Gitanjali · Chapter
VII explained
The poet sheds all adornments and pride, seeking a simple and direct union with the divine, offering his life as a hollow reed for the divine to fill with music.
What happens
The poet sheds all adornments and pride, seeking a simple and direct union with the divine, offering his life as a hollow reed for the divine to fill with music.
Themes in this chapter
Surrender and Egolessness
The poet abandons pride of dress and decoration, sitting at the divine's feet in complete humility.
Beauty of the Ordinary and Nature
The poet desires a life simple and straight like a flute of reed, finding beauty in the ordinary as a vessel for divine music.
Characters to notice
- The Poet
The speaker who removes all ornamentation and pride to sit at the divine's feet.
- The Divine
The master poet and beloved whose whispers are sought and whose music fills the poet's life.
Key passages
“My song has put off her adornments. She has no pride of dress and decoration.”
My poetry has stripped away all embellishments and no longer takes pride in outward show.
The poet renounces artistic vanity to achieve pure connection.
“Only let me make my life simple and straight, like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music.”
Grant that my life may become uncomplicated and direct, like a hollow reed that you can play through.
The poet offers his life as an instrument for the divine's creative expression.