Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Tagore's deepest inner feelings, including loneliness, despair, and shame, are boldly revealed in this poem. More poems available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeP4eulMEXiMyfYyZHYxsrSit5hVy8ytC This poem comes from Tagore's collection of English poems, "Crossing," published several years after his Nobel-prize winning work, "Gitanjali, Song Offerings."
Note: This poem is loosely based on one of his Bengali songs (Rabindra Sangeet) that begins, "Tumi ebār āmāy laha he nāth, laha - Now, O Lord, take me, take me." He uses the verb laha, take, which has a very different sense than the verb, accept. Today, the word "accept" has a slightly negative connotation, so to follow his Bengali more closely, I have replaced it with "embrace."
Tagore's heartfelt thoughts and prayerful moods are vividly portrayed in this lovely poem. The artwork that accompanies it here was painted by Tagore himself, who first took up painting at the age of 60. His works now hang in the galleries of important museums around the world.
This poem is set to music that was composed and performed by Swami Tadatmananda in 2003. Swamiji's great love and admiration for Tagore is apparent in his wonderful renditions. Swamiji's documentary on Rabindranath Tagore can be viewed here: youtu.be/P8HLIF32clU
Swami Tadatmananda is a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit. For more information, please see: arshabodha.org
Tagore's deepest inner feelings, including loneliness, despair, and shame, are boldly revealed in this poem. More poems available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeP4eulMEXiMyfYyZHYxsrSit5hVy8ytC This poem comes from Tagore's collection of English poems, "Crossing," published several years after his Nobel-prize winning work, "Gitanjali, Song Offerings."
Note: This poem is loosely based on one of his Bengali songs (Rabindra Sangeet) that begins, "Tumi ebār āmāy laha he nāth, laha - Now, O Lord, take me, take me." He uses the verb laha, take, which has a very different sense than the verb, accept. Today, the word "accept" has a slightly negative connotation, so to follow his Bengali more closely, I have replaced it with "embrace."
Tagore's heartfelt thoughts and prayerful moods are vividly portrayed in this lovely poem. The artwork that accompanies it here was painted by Tagore himself, who first took up painting at the age of 60. His works now hang in the galleries of important museums around the world.
This poem is set to music that was composed and performed by Swami Tadatmananda in 2003. Swamiji's great love and admiration for Tagore is apparent in his wonderful renditions. Swamiji's documentary on Rabindranath Tagore can be viewed here: youtu.be/P8HLIF32clU
Swami Tadatmananda is a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit. For more information, please see: arshabodha.org
