Now that the dolls have
crumbled
to dust,
You come and sit by me.
You come and sit by me.
Tagore - Creative Unity
I have only the scent of your garland to guide me in this
wilderness. _
ACT IV
SONG-PRELUDE
[_There enter a troupe of young things, and they introduce
themselves in a song as follows:_]
THE SONG OF RETURNING YOUTH
_Again and again we say "Good-bye,"
To come back again and again.
Oh, who are you?
I am the flower vakul.
And who are you?
I am the flower parul.
And who are these?
We are mango blossoms landed on the shore of light.
We laugh and take leave when the time beckons us.
We rush into the arms of the ever-returning.
But who are you?
I am the flower shimul.
And who are you?
I am the kamini bunch,
And who are these?
We are the jostling crowd of new leaves. _
[_Winter is revealed as Spring and answers to the questions put
by the chorus of young things. _]
THE SONG OF BURDENS DROPPED
_Do you own defeat at the hand of youth?
Yes.
Have you met at last the ageless Old, who ever grows new?
Yes.
Have you come out of the walls that crumble and bury those whom they
shelter?
Yes. _
(_Another group sings. _)
_Do you own defeat at the hands of life?
Yes.
Have you passed through death to stand at last face to face with the
Deathless?
Yes.
Have you dealt the blow to the demon dust, that swallows your city
Immortal?
Yes. _
(_Spring's flowers surround him and sing. _)
THE SONG OF FRESH BEAUTY
_We waited by the wayside counting moments till you appeared in the
April morning.
You come as a soldier-boy winning life at death's gate,--
Oh, the wonder of it.
We listen amazed at the music of your young voice.
Your mantle is blown in the wind like the fragrance of the Spring.
The white spray of_ malati _flowers in your hair shines like
star-clusters.
A fire burns through the veil of your smile,--
Oh, the wonder of it.
And who knows where your arrows are hidden which smite death? _
(_Night_)
[_The rear stage is darkened, and the light on the main stage
dimmed to the heavy purple blackness of mourning. _]
(_Enter the Band of Youths. _)
Chandra has gone away again, leaving us behind.
It is difficult to keep him still.
We get our rest by sitting down, but he gets his by walking on.
He has gone across the river with the blind minstrel, in whose
depth of blindness Chandra is seeking the invisible light.
That is why our Leader calls him the Diver.
Our life becomes utterly empty, when Chandra is away.
Do you feel as though something was in the air?
The sky seems to be looking into our face, like a friend bidding
farewell.
This little stream of water is trickling through the _casuarina_
grove. It seems like the tears of midnight.
We have never gazed upon the earth before with such intentness.
When we run forward at full speed, our eyes keep gazing in front
of us, and we see nothing on either side of us.
If things did not move on and vanish, we should see no beauty
anywhere.
If youth had only the heat of movement, it would get parched and
withered. But there is ever the hidden tear, which keeps it
fresh.
The cry of the world is not only "I have," but also "I give. " In
the first dawning light of creation, "I have" was wedded to "I
give. " If this bond of union were to snap, then everything would
go to ruin.
I don't know where that blind Minstrel has landed us at last.
It seems as though these stars in the sky above us are the
gazing of countless eyes we met in all forgotten ages. It seems
as if, through the flowers, there came the whisper of those we
have forgotten, saying Remember us.
Our hearts will break if we do not sing.
(_They sing. _)
_Did you leave behind you your love, my heart, and miss peace through
all your days?
And is the path you followed lost and forgotten, making your return
hopeless?
I go roaming listening to brooks' babble, to the rustle of leaves.
And it seems to me that I shall find the way, that reaches the land of
lost love beyond the evening stars. _
What a strange tune is this, that comes out of the music of
Spring.
It seems like the tune of yellow leaves.
Spring has stored up its tears in secret for us all this while.
It was afraid we should not understand it, because we were so
youthful.
It wanted to beguile us with smiles.
But we shall sleep our hearts tonight in the sadness of the other
shore.
Ah, the dear earth! The beautiful earth! She wants all that we
have--the touch of our hands, the song of our hearts.
She wants to draw out from us all that is within, hidden even
from ourselves.
This is her sorrow, that she finds out some things only to know
that she has not found all. She loses before she attains.
Ah, the dear earth! We shall never deceive you.
(_They sing. _)
_I shall crown you with my garland, before I take leave.
You ever spoke to me in all my joys and sorrows.
And now, at the end of the day, my own heart will break in speech.
Words came to me, but not the tune, and the song that I never sang
to you remains hidden behind my tears. _
Brother, did you notice that some one seemed to have passed by?
The only thing you feel is this passing by.
I felt the touch of the mantle of some wayfarer.
We came out to capture somebody, but now we feel the longing to
be captured ourselves.
Ah, here comes the Minstrel. Where have you brought us? The
breath of the wayfaring world touches us here,--the breath of the
starry sky.
We came seeking a new form of play. But now we have forgotten
what play it was.
We wanted to catch the Old Man.
And everybody said that he was terrifying, a bodiless head, a
gaping mouth, a dragon eager to swallow the moon of the youth of
the world. But now we are no longer afraid. The flowers go, the
leaves go, the waves in the river go, and we shall also follow
them. Ah, blind Minstrel, strike your lute and sing to us. Who
knows what is the hour of the night?
(_The Minstrel sings. _)
_Let me give my all to him, before I am asked, whom the world offers
its all.
When I came to him for my gifts, I was not afraid;
And I will not fear, when I come to him, to give up what I have.
The morning accepts his gold with songs, the evening pays him back the
debt of gold and is glad.
The joy of the blooming flower comes to fruit with shedding of its
leaves.
Hasten, my heart, and spend yourself in love, before the day is done. _
Minstrel, why is Chandra still absent?
_Minstrel_
Don't you know that he has gone?
Gone? --Where?
_Minstrel_
He said, I shall go and conquer him.
Whom?
_Minstrel_
The One who is feared by all. He said, "Why else am I young? "
Ah, that was fine. --Dada goes to read his quatrains to the
village people, and Chandra has disappeared,--for what purpose
nobody knows.
_Minstrel_
He said, "Men have always been fighting for a cause. It is the
shock of that, which ruffles the breeze of this Spring. "
The shock?
_Minstrel_
Yes, the message that man's fight is not yet over.
Is this the message of Spring?
_Minstrel_
Yes. Those, who have been made immortal by death, have sent their
message in these fresh leaves of Spring. It said, "We never
doubted the way. We never counted the cost: we rushed out: we
blossomed. If we had sat down to debate, then where would be the
Spring? "
Has that made Chandra mad?
_Minstrel_
He said----
(_The Minstrel sings. _)
_The Spring flowers have woven my wreath of victory,
The South wind breathes its breath of fire in my blood.
The voice of the house-corner wails in vain from behind.
Death stands before me, offering its crown.
The tempest of youth sweeps the skyharp with its fingers;
My heart dances in its wild rhythm.
Gathering and storing are not for me,
I spend and scatter.
And prudence and comfort bid me adieu in despair. _
But where has he gone to?
_Minstrel_
He said, "I cannot keep waiting by the wayside any longer. I must
go and meet him, and conquer him. "
But which way did he take?
_Minstrel_
He has entered the cave.
How is that? It is so fearfully dark. Did he, without making any
enquiries----
_Minstrel_
Yes, he went in to make enquiries himself.
When will he come back?
I don't believe he will ever come back.
But if Chandra leaves us, then life is not worth living.
What shall we say to our Leader?
The Leader also will leave us.
Didn't he leave any message for us before he disappeared?
_Minstrel_
He said, "Wait for me. I shall return. "
Return? How are we to know it?
_Minstrel_
He said, "I will conquer, and then come back again. "
Then we shall wait for him all night.
But, Minstrel, where have we got to wait for him?
_Minstrel_
Before that cave, from whence the stream of water comes flowing
out.
Which way did he go to get there?
The darkness there is like a dark sword.
_Minstrel_
He followed the sound of the night-bird's wings.
Why did you not go with him?
_Minstrel_
He left me behind to give you hope.
When did he go?
_Minstrel_
In the first hour of the watch.
Now the third hour has passed, I think. The air is chilly.
I dreamt that three women, with their hair hanging loose----
Oh, leave off your dream-women. I am sick of your dreams.
Everything appears darkly ominous. I didn't notice before the
hooting of the owl. But now----
Do you hear that dog whining on the far bank of the river?
It seems as though a witch were riding upon him and lashing him.
Surely, if it had been possible, Chandra would have come back by
now.
How I wish this night were over.
Do you hear the woman's cry?
Oh, the women, the women. They are ever crying and weeping. But
they cannot turn those back, who must go forward.
It is getting unbearable to sit still like this. Men imagine all
sorts of things when they sit still. Let us go also. As soon as
we are started on our way fear will leave us.
But who will show us the way?
There is the blind Minstrel.
What do you say, Minstrel? Can you show us the way?
_Minstrel_
Yes.
But we can hardly believe you. How can you find out the path by
simply singing?
If Chandra never comes back, you shall.
We never knew that we loved Chandra so intensely. We made light
of him all these days.
When we are in the playing mood, we become so intent on the play,
that we neglect the playmate.
But, if he once comes back, we shall never neglect him any more.
I am afraid that we have often given him pain.
Yet his love rose above all that. We never knew how beautiful he
was, when we could see him every day.
(_They sing. _)
_When there was light in my world
You stood outside my eyes.
Now that there is none,
You come into my heart.
When there were dolls for me, I played;
You smiled and watched from the door.
Now that the dolls have crumbled to dust,
You come and sit by me.
And I have only my heart for my music,
When my lute-strings have broken. _
That Minstrel sits so still and silent. I don't like it.
He looks ominous,--like the lowering autumn cloud.
Let us dismiss him.
No, no. It gives us heart, when he sits there.
Don't you see that there is no sign of fear in his face?
It seems as if some messages were striking his forehead. His body
appears to espy some one in the distance. There seem to be eyes
on the tips of his fingers.
Simply by watching him, we can see that some one is coming
through the dark.
Look. He is standing up. He is turning towards the East, and
making his obeisance.
Yet there is nothing to be seen, not even a streak of light.
Why not ask him what it is that he sees?
No, don't disturb him.
Do you know, it seems to me that the morning has dawned in him.
As if the ferry-boat of light had reached the shore of his
forehead.
His mind is still, like the morning sky.
The storm of birds' songs will burst out presently.
He is striking his lute. His heart is singing.
Hush. He is singing.
(_The Minstrel sings. _)
_Victory to thee, victory for ever,
O brave heart.
Victory to life, to joy, to love,
To eternal light.
The night shall wane, the darkness shall vanish,
Have faith, brave heart.
Wake up from sleep, from languor of despair,
Receive the light of new dawn with a song. _
(_A ray of light hovers before the cavern. _)
Ah! There he is. Chandra! Chandra!
Hush. Don't make any noise. I cannot see him distinctly.
Ah! It cannot be any other than Chandra.
Oh, what joy!
Chandra! Come!
Chandra! How could you leave us for so long?
Have you been able to capture the Old Man?
_Chandra_
Yes, I have.
But we don't see him.
_Chandra_
He is coming.
But what did you see in the cave? Tell us.
_Chandra_
No, I cannot tell you.
Why?
_Chandra_
If my mind were a voice, then I could tell you.
But could you see him, whom you captured? Was he the Old Man of
the World?
The Old Man who would like to drink up the sea of youth in his
insatiable thirst.
Was it the One who is like the dark night, whose eyes are fixed
on his breast, whose feet are turned the wrong way round, who
walks backwards?
Was it the One who wears the garland of skulls, and lives in the
burning-ground of the dead?
_Chandra_
I do not know, I cannot say. But he is coming. You shall see him.
_Minstrel_
Yes, I see him.
[_The light strengthens and gradually throughout the scene grows
to a culminating brilliance at the close. _]
Where?
_Minstrel_
Here.
He is coming out of the cave. --Some one is coming out of the
cave.
How wonderful.
_Chandra_
Why, it is you!
Our Leader!
Our Leader!
Our Leader!
Where is the Old Man?
_Leader_
He is nowhere.
Nowhere?
_Leader_
Yes, nowhere.
Then what is he?
_Leader_
He is a dream.
Then you are the real?
_Leader_
Yes.
And we are the real?
_Leader_
Yes.
Those who saw you from behind imagined you in all kinds of
shapes.
We didn't recognize you through the dust.
You seemed old.
And then you came out of the cave,--and now you look like a boy.
It seems just as if we had seen you for the first time.
_Chandra_
You are first every time. You are first over and over again.
_Leader_
Chandra! You must own your defeat. You couldn't catch the Old
Man.
_Chandra_
Let our festival begin. The sun is up.
Minstrel, if you keep so still, you will swoon away. Sing
something.
(_The Minstrel sings. _)
_I lose thee, to find thee back again and again,
My beloved.
Thou leavest me, that I may receive thee all the more, when thou
returnest.
Thou canst vanish behind the moment's screen
Only because thou art mine for evermore,
My beloved.
When I go in search of thee, my heart trembles, spreading ripples
across my love.
Thou smilest through thy disguise of utter absence, and my tears
sweeten thy smile. _
Do you hear the hum?
Yes.
They are not bees, but the people of the place.
Then Dada must be near at hand with his quatrains.
_Dada_
Is this the Leader?
Yes, Dada.
_Dada_
Oh, I am so glad you have come. I must read my collection of
quatrains.
No. No. Not the whole collection, but only one.
_Dada_
Very well. One will do.
The sun is at the gate of the East, his drum of victory sounding in
the sky.
The Night says I am blessed, my death is bliss.
He receives his alms of gold, filling his wallet,--and departs.
That is to say----
No. We don't want your that is to say.
_Dada_
It means----
Whatever it means, we are determined not to know it.
_Dada_
What makes you so desperate?
It is our festival day.
_Dada_
Ah! Is that so? Then let me go to all the neighbours----
No, you mustn't go there.
_Dada_
But is there any need for me here?
Yes.
Then my quatrains----
_Chandra_
We shall colour your quatrains with such a thick brush, that no
one will know whether they have any meaning at all.
And then you will be without any means.
The neighbourhood will desert you.
The Watchman will take you to be a fool.
And the Pundit will take you to be a blockhead.
And your own people will consider you to be useless.
And the outside people will consider you queer.
_Chandra_
But we shall crown you, Dada, with a crown of new leaves.
We shall put a garland of jasmine round your neck.
And there will be no one else except ourselves who will know your
true worth.
THE SONG OF THE FESTIVAL OF SPRING
[_In which all the persons of the drama, not excepting
Sruti-bhushan, unite on the main stage in the dance of Spring. _]
_Come and rejoice, for April is awake.
Fling yourselves into the flood of being, bursting the bondage of
the past.
April is awake.
Life's shoreless sea is heaving in the sun before you.
All the losses are lost, and death is drowned in its waves.
Plunge into the deep without fear, with the gladness of April in
your heart. _
* * * * *
End of Project Gutenberg's The Cycle of Spring, by Rabindranath Tagore
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CYCLE OF SPRING ***
***** This file should be named 24607. txt or 24607. zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www. gutenberg. org/2/4/6/0/24607/
Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Thierry Alberto, Henry
Craig, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www. pgdp. net
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you! ) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
http://gutenberg. net/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1. A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1. E. 8.
1. B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1. C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1. E below.
1. C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1. D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1. E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1. E. 1.
