4. Work and Leisure
Leave this Chanting and Singing
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Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads!
Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with
doors
all shut?
Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before
thee!
He is there whore the tiller is tilling the hard ground
and
where the pathmaker is breaking stones.
He is
with them in sun and in shower,
and his
garment is covered with dust.
Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come
down on the dusty soil!
Deliverance?
Where is this deliverance to be found?
Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of
creation;
he is
bound with us all forever.
Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense!
What
harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained?
Meet him
and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow.
-Rabindranath Tagore
A. Find the words from the poem which have the following
meanings.
a. Bead: small
piece of glass or stone threaded with others to make a necklace
b. Tilling: to
prepare and use land for growing crops
c. Garment: a
piece of clothing
d. Mantle: a layer
of something that covers a surface
e. Deliverance:
the state of being rescued from danger, evil, or pain
f. Incense: a
substance that produces a pleasant smell when you burn it
g. Stained:
covered with marks
h. Toil: hard
unpleasant work that makes you very tired
B. Find the modern equivalents of the
following archaic words used in the poem.
a. dost: do
b. thou: you
c. thine: your
d. thy: your
C. Answer the following questions.
a. Who is the poem
addressed to?
The poem is addressed to those who engage in
religious rituals and worship in solitude, away from the real world.
b. What does the speaker
advise people?
The speaker advises people to leave their
religious rituals and to find God in the everyday work and struggles of life.
c. Where do people try to
find the god?
People try to find God in secluded places,
like dark corners of temples with closed doors.
d. Where, according to
the speaker, does the god actually reside?
According to the speaker, God resides among
the workers, in the fields with the tillers and pathmakers, amidst the dust and
toil.
e. How can people have a
glimpse of the god?
People can have a glimpse of God by joining
the workers, engaging in the labor, and experiencing the real life struggles.
f. Why can't the god
rescue people?
The god can't rescue people because he is
bound with them in the bonds of creation and is a part of their toil and
struggle.
g. What does the speaker
ask people to do in the last stanza?
The speaker asks people to come out of their
meditations, leave aside their flowers and incense, and join in the toil and
sweat of daily life, meeting God in the process.
Grammar II
A. Match the following imperative sentences
with their functions.
a. Kindly tell me where
the bus park is. - viii. making a request
b. Go straight and take
the first turn on your right. - i. giving direction
c. Cook the rice in
medium heat until it turns tender. - vi. giving instruction
d. Please join us on the
tour. - vii. making an invitation
e. Don't feed the animals
in the zoo! - ii. warning
f. Wear warm clothes. - iv.
giving advice
g. Put your hands up! - v.
making an order
h. Get out of here at
once. - iii. making a command
i. Let's go for a walk. -
ix. suggesting
B. Change the following imperative sentences
into negative.
a. Turn left at the
junction.
- Don't turn left at the
junction.
b. Please open the door.
- Please don't open the
door.
c. Let him tell a story.
- Don't let him tell a story.
d. Put out the light.
- Don't put out the
light.
e. Let's play a friendly
football match.
- Let's not play a
friendly football match.
f. Please help the man
get out of the well.
- Please don't help the
man get out of the well.
g. Instruct the people
about how they should work.
- Don't instruct the
people about how they should work.