The Tree Of Life

Toru Dutt 1856 (Kolkata) – 1877 (Kolkata)



Broad daylight, with a sense of weariness!
    Mine eyes were closed, but I was not asleep,
    My hand was in my father's, and I felt
    His presence near me. Thus we often past
    In silence, hour by hour. What was the need
    Of interchanging words when every thought
    That in our hearts arose, was known to each,
    And every pulse kept time? Suddenly there shone
    A strange light, and the scene as sudden changed.
    I was awake:--It was an open plain
    Illimitable,--stretching, stretching--oh, so far!
    And o'er it that strange light,--a glorious light
    Like that the stars shed over fields of snow
    In a clear, cloudless, frosty winter night,
    Only intenser in its brilliance calm.
    And in the midst of that vast plain, I saw,
    For I was wide awake,--it was no dream,
    A tree with spreading branches and with leaves
    Of divers kinds,--dead silver and live gold,
    Shimmering in radiance that no words may tell!
    Beside the tree an Angel stood; he plucked
    A few small sprays, and bound them round my head.
    Oh, the delicious touch of those strange leaves!
    No longer throbbed my brows, no more I felt
    The fever in my limbs--"And oh," I cried,
    "Bind too my father's forehead with these leaves."
    One leaf the Angel took and therewith touched
    His forehead, and then gently whispered "Nay!"
    Never, oh never had I seen a face
    More beautiful than that Angel's, or more full
    Of holy pity and of love divine.
    Wondering I looked awhile,--then, all at once
    Opened my tear-dimmed eyes--When lo! the light
    Was gone--the light as of the stars when snow
    Lies deep upon the ground. No more, no more,
    Was seen the Angel's face. I only found
    My father watching patient by my bed,
    And holding in his own, close-prest, my hand.
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by naama on July 15, 2020

Modified on April 29, 2023

1:35 min read
789

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKLMLNOPQRSTUQCVQWXYZ1 2 LM3 4 U5
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,816
Words 312
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 38

Toru Dutt

Toru Dutt (4 March 1856 – 30 August 1877) was a Bengali translator and poet from the Indian subcontinent. more…

All Toru Dutt poems | Toru Dutt Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem The Tree Of Life with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Tree Of Life" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/54371/the-tree-of-life>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    18
    hours
    7
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Shall I compare thee to a summer's _______?
    A dream
    B ray
    C night
    D day