Krishnakali Poem by Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Calcutta (Kolkata), Bengal Presidency / British India

Krishnakali

Rating: 3.3


In the village they call her the dark girl
but to me she is the flower Krishnakali
On a cloudy day in a field
I saw the dark girl's dark gazelle-eyes.
She had no covering on her head,
her loose hair had fallen on her back.

Dark? However dark she be,
I have seen her dark gazelleeyes.

Two black cows were lowing,
as it grew dark under the heavy clouds.
So with anxious, hurried steps,
the dark girl came from her hut.
Raising her eyebrows toward the sky,
she listened a moment to the clouds' rumble.

Dark? However dark she be,
I have seen her dark gazelle-eyes.

A gust of the east wind
rippled the rice plants.
I was standing by a ridge,
alone in the field.
Whether or not she looked at me
Is known only to us two.

Dark? However dark she be,
I have seen her dark gazelle-eyes.

This how the Kohldark cloud
rises in the northeast in Jaistha;
the soft dark shadow
descends on the Tamal grove in Asharh;
and sudden delight floods the heart
in the night of Sravan.

Dark? However dark she be,
I have seen her dark gazelle-eyes.

To me she is the flower Krishnakali,
whatever she may be called by others.
In a field in Maynapara village
I saw the dark girl's dark gazelle-eyes.
She did not cover her head,
not having the time to feel embarrassed.

Dark? However dark she be,
I have seen her dark gazelle-eyes.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Tom Allport 15 April 2017

a poem of seeing beauty in what ever the colour? ............well written.

1 2 Reply
Bernard F. Asuncion 15 April 2017

In the field.... thanks for posting.....

2 1 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 15 April 2017

Dark she be! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

1 1 Reply
Madhabi Banerjee 15 April 2017

my favourite one.i love it. my sentiment

0 1 Reply
Deepankar Chakraborty 24 May 2015

That is a tribute to those who have to suffer a lot for their blackness! !

0 1 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 23 February 2019

যদি ডাক আমায় থেমে থাকবনা আমি এখানে একাকী তুমি আমার কৃষ্ণ তুমি আমার পূজ্য কলি তুমি আমার পাঁপড়ি নিসর্গ এখানে, সেখানে, সবখানে যা দেখি আমি শুধু তুমি আর তুমি হে আমার আরাধ্য কৃষ্ণকলি

0 0 Reply
Ruta Mohapatra 23 February 2019

The original Bengali version of this poem is so beautiful and when sung, so captivating! A true masterpiece!

1 0 Reply
Anil Kumar Panda 23 February 2019

A beauty indeed form a great poet of India. Regards.

1 0 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 23 February 2019

A captivating poem describing the awesome black girl with gazelle-eyes.

1 0 Reply
Savita Tyagi 23 February 2019

Beautiful poem. A sensitive heart like of Tagore finds and describes beauty with great tenderness of any color and shape. We can close our eyes and feel and imagine the beauty of those dark eyes with black hair and dark complexion through his words.

1 0 Reply
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Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Calcutta (Kolkata), Bengal Presidency / British India
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