How much or how long I know him
Whom I deem to be my dearest one!
In the endless flow of time
In our meeting for a moment
I touch his life with my life.
Whatever little of each other we know
Its manifold remains unknown.
When one of us will take his leave
He will never return
Face to face we will never meet
In this vast world
To each other we will be lost.
Then why, O my Lord,
In this meeting of a moment
In this passing light
I found you so beautiful
As if you are forever my most familiar friend?
Translation of the sonnet Kshanamilon from the collection Chaitali (The Summer Harvest) by Rabindranath Tagore. The original in Bengali script may be viewed at
