# XLVII explained — Gitanjali

> Chapter companion for Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.

## What happens

The poet waits through the night for the divine arrival, fearing he may be asleep when the lord comes. He asks friends to keep the way open and not to wake him, desiring that his sleep be undisturbed until the lord's touch and smile awaken him. He longs for the divine to be the first light and form he sees, and for his return to self to be a return to the divine.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Pain of Separation and Longing

The poet waits through the night in vain, longing for the divine presence and fearing he may miss the arrival.

### Surrender and Egolessness

The poet surrenders his will, asking not to be roused and desiring that his awakening be entirely dependent on the divine's touch.

## Character check-ins

### The Poet

The speaker who waits in the night and longs for the divine arrival.

### The Divine

The lord whose coming is anticipated and whose touch and smile will awaken the poet.

## Key lines

> The night is nearly spent waiting for him in vain. I fear lest in the morning he suddenly come to my door when I have fallen asleep wearied out.

The night has almost passed while I waited for him without success. I am afraid that he might arrive unexpectedly at dawn, just when I have exhausted myself and fallen asleep.

_Expresses the anxiety of longing and the fear of missing the divine arrival._

> Ah, my sleep, precious sleep, which only waits for his touch to vanish. Ah, my closed eyes that would open their lids only to the light of his smile when he stands before me like a dream emerging from darkness of sleep.

Oh, my sleep is precious because it is meant to be ended only by his touch. My closed eyes will open only to the radiance of his smile when he appears before me like a vision coming out of the darkness of sleep.

_Highlights the intimate and transformative nature of the divine encounter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/gitanjali_se/chapters/xlvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/gitanjali_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/gitanjali_se/chapters