Along this bank the groom passes
The bride passes along the other
In between there is a bridge
They exchange their gifts
Across that bridge
And music plays on
They walk their separate ways
But their destination is the same
They draw nearer and nearer
Yet they feel they are far
And their desire
Is yet to be fully met
If there is no distance
The music stops
And their view is barred
Close at hand
Their gifts appear cheap
A ferry can ply
Where there is a stream
Separating two banks
It can touch the landing points
And end in a festive meet at last.
Under an old banyan tree
The groom passes on this bank
And the river flows on
Yonder the bride is seen
Passing beyond the fields
And music plays on the bridge.
Translation of the poem Bar-bodhu from the collection Bichitrita by Rabindranath Tagore. The original poem in Bengali script is at
