Flower- Rabindranath Tagore

Flower


Pluck this little flower and take it, delay not! I fear lest it

droop and drop into the dust.



I may not find a place in thy garland, but honour it with a touch of

pain from thy hand and pluck it. I fear lest the day end before I am

aware, and the time of offering go by.



Though its colour be not deep and its smell be faint, use this flower

in thy service and pluck it while there is time.

Rabindranath Tagore



This poem is taken from Gitanjali, the song of offerings by Rabindranath Tagore. It was first written in Bengali and was translated into English by author himself. Gitanjali is a collection of songs which are offered to God.

The poet was born in the year 1861 and passed away in 1901. He was poet, philosopher, dramatist and novelist. He won the Novel Prize for literature for Gitanjali, which he relinquished later protesting Jalanwalah Bagh Massacres.



Here the Poet asks God to pluck the flower. He wants God to take it without hurry because he is afraid that if it is kept in the garden for long, it will get old, wilt and fall down on the dusty ground uselessly.

It is sure that flower may not be worth to put around neck of God as garland. Still, it will be lucky if God takes times and efforts to pluck it with His own hand. Poet also thinks, it will be late to offer to God if it is not plucked quickly as time for offering has already come.

Poet says that flower may not be as beautiful as others with rich colours and it may not have very good scent, still he wants God to pluck it to use as His service when the flower is still fresh and lively.