Critical appreciation of "Light, oh Where is the Light" by Rabindranath Tagore | Gitanjali | -- englit.in

Q: Critically examine Rabindranath Tagore’s divinest poem ‘Light, oh Where is the Light’.

Rabindranath Tagore's one of the divinest poems 'Light, Oh Where is the Light’ (1913). The poem  was translated into English from Tagore's well known bengali collection "Gitanjali (1913)" or "Song Offerings", the poem appears as verse 27. Tagore won the Nobel prize for this collection, and he was the first Nobel prize winner in Bengali Literature in 1913. In the course of the poem, The light signifies as "A spiritual awakening desired by the poet after walking in the path of darkness for long." The poem begins with a rhetorical question. “Light, oh where is the light? Kindle it with the burning fire of desire!” Then the poet says that the light can be enlighten by the desire which is intense like burning fire.

Tagore's poem 'Light, oh Where is the Light ' contains six prosaic lines. Tagore does not separate the ideas, adhering to the conventional poetic structure. He rather wishes to present his thoughts as it surfaces in his mind. Such a structure of lines portrays, the mental state of the speaker. His mind is weary of the long journey to find the divine light.

In the first prosaic line, the poet uses here a rhetorical exclamation, "Light, oh where is the light? Kindle it with the burning fire of desire!" Tagore tells his persona to kindle his lamp with the “fire of desire”. The “fire of desire” stands for the burning passion in one speaker’s heart for the divine light. In the second line, the poet refers to a “lamp” as a symbol of soul. According to the poet, that the lamp is not “lit”, only a flicker of the divine flame can enlighten his soul. Here the poet is actually rebuking himself.

In the third line, he portrays “misery” as a kind, optimistic lady who guides him amidst the darkness. She knocks at his mind’s door and tells him that his lord is ever-wakeful. In the case of Tagore, misery acts as a messenger of the lord. She tells him that God calls him to the divine tryst through the metaphorical “darkness of night”. The quoted phrase is a symbol of pessimism and confusion. The fourth line expresses, “The sky is overcast with clouds and the rain is ceaseless. I know not what this is that stirs in me,—I know not its meaning”, Tagore describes his symbolic sky of mind being covered with clouds. The rain, a metaphorical reference to sorrowfulness, is ceaseless in his life. However, the poet can still fill the yearning inside him. It “stirs” even if there is darkness around him.

In the fifth line, the poet has suddenly seen a “moment’s flash of lightning”. It is a referral to a spark of the divine that seekers often witness. The slightest spark is so intense that it blinds his eyes. After seeing the spark, he cannot even find his way to divinity. His heart helplessly gropes for the path to find the source of the “music” coming from the bleakest soul of night. Here, Tagore metaphorically compares the divine existence to a “music”, that entices his soul.

In the last magnificent long line, “It thunders and the wind rushes screaming through the void”, here, the poet personifies the gusting wind, an inanimate object, and invests it with the idea of screaming. “The night is black as a black stone”. Here, the impenetrable blackness of the night is compared to a “black stone”. Besides, the word “stone” symbolizes the idea of harshness. It means the effect of the night is harsh on his mind. And he needs to kindle the “lamp of love” with his own life. Through burning passion and unconditional love for the divine spirit, one can attain spiritual awakening.

To conclude, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), his famous poem 'Light, oh Where is the Light ' Tagore talks about his yearning for the divine light. Throughout this poem, he describes his mental state. Finally, he realizes that it is better to “kindle light by himself rather than sitting idly in the darkness.”