

the far-away sea with its waterfall.

42

Light finds her treasure of colours throgh

the antagonism of clouds.

43

My heart to-day smiles at its past night of

tears like a wet tree glistening in the sun

after the rain is over.

My to-day heart smiles at its weeping last night, like a wet tree

glistening in the sun

after the fish is over.

44

I have thanked the trees that have made my

life fruitful,but have failed to rememberyf

the grass that has ever kept it green.e sun

I have thanked the trees that have made my

life fruitful,

but have failed to rememberyf

the grass that has ever kept it green.

Glowing to the sun after the fish.

45

The one without second is emptiness,the other

one makes it ture.

46

Life's errors cry for the merciful beauty that

can modulate their isolation into a harmony

with the whole .

Life's errors cry for the merciful beauty that

can modulate their isolation into a harmony

with the whole.

47

They execpt thanks for the banished nest because

their cage is shapely and secure.

48

In love I pay my endless debt to thee for what

thou art.

Whatever thou art, in love I pay thee an endless debt.

49

The pond sends up its lyrics from its dark in

lilies,

and the sun says, they are good.

At the lilies, the pond offers up its lyrics from its dark in

and the The sun said, they are good.

50

Your calumny against the great is impious, it

hurts yourself; against the small it is meam,

for it hurts the victim.

Your slander against the great is impious, it hurts only yourself;

your slander against the small is meam,

for it hurts the victim.

51

The first flower that blossomed on this earth

was an invitation to the unborn song.

52

Dawn-the many-colored flower-fades, and then

simple light fruit, the sun appears.

The fruit of light, the sun appears.

53

The muscle that has a doubt of its wisdom

throttles the voice that would cry.

54

The wind tries to take the flame by storm

only to blow it out.

The wind tries to take the flame by storm, but blows it out.

55

Life's play is swift, Life's playthings fall

behind one by one and are forgotten. is swift,Life's playthings fall

behind one by one and are forgotten.

Life's playthings fall

behind one by one and are forgotten.

56

My flower, seek not thy paradise in a fool's buttonhole.

57

Thou hast risen late,my crescent moon,but my night bird

is still awake to greet thee.

My crescent moon,thou hast risen late,but my nightingale is still awake to greet thee.

58

Darkness is the veiled bride silently waiting for the

errant light to return to her bosom.

Night is the veiled bride quietly expecting the wandering light to return to her bosom.

59

Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the

listening heaven.

60

The burden of self is lightened when i laugh at myself.

61

The weak can be terrible because they try

furiously to appear strong.

62

The wind of heaven blows, The anchor desperately

clutches the mud, and my boat is beating its

breast against the chain.

The wind of heaven blows, The anchor desperately clutches the mud, and my boat is beating its

breast against the chain.

63

The spirit of death is one,the spirit of life

is many.When God is dead religion becomes one.

The spirit of death is one,the spirit of life is many. When God is dead religion becomes one.

64

The blue of the sky longs for the earth's green,

the wind between them sighs, "Alas."

Day's pain muffled by its own glare,burns among

stars in the night.

The azure of the sky longs for the earth's green,

the wind sighs between them, "Alas!"

The pain of the day is buried by its own glory, but the night burns up in the stars.

65

The stars crowd round the virgin night in silence

awe at her loneliness that can never be touched.

The stars crowd round the virgin night in silence

awe at her Untouchable loneliness.

66

The cloud gives all its gold to the departing

sun and greets the rising moon with only a

pale smile. the setting sun, but greets the rising moon with only a

pale smile.

67

He who does good comes to the temple gate,

he who loves reaches the shrine.

68

Flower, have pity for the worm,it is not a bee,

its love is a blunder and burden. .

69

With the ruins of terror's triummph children

build their doll's house.

Children build their doll's house from the ruins of a horrible victory.

70

The lamp waits through the long day of neglect

for the flame's kiss in the night. .

71

Feathers in the dust lying lazily content have

forgotten their sky.

72

The flower which is single need not envy the

thorns that are numerous.

73

The world suffers most from the disinterested

tyranny of its well-wisher.

74

We gain freedom when we have paid the full price

for our right to live.

75

Your careless gifts of a moment , like the meteors?BR> of an autumn night, catch fire the depth of my being. , catching fire the depth of my being.

76

The faith waiting in the heart of a seed promises

a miracle of life which it cannot prove at once.

Sadness waiting in the heart of a seed promises a miracle of life which it cannot prove at once.

A miracle of life which it cannot prove at once.

77

Spring hesitates at winter's door, but the mango

blossom rashly runs out to him before her time

and meets her doom.

Spring hesitates at winter's door, but the mango

blossom rashly runs out to him before her time

and meets her doom.

78

The world is the ever-changing foam that floats

on the surface of a sea of silence.

79

The two separated shores mingle their voices in

a song of unfathomed tears.

The two separated shores mingle their voices in

a song of unfathomed tears.

80

As a river in the sea, work finds its fulfilment

in the depth of leisure.

Like a river in the sea, labor finds its perfection in the depth of leisure.

This is what I found, see if it suits you!