DESTINATION UNKNOWN

by Rabindranath Tagore


How much farther will you lead me on, beautiful Lady?
Tell me where your golden boat will finally land!
Whenever I ask you, Lady of far-off lands,
You only flash your dulcet smile at me.
I do not know what thoughts stir in your mind.
Silently you lift your finger
And point to the infinite sea which heaves.
In the far west the sun hides behind the sky.
What lies there? What is it we go to seek for?

Tell me, I once again ask you Lady unknown:
On the evening sands burns the day's funeral pyre,
the waters shine like liquid fire,
the sky melts down in limpid flow,
the eyes of the horizon swim in tears.
Do you have your dwelling there
Beyond the wave-studded sea,
At the foot of the cloud-kissed western hills?
You smile silently but say not a word.

The wind moans day and night with long drawn sighs.
The waters swell and roar in blind agony.
The dark blue waters are full of doubts.
There is no trace of shore on any side.
An endless weeping sweeps through the world.
On the sea of tears floats the golden boat.
The evening sun strikes it with golden shafts.
Why in its center do you sit and smile silently?
I don not understand what stirs in your mind.

When first you asked who would come with you,
I looked into your eyes at the early dawn.
You pointed with a lifted finger
To the infinite sky that stretched west,
The restless light that flickered on the waves like hope.
I boarded the boat and asked,
"Shall we find new life there beyond?
Does hope yield there its golden harvest?"
You looked at my face and smiled without a word.

Since then we sometimes saw the sun and sometimes clouds.
Sometimes the sea was rough and sometimes calm.
Time flows on and wind strikes the sails.
The golden boat moves blithely forward.
Now the sun descends in the western sky.
Once again I ask you, Lady of mystery,
Is cool death to be found there beyond?
Is there peace, is there sleep in the depths of the dark?
Again you lift your eyes and smile silently.

Soon darkness will spread her wings.
The golden light will be lost in the evening sky.
Your body's fragrance comes floating in the air,
In my ears there is murmur of moving waters,
Your hair flies in the wind and touches my face.
With faint heart and tired frame,
Once again I shall ask you impatiently,
"Where are you? Come and touch me once".
You will say no word and I shall not see your silent smile.