The gods want to join
The passing pageants of mortal men.
That is why sometimes I feel
As if I have become non-existent
Like the resonant strings of musical instruments
My body melts in music
And is lost in the blue of the far away sky
In a deep joy it spreads itself
Over the rich foliage of trees and plants
Dancing in the autumn light.
In my beloved’s love
The whole world is bathed in heavenly honey
It refreshes whatever I see; whatever I hear
And they are freed from everything mundane
They seem they are without compare.
I get a heavenly taste in all earthly things
And I transcend my limitations.
I get inspirations from a heavenly warrior
When I fight the evil
With all my might and main
I get limitless courage to sacrifice my all
When I take my stand against all wrongs.
Then from the heart of death
Someone godly comes out
Then I get to know
In this mortal world
He is eternal and divine.
Translation of the poem Debata from the collection Bithika by Rabindranath Tagore. The original is at