Introduction of Poem:
Rabindranath Tagore's poem entitled "Life of My Life" is an extract from his Gitanjali. In the present poem the poet says that he is aware that God's benevolence is on him and that he owes his life to his Creator. He also owes his thoughts, feelings and actions to God. God's touch gives him energy. The poet wants to keep his body and soul pure so that he may be worthy of God's touch. He accepts that God is truth which enlightens the mind and imparts wisdom and reason. The poet is determined to keep himself away from falsehood and other evils.
He regards God as love and his heart the temple of divine love. The poet decides to keep the divine love in his heart strong by driving out all anger, hatred, envy and other evil feelings. He promises to make constant efforts to reveal God's kindness through his actions so that God may bless him with the power and capacity to translate his thoughts into action. The poet knows well that it is divine love, enlightenment and energy which guide his thoughts, feelings and actions and so it is his duty to disseminate God's magnanimity, love and enlightenment for the benefit of human kind.
In the present poem the poet's sincerity and resolve are evident. He has revealed his gratefulness, his humility and his adoration. Besides revealing deep relationship between God and poet, this poem suggests that self - purification is the essential condition of attaining union with God.
Some Critical Points of the Poem:
1. God's presence is all - pervasive. He pervades man's body, mind, heart and action.
2. It is the duty of man to keep himself pure and free of all evils so that his body, mind and heart may be the temple of God.
3. God is man's maker, the source of his life and soul.
4. By purifying the body, man can get God's touch. It is God's touch alone which gives life and vitality to the different parts of his body.
5. God is truth, and it is He who illuminates the mind of man with the light of truth, wisdom and knowledge.
6. Man should try to keep his mind entirely free from all falsehood and evil so that God may continue to illuminate it with His light.
7. Self-purification is essential before oneness with the divine can be attained.
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza 1:
LIFE of my life, I shall ever try to keep my body pure, knowing that thy living touch is upon all my limbs.
I shall ever try to keep all untruths out from my thoughts, knowing that thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Life of my life = the poet addresses God as the ‘Life’ of his life because He is his maker, the source of his life and soul. 2. I shall ... limbs = the poet will try to keep his body pure so that it may be worthy of His touch for it. 3. My body = poet's physical being. 4. Knowing = being conscious and aware of. 5. Thy = your; God’s. 6. Living touch= life - giving influence of God. 7. Upon all my limbs = rules over his entire body - mind, heart and soul. 8. I shall ... in my mind = the poet will try his utmost to remove all falsehood and evil from his mind so that He might continue to kindle it. 9. Untruths = falsehoods. 10. Art = are. 11. Truth = divine knowledge which ennobles mind and heart and also raises high. 11. Light of Reason = the inner illumination caused by truth, knowledge and wisdom.
Paraphrase in English:
The poet owes his life and existence to God so his Creator is in reality his life. The poet says that he will try to keep his body pure and thus make it worthy of the Divine touch that has quickened into life all the different parts of his body. God is the truth which has illumined his mind with the light of reason and so he will make his utmost efforts to remove all falsehood from his thoughts and ideas. God is purity and the poet resolves to keep his mind pure and free from all evil thoughts.
Stanza 2:
I shall ever try to drive all evils away from my heart and keep my love in flower,
knowing that thou hast thy seat in the inmost shrine of my heart.
And it shall be my endeavour to reveal thee in my actions, knowing it is thy
power gives me strength to act.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. I shall ... heart = the poet will try to drive away the feelings of hatred and anger because these feelings can have no place in human heart which is the throne of God who is pure love. 2. Keep my love in flower= flower symbolises the beauty and sweetness of love. 3. Keep ... my heart = the poet will keep his heart pure and innocent and let His love blossom there like a flower. 4. Seat = throne of God. 5. Inmost = inner most; deep - seated. 6. Shrine = the sacred or holy place; temple. 7. And it shall ... act = the poet will try to reveal the glory and beauty of the Divinity in his actions, for it is the Divine power that gives strength to him to act. 8. To reveal thee= to express God's greatness and glory. 9. Endeavour= effort, attempt. 10. Thee = you; God. 11. Actions = deeds. 12. Thy power= the energy provided by God; divine inspiration to act.
Paraphrase:
The poet says that God is love, so he will keep love in his heart in full bloom like a beautiful flower full of fragrance. He will drive out of it all hatred, anger, and other evil passions. Only then will his heart be a worthy dwelling for God; only then will it be the temple of God. It is God who is the source of his power, and the cause of his actions. Therefore, it will be his effort to reveal His greatness and glory through his actions.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem entitled “Life of My Life” is devotional poem. In the present poem the poet gratefully acknowledges the divine debt and in order to make himself worthy of his benevolent Creator expresses his resolve to keep his body, heart, mind and soul pure - keep his body, heart, mind and soul pure - uncontaminated by the evils and sins which pollute the human body and soul - to be the worthy temple of his Creator who is love and enlightenment. The poet also resolves to disseminate the love and enlightenment of God for the benefit of the humanity.
Thought - Content:
The poet, in a devotional mood, tells God, his Creator, that in reality. He is the life of the poet. The poet owes his existence to the Creator and so he is indebted and grateful. Since the poet is favoured by God he promises to God that he will continuously make efforts to keep his body, mind, heart and soul pure from all the contaminating thoughts and feelings and deeds. The poet's resolve to keep his body pure is a consequence of his consciousness of the divine touch upon him - his body and soul. This is the poet's humble endeavour to acknowledge divine benevolence.
The Moral of the Poem:
The poet observes that God's presence is all - pervasive. He is immanent through the universe. He pervades man's body, mind, heart and action. Therefore, it is the duty of man to keep himself pure and free of all evil so that his body, mind and heart may be the temple of God in the real sense of the word. God is the Creator of man, the source of his life and soul. God's touch alone gives life and vitality to the different parts of man's body. God is truth and it is He who illuminates the mind of man with the light of truth, wisdom and knowledge. Human beings cannot act by themselves, for the source of their actions lies in Divine power. So, the power derived from God should not be misused in doing wrong actions.
Language and Style:
Rabindranath Tagore has great command over English and he artistically uses it for expressing his spiritual vision and deep mystical feelings. His words are easy, simple and highly suggestive. He employs apt and simple vocabulary to communicate deep spiritual feelings. Felicity and melodiousness of expression are the cardinal features of his style. Simplicity and sublimity run together. The use of archaisms like ‘thy’ and ‘thou’ imparts antique flavour to Tagore's diction and reveals the soul's ardent yearning for complete identification with God. For instance:
“...... knowing that thy living touch is upon all my limbs.”
“...... knowing that thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind.”
“...... knowing it is thy power gives me strength to act.”