Sympathy by R.Tagore translated by Ranu
‘Sympathy by R.Tagore’
It was a busy afternoon,it was the end of the day for office workers.
The streets of the city were overcrowded,
people were rushing to get home, private cars,buses,horse drawn carts,
were all racing to get to their destination,
it seemed nature had broken the banks of the river
and the flood gates were open.
Amid this chaos and confusion the little boy of the shopkeeper,
suddenly saw a kite falling, he was eager to get it,
he darted to the street ignored the traffic,
a dreadful noise alerted everyone what happened.
The boy was run over by a vehicle,
the street shivered, loud cries were heard from the sky,
the goddess from heaven was weeping.
I looked and saw a prostitute
rolling on the ground sobbing.
Sabethville 
Dear Ranu,
Thank you for this poem.
It depicts Tagore observing all of life, and not merely the pleasant moments, neither denying nor indulging.
All good wishes,
robert
Yes you are right.He does seem to watch everything.
Thank you.
Ranu
Yes , I also feel exactly like Robert that Tagore observes everything like a great artist, he do not miss and lose any color. The poem is an exceptional example of portraying life’s full spectrum, a busy afternoon, crowded street of a city, hustling and bustling of cars, buses, horse driven carts, and in all this he does not forget nature and thinks that all this is equated with floods that is flowing from river banks. Amid this oblivious of everything there is a little boy in pursuit of a falling kite, then the accident, and the focus again shifts to nature where skies thunder and heaven weeps and this is exceptionally juxtaposed with a sobbing woman who in the society is regarded as a lesser being. This is an Excellent choice of poem and marvelous presentation and translation.
You have such a beautiful way of looking at things,Tagore would personally say Wow,when he read
this. Thank you Akhtar Bhai,you have such a unique way of writing your comments.My translation cannot compare with your
comments.You have depicted everything so beautifully. I read it and said to myself WOW,this comment is truly amazing!
Thank you so much.
Regards,
Chaman
Again,
I do agree with Robert and Akhtar Bhai that the so much in Tagore’s poem depicts an artist with great soulful awareness of the smallest detail. You have all three pointed me toward the balance in this composition which comes back full circle to the beginning…yet with the whole micro-cosmos in morning here…
This reminds me of so many other such scenes of many other times and places where the innocent is caught up in something so lovely, good, pure and societal flaws, chaos & mindlessness inflicts harm. Then all of even nature itself weeps for the small, the voiceless, those without recourse…whoever they are…
And always how the weeping mother merges with all in the heavens who are weeping as well…Mary the Mother of whoever to us is representing the small ones, the poor…all the angels who have not in these cases the immediate power to heal…
The raising again and again of the question? Why evil? Why to children? Where is the meaning to all of this?
So true today as one wrenching worldwide wounding upon the heart of us all for each little one who suffers so needlessly…
Oops, it’s later here…I am making too many typos…I should have left out “the” after that in the first line…and morning should have been “mourning” end of first paragraph…there are probably several other mistakes…plz excuse..
It’s all right Connie.I do the same.Sometimes I think faster and in the end find out that
some of the words are missing.
Thank you,everyday I learn a lot from your comments.
Ranu
Oh, and I like the title “Sympathy” which when there are no ready answers as to such tragedy at least offer this gift of compassion/empathy and noticing to the smallest such events of deep suffering…without which there would be no sense of any solace or sharing of the same… This also points out a major role of an effective poet….
It is really difficult to understand why children the most innocent human being
are made to suffer by the actions of adults.You have Connie pointed out the right thing.
Regards,
Ranu