This I always hear
'Away she has gone, away she has gone'
But let me say
Don't say, 'She is no more'
Because it's a lie
And this I cannot bear
It wounds my heart.
To mortal beings
Coming and going are two separate things
So whatever they say
Bears some hope.
I want to lose my soul in that ocean
Where to be and not to be
Fill it to the full
And are mixed in a balance.
Translation of Shesh pratistha, the last poem of the collection Palataka, by Rabindranath Tagore. It was written immediately after the tragic death of the poet's first child, his eldest daughter, Madhurilata. The original poem may be viewed here
