Introduction of the Poem:
The poem entitled, “O Fool, To Try To Carry Thyself” is a beautiful poem of devotion and absolute faith in God. In the present poem, the poet exhorts all to have perfect faith in the magnanimity and charity of God Almighty because He takes care of all the creation. The soul should be free from the contamination of covetousness. God has granted all that is needed so we should not worry about the outcome of their pious and sincere efforts, we should learn to live with contentment. God is omnipotent so he is capable of solving our problems and providing our needs in the best possible manner.
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| Tagore’s Poem 10 O Fool, To Try To Carry Thyself—Summary and Critical Analysis |
Some Critical Points of the Poem:
1. Man should put himself entirely in the hands of God.
2. Man should have full faith in divine wisdom, love and charity.
3. God bears the burden of the entire universe, therefore, it would be foolish on man's part to carry the burden of cares and worries of life.
4. The best course for man is to march ahead with self - confidence and courage and with absolute trust in the divine.
5. Desires are wicked and the very presence of desires put out the lamp of reason and wisdom burning in the human soul.
Summary of the Poem:
Stanza:
O Fool, to try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders! O beggar, to come to beg at thy own door!
Leave all thy burdens on his hands who can bear all, and never look behind in regret.
Thy desire at once puts out the light from the lamp it touches with its breath. It is unholy - take not thy gifts through its unclean hands. Accept only what is offered by sacred love.
Explanatory Word - Meanings:
1. O Fool ... shoulders= it is foolish on our part to bear the heavy burden of anxieties and worries of life on our shoulders. 2. O beggar ... door= there is no sense in begging at our own door. 3. O Fool = the poet calls the man a ‘fool’ because he does not have faith in divine. 4. O beggar = the poet calls the man a ‘beggar’ who foolishly thinks that he can arrange himself whatever he needs. Man again does not recognize the supremacy of God. 5. Leave ... in regret = we should put everything in the hands of God. We should not look to the past with regrets or with wistful longing. 6. Thy desire ... breath= desires are wicked and the very presence of desire puts out the lamp of reason and wisdom burning in the human soul. 7. Puts out = extinguishes; destroys. 8. The light from the lamp = enlightenment and wisdom of soul. 9. It is unholy ... hands= human soul must be purified of all such unholy desires before it is fit to accept the gifts of God. 10. Unholy= not sacred. 11. Accept….sacred love= man should desire this thing or that, but gratefully accept what is given to him by God.
Paraphrase:
The poet says that it is foolish on our part when we try to bear the burden of life and carry with us cares, worries and responsibilities. We should leave them to God who bears the burden of the entire universe. It is certain that he can bear our burden much better than ourselves. He will surely look after us. But this is possible when we have absolute reliance on God. When we rely on God, we succeed. We should place ourselves entirely in the hands of God, and He will do His best for us. We should be happy and contented with what He gives us. We should look to the future with hope and courage, and not to look to the past with regrets. Man must have an absolute faith in Divine. The spiritual lamp burns but the wind of desires extinguishes it. Desires are born of Ignorance and they put out the lamp of reason, wisdom and spirituality in human soul. Our hands are unclean if we have desires; hence we are not fit to get divine clarity. Man should give up all unclean desires. When we give up our desires, we become worthy to accept the sacred gifts of love.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction:
The poem, entitled “Of Fool, To Try To Carry Thyself” is a beautiful poem of devotion and absolute faith in God. The poet advises that we should have faith and trust in the magnanimity and charity of God. God is kind and generous and omnipotent and takes care of all his creation. The soul should be free from the contamination of covetousness. God has granted all that is needed, so we should not worry about the outcome of their pious and sincere efforts. The faith in God is the greatest wisdom and freedom from covetousness is the greatest virtue . Contentment is the greatest possession.
Thought - Content:
In the poem, the poet advises that human beings should have absolute faith in God and should leave all the problems to Him and the poet assures that they will never feel sorry for relying on God. The poet says that people should not worry for the outcome of their efforts. God is kind and magnanimous. He helps the devotee in every way. He tells that people should try to free their souls from the contaminating influence and effect of desires. The desire for more, for mundane possessions leads human beings on the path of sin and evil. The people should learn to be content with what he gives. Those who crave and get worldly prosperity are like those who get things through unclean hands. Such gifts cannot be offered to God and if offered are not acceptable to him. So, the poet advises men to accept only that which has been achieved through pious effort.
Faith in Divine:
The poet believes that man should have faith in divine. He should accept supremacy of God. The man of this physical world is ever surrounded with worries and tensions. It is man's foolishness that he tries to carry the burden of cares and worries of life. The poet advises him that he should put in the hands of God. God is the Creator of this universe, so he cares every creature. Man is the victim of dissatisfaction. He is the slave of his desires. The poet advises him to be satisfied with what God gives him. The best course for man is to march ahead with self - confidence and courage, and with absolute trust in the divine.
Language and Style:
The words used by Tagore 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. His language is close to the everyday language of man. The use of archaisms like thee, thy and thou imparts antique flavour to Tagore's diction and reveals the soul's ardent yearning for complete identification with God. For instance:
“O Fool, to try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders! O beggar, to come to beg at thy own door!”
Imagery is all pervasive in Tagore's poetry and it gives a kind of unity to it. In the present poem, the lamp image in the last stanza is taken from the Gita: Lord Krishna says, “It is desire, it is wrath, begotten by the quality of motion: all consuming, all polluting, know thou this as our foe here on earth.”
“As a flame is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is wrapped by the amnion, so this universe is enveloped by it (Desire).” (III, 37 and 38)
