Introduction of the Poem:
The poem No. 6 entitled “Pluck This Little Flower” is a poem of devotion and humility. In the present poem, the poet offers himself, like a flower, in the service of his Creator. He likens himself to a flower which has a short life and many blemishes like absence of attractive colours and pleasant fragrance. Despite all blemishes the poet entreats his Lord to accept him in His worship and service before it is too late.
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| Tagore’s Poem 6 Pluck This Little Flower: Summary and Critical Analysis |
The intensity of the poet's desire for his Creator is evident and his impetuosity has been beautifully conveyed by the choice of the image of the flower. The poet is worried that he may not leave this world before being received by the Lord in his service.
Some Critical Points of the Poem:
1. Life of a flower is short; so is the life of a human being.
2. As fresh flowers are offered to God in worship, the poet is also yearning to be chosen in the worship and service of his Creator.
3. The poet prays God not to delay lest the mortal poet should die before he receives the honour of being offered in worship to God.
4. The poet is apprehensive because like flower his life is also very short.
5. The poet is aware and conscious of him many shortcomings and blemishes which render him unworthy for acceptance in the service of his Creator.
Stanza:
Pluck this little flower and take it, delay not! I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust.
It 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.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. Pluck ... not! = the poet humbly offers the flower of his life to God and requests Him to accept it without any delay. 2. Pluck= pick or gather (for flowers). 3. This little flower= the ordinary and insignificant flower. 4. Delay not = do not delay. 5. I fear ... into the dust = like a flower, the poet's life is very short and very soon it will fade away, and drop into dust like the petals of a faded flower. 6. I fear = the poet is apprehensive. 7. Droop= wither. 8. Drop into the dust = withered flower drops into the dust. 9. It may not find ... pluck it = a flower without deep colours and sweet fragrance is not woven in the garland for the Master's head. 10. A touch of pain= whenever a flower is plucked, the flower and the plant both experience a pang of pain. 11. Thy hand= from the hand of the poet's Creator. 12. I fear ... go by= the flower of poet's love and devotion is meant to be an offering at the feet of God and he pleads for divine acceptance before it is too late, before he is engulfed by the dark forces of life. 13. The day end = a flower's life does not extend beyond a day, so when a day comes to a close the flower drops and droops into the dust. 14. Go by = pass; is over. 15. Though its colour ... time= the colour of the flower may not be deep and its smell may faint and weak. It should be plucked at proper time and be used in the service of God.
Paraphrase:
The poet compares himself to a little flower without sweet smell or deep colour. The life span of a flower is short. With this reality in mind, the poet prays to his Creator to accept him in His favour as soon as possible. The poet is aware of his imperfections, yet he pleads to the Lord to accept him in His service. Like the flower, the poet has no special attribute to recommend him in God's service. Just as an ordinary flower without beauty and fragrance may not find a place in the garland of the Master, so the poet cannot expect a privileged position in the presence of God. But the flower of his love and devotion is meant to be an offering at the feet of God and he pleads for divine acceptance before it is too late, before he is engulfed by the dark forces of life. The poet is a flower which should be offered to God before it droops and withers away. It should be reserved for Him even though it lacks the requisite qualities.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem No. 6 entitled “Pluck This Little Flower” is a poem of devotion and humility. In the present poem, the poet offers himself, like a flower, in the service of his Creator. He likens himself to a flower which has a short life and many blemishes like absence of attractive colours and pleasant fragrance. Despite all blemishes the poet entreats his lord to accept him in His worship and service before it is too late. The intensity of the poet's desire for his Creator is evident and his impetuosity has been beautifully conveyed by the choice of the image of the flower.
Thought - Content:
In this poem, the poet compares himself to a little flower without sweet smell or deep colour. It is the spirit of humility that speaks through the poet. Just as an ordinary flower may not find a place in the garland of the Master, so the poet cannot expect a privileged position in the presence of God. But the flower of his love and devotion is meant to be an offering at the feet of God and he pleads for divine acceptance before it is too late, before he is engulfed by the dark forces of life.
The Use of Imagery:
The poet has chosen flower as the image for himself. This is not mere embellishment or a literary flower. It is justified on many counts. First the fresh blown flowers are employed universally as offerings to God. Like human life, the life span of a flower is also very short. The flowers wither soon after blooming and this aspect justifies the poet's impetuosity for early acceptance lest the flower should wither or the time of worship should pass. In order to convey the fact of his many shortcomings and blemishes, which may render the poet unworthy for acceptance into his Creator's worship and service, the poet speaks about the flower which does not have beautiful colours and pleasant fragrance.
Style and Language:
Tagore's poems have no rhyme or metre. They are in ‘verse libre’ i.e., verse which has been freed from the bondage of metre. It is free verse the essence of which consists in the heightened moment of poetic expression forging out a music of its own - not the music associated with verse forms based on rhythm of metrical feet, but cadence which was bound to no counted syllables or even lines that rose and fell with the emotions and the flow of words. His words are easy, simple and highly suggestive. He employs apt and simple vocabulary to communicate deep spiritual feelings. He uses archaisms like thee, thy and thou. For instance:
“It may not find a place in thy garland ...”
“...... this flower in thy service and pluck it while there is time . "
The poet has used the figure of speech metaphor and alliteration. For instance:
“Pluck this flower and take it, delay not!
I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust.”