The Gardener 43: I Shall Never Be an Ascetic
The Gardener 43: I Shall Never Be an Ascetic - meaning Summary
Renunciation Needs Companionship
Tagore’s speaker refuses solitary renunciation, arguing that ascetic withdrawal would be empty without shared commitment, companionship, and living pleasures. He insists he will not abandon home, laughter, or sensual signs of life unless the beloved joins him in the vow. The poem frames spiritual renunciation as relational and conditional, valuing human connection and domestic warmth over isolated spiritual rigor.
Read Complete AnalysesNo, my friends, I shall never be an ascetic, whatever you may say. I shall never be an ascetic if she does not take the vow with me. It is my firm resolve that if I cannot find a shady shelter and a companion for my penance, I shall never turn ascetic. No, my friends, I shall never leave my hearth and home, and retire into the forest solitude, if rings no merry laughter in its echoing shade and if the end of no saffron mantle flutters in the wind; If its silence is not deepened by soft whispers. I shall never be an ascetic.
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