India, you have taught the king
To give up his scepter and crown,
And step down from his throne
Humbly to stand by the lowly man;
You have inspired the warrior to fight
Only for a righteous cause
You have asked him to forgive his foes,
To withhold his sword
And forget all belligerence
For the sake of peace.
You have urged us to achieve
With a singleness of purpose
Without desiring the fruits
But offering them to God.
You have asked the householder
To accommodate in his house
Not only his friends and relations
But also his neighbours and guests
And those who are destitute.
By your moral code
You have restrained our lust
By our renunciation
You have asked us in our indigence to shine
Spending it for good causes
You have asked us to sanctify our riches
You have taught us to forget our selfishness
For common good
And in all our pleasure and pain
To stand before God.
--------------- Transcreation of sonnet no.94 from the collection Naivedya (Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore. The original is at http://www.rabindra-rachanabali.nltr.org/node/12886.
