The Gardener 54: Where Do You Hurry with Your Basket
The Gardener 54: Where Do You Hurry with Your Basket - meaning Summary
Evening Errands and Longing
The poem addresses a lone figure hurrying with a basket after the market has closed. Evening images — moonlight, silent nests, fading voices and distant ferry calls — create a hushed, liminal atmosphere. The repeated question, "Where do you hurry with your basket," suggests a private errand or an impulse that contrasts with communal rest. The poem frames desire or urgency against the stillness of night, implying hidden purpose or longing.
Read Complete AnalysesWhere do you hurry with your basket this late evening when the marketing is over? They all have come home with their burdens; The moon peeps from above the village trees. The echoes of the voices calling for the ferry run across the dark water to the distant swamp where wild ducks sleep. Where do you hurry with your basket when the marketing is over? Sleep has laid her fingers upon the eyes of the earth. The nests of the crows have become silent, and the murmurs of the bamboo leaves are silent. The labourers home from their fields spread their mats in the courtyards. Where do you hurry with your basket when the marketing is over?
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