Without any reason
At an unearthly hour
When my call came
I was lying on my bed
Under the starlit sky
The world stood mute
And the night was deep.
The people in the house cried and asked,
'In the dark
How will you know your way?'
I replied,
'Here is a lamp in my hand
With my own light I'll walk.'
In its own flame
As my lamp blazed brighter and brighter
My sight became blurred by its light
Mixed with shadows
It cast an illusion on my eyes
As if blind I saw only half.
In pride as I sped ahead
The sky became covered with clouds of dust
In the gusty wind
The flame of my lamp began to flutter
Creating puzzles at every step.
All on a sudden
I was struck by the branches of the trees
The candle in my hand went out
I found I had lost my way
And there was darkness all around
Hanging my head I cried,
'No more strength is left in me!'
At that very moment
I found
I had been followed all along
By my unfailing fellow traveler on my way.
Translation of the devotional song - Akarane akale mor porlo jakhan dak - by Rabindranath Tagore. Best recording of this song is by Debabrata Biswas. The original with its swaralipi or notation is at http://www.rabindra-rachanabali.nltr.org/node/4270.
