Collected Works of Nolini Kanta Gupta - Vol. 5

 

 

In the boundless heavens the Great Ascetic,     

Vast Time keeps vigil.

 

He keeps vigil

For a manifestation till now unconceived, unimagined,

That none has yet known,

That has revealed itself nowhere.

 

In the air, in the sky the new music

That rose never and nowhere in the world,

Prepares itself in a mystery sphere

Through songs ringing out the secret heart's silent voices.

The dams round the celestial city shall crumble,

The flood of the New Harmony shall rush forth

And the ancient walls of a deaf age

Shall be swept away.

 

One who is remembered no more,

One whose name none has ever heard,

One for whom the whole universe waits unknowingly

On the roadside just for a glimpse­ –

 

His truth in its supreme ecstasy

Shall overwhelm man's mind with its magic touch,

And in a moment the old, inert, dead shell

Shall dissolve­ –

 

It is for Him through all the ages

The great Time Spirit keeps vigil.

 

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"PROTECT ME"

 

“Protect me when in danger”,

       Such is not my prayer, O Lord!

              Rather to fear not when in danger.

In grief and pain, when the heart is sore

       I do not crave for solace,

              Rather to conquer grief and Pain.

When no help or aid is near,

       To hold my own strength unbroken:

When the world brings nothing but loss

       and the only gain is frustration,

              Not to let my soul yield and sink.

 

Lighten my burden, bring me comfort;

       Such is not my prayer, O Lord!

               Rather to be strong to bear the burden.

In days of happiness, with bowed head,

       To look and find your face,

In unhappy nights

       When the whole earth turns away,

Never to doubt of your Presence.

 

 

THE  DANCER'S  WORSHIP

 

Have mercy, O merciful One! I bow to Thee, I bow!

I call upon Thee, O Peerless!

In the delight of dance

My soul rings out her heavings.

 

My body, in every limb, calls yearningly,

Lost is my lore in Thy voice

Pouring music all around into a new birth:

My adoration leaps out in music in every limb of mine.

 

Oh! This supreme pain that aches my soul,

Squeezes my heart,–

 

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The swell in the sea of Peace

Where Beauty awakes!

 

All my being, all my pain

Has built this adoration of mine;

May it not end in shame,

This life-offering at Thy Feet!

 

I have not culled flowers from any woodland,

I have not gathered fruits,

Empty is my jar,

I have not filled it with holy water.

 

Into every limb of mine, my heart

Freed from all bonds

Pours out streams

From the Beyond.

 

At Thy Feet may it lose itself utterly,

In this sacred service of worship.

My adoration leaps out in music

In every limb of mine!

 

 

THE LANDS OF BENGAL

 

The lands of Bengal, the waters of Bengal,

       The winds of Bengal, the fruits of Bengal:

Blessed be they, Blessed be they,

       Blessed by they, O lord!

 

The huts of Bengal, the marts of Bengal,

       The woods of Bengal, the meadows of Bengal:

Be they full, be they full,

       Be they full, O Lord!

 

The vows of Bengal, the hopes of Bengal,

       The acts of Bengal, the voices of Bengal:

 

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Be they true, be they true,

       Be they true, O Lord!

 

The hearts of Bengal, the minds of Bengal,

       In homes of Bengal, brothers and sisters all:

Be they one, be they one,

       Be they one, O Lord!

 

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