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Song Offerings Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee For more FREE books visit our website: www. spiritualbee. com Dear Reader, This e-book is a reproduction of the original â€Å"Gitanjali – Song Offerings† by Rabindranath Tagore, first published in 1913. This book is now in the public domain in the United States and in India; because it’s original copyright owned by the Macmillan Company has expired. As per U. S. copyright law, any book published in the United States prior to January 1st 1923 is in the public domain in the United States. Under Indian copyright laws, works enter the public domain 60 years after the author’s death. A photographed version of the original book is also available for download at our website www. spiritualbee. com/gitanjali-poems-of-tagore/ Book Summary: â€Å"Gitanjali† is one of Rabindranath Tagore’s best known works for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Many of the verses in Gitanjali are beautiful prayers written after a gut-wrenchingly painful period in Rabindranath Tagore’s life, during which he lost his father, wife, daughter and a son in quick succession. His unfathomable pain and unshaken devotion to God are captured in the moving proseverses of Gitanjali, which Tagore dedicated as â€Å"Song Offerings†. For a reader uninitiated in Tagore, it is our humble recommendation that they read the prose-verses of Gitanjali only after gaining familiarity with some of his other works. His books My Reminiscences, Glimpses of Bengal, Sadhana and Nationalism are a great place to start and are available for a free download at our website www. spiritualbee. com/free-spiritual-books/ In that way the reader will have gained a fuller perspective and a rich contextual background, to weight Tagore’s words against. When one reads the works of Tagore, one detects a clear stream of spirituality and an intense love for Nature that flows through most of his books. It is no exaggeration that the more works of Tagore one reads, the more one falls in love with this simple and beautiful poet. He shone forth brightly his lamp of timeless wisdom of the East ? that this Universe has been created out of pure love, and it is only our love for each other together with peace, justice and freedom that will sustain it. â€Å"The Upanishads say: â€Å"From joy does spring all this creation, by joy is it maintained, towards joy does it progress, and into joy does it enter. It means that Gods creation has not its source in any necessity; it comes from his fullness of joy; it is his love that creates, therefore in creation is his own revealment. † Rabindranath Tagore explaining a verse of the Upanishads, in his book â€Å"Sadhana – The Realisation of Life† It is no wonder that in India, Rabin dranath Tagore is revered as â€Å"Gurudev† ? â€Å"a teacher embodying God-like knowledge†, a title conferred upon him by Mahatma Gandhi. We hope that you enjoy reading this masterpiece as much as we did! Since knowledge grows by sharing, do forward this e-book to your friends and family. Kind regards, The Spiritual Bee Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 2 Acknowledgements We would like to express our sincere thanks to The Free-Dictionary (www. thefreedictionary. com) for providing meanings to English words and terms in use during the early 1900s. Terms of Use We have tried our utmost to maintain the integrity of the original work. However during the transcribing process it is possible that some errors may have crept in. By reading, downloading, altering or distributing this book you agree to indemnify us of all errors, liabilities, cost and legal expenses. Painted by Nandalal Bose Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 4 GITANJALI (SONG OFFERINGS) BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE A COLLECTION OF PROSE TRANSLATIONS MADE BY THE AUTHOR FROM THE ORIGINAL BENGALI WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY W. B. YEATS NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1920 EDITION (FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1913) Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 5 TO WILLIAM ROTHENSTEIN Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 6 PREFACE THESE translations are of poems contained in three books ? Naivedya, Kheya, and Gitanjali ? to be had at the Indian Publishing House, 22 Cornwallis Street, Calcutta; and of a few poems which have appeared only in periodicals. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 7 INTRODUCTION By W. B. YEATS A FEW days ago I said to a distinguished Bengali doctor of medicine, I know no German, yet if a translation of a German poet had moved me, I would go to the British Museum and find books in English that would tell me something of his life, and of the history of his thought. But though these prose translations from Rabindranath Tagore have stirred my blood as nothing has for years, I shall not know anything of his life, and of the movements of thought that have made them possible, if some Indian traveller will not tell me. † It seemed to him natural that I should be moved, for he said, I read Rabindranath every day, to read one line of his is to forget all the troubles of the world. I said, An Englishman living in London in the reign of Richard the Second had he been shown translations from Petrarch or from Dante, would have found no books to answer his questions, but would have questioned some Florentine banker or Lombard merchant as I question you. For all I know, so abundant and simple is this poetry, the new Renaissance has been born in your country and I shall never know of it except by hearsay. He answered, We have other poets, but none that are his equal; we call this the epoch of Rabindranath. No poet seems to me as famous in Europe as he is among us. He is as great in music as in poetry, and his songs are sung from the west of India into Burmah wherever Bengali is spoken. He was already famous at nineteen when he wrote his first novel; and plays, written when he was but little older, are still played in Calcutta. I so much admire the completeness of his life; when he was very young he wrote much of natural objects, he would sit all day in his garden; from his twenty-fifth year or so to his thirty-fifth perhaps, when he had a great sorrow, he wrote the most beautiful love poetry in our language; and then he said with deep emotion, words can never express what I wed at seventeen to his love poetry. After that his art grew deeper, it became religious and philosophical; all the aspirations of mankind are in his hymns. He is the first among our saints who has not refused to live, but has spoken out of Life itself, and that is why we give him our love. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Sp iritual Bee 8 I may have changed his well-chosen words in my memory but not his thought. A little while ago he was to read divine service in one of our churches ? we of the Brahma Samaj use your word ‘church’ in English ? t was the largest in Calcutta and not only was it crowded, people even standing in the windows, but the streets were all but impassable because of the people. Other Indians came to see me and their reverence for this man sounded strange in our world, where we hide great and little things under the same veil of obvious comedy and half-serious depreciation. When we were making the cathedrals had we a like reverence for our great men? Every morning at three ? I know, for I have seen it ? one said to me, he sits immovable in contemplation, and for two hours does not awake from his reverie upon the nature of God. His father, the Maha Rishi, would sometimes sit there all through the next day; once, upon a river, he fell into contemplation because of the beauty of the landscape, and the rowers waited for eight hours before they could continue their journey. He then told me of Mr. Tagores family and how for generations great men have come out of its cradles. To-day, he said, there are Gogonendranath and Abanindranath Tagore, who are artists; and Dwijendranath, Rabindranaths brother, who is a great philosopher. The squirrels come from the boughs and climb on to his knees and the birds alight upon his hands. I notice in these mens thought a sense of visible beauty and meaning as though they held that doctrine of Nietzsche that we must not believe in the moral or intellectual beauty which does not sooner or later impress itself upon physical things. I said, In the East you know how to keep a family illustrious. The other day the curator of a Museum pointed out to me a little dark-skinned man who w as arranging their Chinese prints and said, That is the hereditary connoisseur of the Mikado, he is the fourteenth of his family to hold the post. ’ He answered. When Rabindranath was a boy he had all round him in his home literature and music. I thought of the abundance, of the simplicity of the poems, and said, In your country is there much propagandist writing, much criticism? We have to do so much, especially in my own country, that our minds gradually cease to be creative, and yet we cannot help it. If our life was not a continual warfare, we would not have Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 9 taste, we would not know what is good, we would not find hearers and readers. Fourfifths of our energy is spent in the quarrel with bad taste, whether in our own minds or in the minds of others. I understand, he replied, we too have our propagandist writing. In the villages they recite long mythological poems adapted from the Sanscrit in the Middle Ages, and they often insert passages telling the people that they must do their duties. â€Å" II I have carried the manuscript of these translations about with me for days, reading it in railway trains, or on the tops of omnibuses and in restaurants, and I have often had to close it lest some stranger would see how much it moved me. These lyrics ? which are in the original, my Indians tell me, full of subtlety of rhythm, of untranslatable delicacies of colour, of metrical invention ? display in their thought a world I have dreamed of all my life long. The work of a supreme culture, they yet appear as much the growth of the common soil as the grass and the rushes. A tradition, where poetry and religion are the same thing, has passed through the centuries, gathering from learned and unlearned metaphor and emotion, and carried back again to the multitude the thought of the scholar and of the noble. If the civilization of Bengal remains unbroken, if that common mind which ? as one divines ? runs through all, is not, as with us, broken into a dozen minds that know nothing of each other, something even of what is most subtle in these verses will have come, in a few generations, to the beggar on the roads. When there was but one mind in England Chaucer wrote his Troilus and Cressida, and though he had written to be read, or to be read out ? for our time was coming on apace ? he was sung by minstrels for a while. Rabindranath Tagore, like Chaucers forerunners, writes music for his words, and one understands at every moment that he is so abundant, so spontaneous, so daring in his passion, so full of surprise, because he is doing something which has never seemed strange, unnatural, or in need of defence. These verses will not lie in little well-printed books upon ladies tables, who turn the pages with indolent hands that they may sigh over a life without meaning, which is yet all they can know of life, or be carried about by students at the university to be laid aside when the work of life begins, but as the Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 10 generations pass, travellers will hum them on the highway and men rowing upon rivers. Lovers, while they await one another, shall find, in murmuring them, this love of God a magic gulf wherein their own more bitter passion may bathe and renew its youth. At every moment the heart of this poet flows outward to these without derogation or condescension, for it has known that they will understand; and it has filled itself with the circumstance of their lives. The traveller in the red-brown clothes that he wears that dust may not show upon him, the girl searching in her bed for the petals fallen from the wreath of her royal lover, the servant or the bride awaiting the masters home-coming in the empty house, are images of the heart turning to God. Flowers and rivers, the blowing of conch shells, the heavy rain of the Indian July, or the parching heat, are images of the moods of that heart in union or in separation; and a man sitting in a boat upon a river playing upon a lute, like one of those figures full of mysterious meaning in a Chinese picture, is God Himself. A whole people, a whole civilization, immeasurably strange to us, seems to have been taken up into this imagination; and yet we are not moved because of its strangeness, but because we have met our own image, as though we had walked in Rossettis willow wood, or heard, perhaps for the first time in literature, our voice as in a dream. Since the Renaissance the writing of European saints ? however familiar their metaphor and the general structure of their thought ? has ceased to hold our attention. We know that we must at last forsake the world, and we are accustomed in moments of weariness or exaltation to consider a voluntary forsaking; but how can we, who have read so much poetry, seen so many paintings, listened to so much music, where the cry of the flesh and the cry of the soul seem one, forsake it harshly and rudely? What have we in common with St. Bernard covering his eyes that they may not dwell upon the beauty of the lakes of Switzerland, or with the violent rhetoric of the Book of Revelation? We would, if we might, find, as in this book, words full of courtesy. I have got my leave. Bid me farewell, my brothers! I bow to you all and take my departure. Here I give back the keys of my door ? and I give up all claims to my house. I only ask for last kind words from you. We were neighbours for long, but I received more than I could give. Now the day has dawned and the lamp that lit my dark corner is out. A summons has come and I am ready for my journey. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 11 And it is our own mood, when it is furthest from A Kempis or John of the Cross, that cries, And because I love this life, I know I shall love death as well. Yet it is not only in our thoughts of the parting that this book fathoms all. We had not known that we loved God, hardly it may be that we believed in Him; yet looking backward upon our life we discover, in our exploration of the pathways of woods, in our delight in the lonely places of hills, in that mysterious claim that we have made, unavailingly, on the women that we have loved, the emotion that created this insidious sweetness. Entering my heart nbidden even as one of the common crowd, unknown to me, my king, thou didst press the signet of eternity upon many a fleeting moment, This is no longer the sanctity of the cell and of the scourge; being but a lifting up, as it were, into a greater intensity of the mood of the painter, painting the dust and the sunlight, and we go for a like voice to St. Francis and to William Blake who have seemed so alien in our violent history. III We write long books where no page perhaps has any quality to make writing a pleasure, being confident in some general design, just as we fight and make money and fill our heads with politics ? ll dull things in the doing while Mr. Tagore, like the Indian civilization itself, has been content to discover the soul and surrender himself to its spontaneity. He often seems to contrast his life with that of those who have lived more after our fashion, and have more seeming weight in the world, and always humbly as though he were only sure his way is best for him: Men going home glance at me and smile and fill me with shame. I sit like a beggar maid, drawing my skirt over my face, and when they ask me, what it is I want, I drop my eyes and answer them not. At another time, remembering how his life had once a different shape, he will say, Many an hour have I spent in the strife of the good and the evil, but now it is the pleasure of my pl aymate of the empty days to draw my heart on to him; and I know not why is this sudden call to what useless inconsequence. An innocence, a simplicity that one does not find elsewhere in literature makes the birds and the leaves seem as near to him as they are near to children, and the changes of the seasons great events as before our thoughts had arisen between them and us. At times I wonder if he has it from the literature of Bengal or from religion, and at other times, remembering the birds alighting Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 12 on his brothers hands, I find pleasure in thinking it hereditary, a mystery that was growing through the centuries like the courtesy of a Tristan or a Pelanore. Indeed, when he is speaking of children, so much a part of himself this quality seems, one is not certain that he is not also speaking of the saints, They build their houses with sand and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the sea-shore of worlds. They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets. W. B. YEATS. September 1912. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 13 GITANJALI Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 14 1 THOU hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life. This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales, and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new. At the immortal touch of thy hands my little heart loses its limits in joy and gives birth to utterance ineffable1. Thy infinite gifts come to me only on these very small hands of mine. Ages pass, and still thou pourest, and still there is room to fill. 2 WHEN thou commandest me to sing it seems that my heart would break with pride; and I look to thy face, and tears come to my eyes. All that is harsh and dissonant in my life melts into one sweet harmony ? and my adoration spreads wings like a glad bird on its flight across the sea. I know thou takest pleasure in my singing. I know that only as a singer I come before thy presence. I touch by the edge of the far spreading wing of my song thy feet which I could never aspire to reach. Drunk with the joy of singing I forget myself and call thee friend who art my lord. 3 I KNOW not how thou singest, my master! I ever listen in silent amazement. The light of thy music illumines the world. The life breath of thy music runs from sky to sky. The holy stream of thy music breaks through all stony obstacles and rushes on. 1. Ineffable: too great or intense to be expressed in presentation by The Spiritual Bee Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book words; unutterable. 15 My heart longs to join in thy song, but vainly struggles for a voice. I would speak, but speech breaks not into song, and I cry out baffled. Ah, thou hast made my heart captive in the endless meshes of thy music, my master! 4 LIFE of my life, I shall ever try to keep my body pure, knowing that thy living touch is upon all my limbs. I shall ever try to keep all untruths out from my thoughts, knowing that thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind. I shall ever try to drive all evils away from my heart and keep my love in flower, knowing that thou hast thy seat in the inmost shrine of my heart. And it shall be my endeavour to reveal thee in my actions, knowing it is thy power gives me strength to act. 5 I ASK for a moments indulgence to sit by thy side. The works that I have in hand I will finish afterwards. Away from the sight of thy face my heart knows no rest nor respite, and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil. To-day the summer has come at my window with its sighs and murmurs; and the bees are plying their minstrelsy at the court of the flowering grove. Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 16 6 PLUCK this little flower and take it, delay not! I fear lest it droop and drop into the dust. It may not find a place in thy garland, but honour it with a touch of pain from thy hand and pluck it. I fear lest the day end before I am aware, and the time of offering go by. Though its colour be not deep and its smell be faint, use this flower in thy service and pluck it while there is time. 7 MY song has put off her adornments. She has no pride of dress and decoration. Ornaments would mar our union; they would come between thee and me; their jingling would drown thy whispers. My poets vanity dies in shame before thy sight. O master poet, I have sat down at thy feet. Only let me make my life simple and straight, like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music. 8 THE child who is decked with princes robes and who has jewelled chains round his neck loses all pleasure in his play; his dress hampers him at every tep. In fear that it may be frayed, or stained with dust he keeps himself from the world, and is afraid even to move. Mother, it is no gain, thy bondage of finery, if it keep one shut off from the healthful dust of the earth, if it rob one of the right of entrance to the great fair of common human life. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tag ore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 17 Drawn by Nandalal Bose MY SONG HAS PUT OFF HER ADORNMENTS 9 O FOOL, to try to carry thyself upon thy own shoulders! O beggar, to come to beg at thy own door! Leave all thy burdens on his hands who can bear all, and never look behind in regret. Thy desire at once puts out the light from the lamp it touches with its breath. It is unholy ? take not thy gifts through its unclean hands. Accept only what is offered by sacred love. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 18 10 HERE is thy footstool and there rest thy feet where live the poorest, and lowliest, and lost. When I try to bow to thee, my obeisance cannot reach down to the depth where thy feet rest among the poorest, and lowliest, and lost. Pride can never approach to where thou walkest in the clothes of the humble among the poorest, and lowliest, and lost. My heart can never find its way to where thou keepest company with the companionless among the poorest, the lowliest, and the lost. Painted by Surendranath Kar HERE IS THY FOOTSTOOL Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 19 11 LEAVE this chanting and singing and telling of beads! Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee! He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the path-maker is breaking stones. He is with them in sun and in shower, and his garment is covered with dust. Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil! Deliverance? Where is this deliverance to be found? Our master himself has joyfully taken upon him the bonds of creation; he is bound with us all for ever. Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense! What harm is there if thy clothes become tattered and stained? Meet him and stand by him in toil and in sweat of thy brow. 12 THE time that my journey takes is long and the way of it long. I came out on the chariot of the first gleam of light, and pursued my voyage through the wildernesses of worlds leaving my track on many a star and planet. It is the most distant course that comes nearest to thyself, and that training is the most intricate which leads to the utter simplicity of a tune. The traveller has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end. My eyes strayed far and wide before I shut them and said Here art thou! The question and the cry Oh, where? melt into tears of a thousand streams and deluge the world with the flood of the assurance I am! Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 20 13 THE song that I came to sing remains unsung to this day. I have spent my days in stringing and in unstringing my instrument. The time has not come true, the words have not been rightly set; only there is the agony of wishing in my heart. The blossom has not opened; only the wind is sighing by. I have not seen his face, nor have I listened to his voice; only I have heard his gentle footsteps from the road before my house. The livelong1 day has passed in spreading his seat on the floor; but the lamp has not been lit and I cannot ask him into my house. I live in the hope of meeting with him; but this meeting is not yet. Drawn by Nandalal Bose THE SONG I CAME TO SING Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 1. Livelong: Complete, whole; of time long or seemingly long, especially in a tedious way. 21 14 MY desires are many and my cry is pitiful, but ever didst thou save me by hard refusals; and this strong mercy has been wrought into my life through and through. Day by day thou art making me worthy of the simple, great gifts that thou gavest to me unasked ? this sky and the light, this body and the life and the mind ? saving me from perils of overmuch desire. There are times when I languidly linger and times when I awaken and hurry in search of my goal; but cruelly thou hidest thyself from before me. Day by day thou art making me worthy of thy full acceptance by refusing me ever and anon1, saving me from perils of weak, uncertain desire. 15 I AM here to sing thee songs. In this hall of thine I have a corner seat. In thy world I have no work to do; my useless life can only break out in tunes without a purpose. When the hour strikes for thy silent worship at dark temple of midnight, command me, my master, to stand before thee to sing. When in the morning air the golden harp is tuned, honour me, commanding my presence. 16 I HAVE had my invitation to this worlds festival, and thus my life has been blessed. My eyes have seen and my ears have heard. It was my part at this feast to play upon my instrument, and I have done all I could. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 1. Ever and anon: An old English phrase meaning now and then; frequently; often. 22 Now, I ask, has the time come at last when I may go in and see thy face and offer thee my silent salutation? 17 I AM only waiting for love to give myself up at last into his hands. That is why it is so late and why I have been guilty of such omissions. They come with their laws and their codes to bind me fast; but I evade them ever, for I am only waiting for love to give myself up at last into his hands. People blame me and call me heedless; I doubt not they are right in their blame. The market day is over and work is all done for the busy. Those who came to call me in vain have gone back in anger. I am only waiting for love to give myself up at last into his hands. 18 CLOUDS heap upon clouds and it darkens. Ah, love, why dost thou let me wait outside at the door all alone? In the busy moments of the noontide work I am with the crowd, but on this dark lonely day it is only for thee that I hope. If thou showest me not thy face, if thou leavest me wholly aside, I know not how I am to pass these long, rainy hours. I keep gazing on the far away gloom of the sky, and my heart wanders wailing with the restless wind. 19 IF thou speakest not I will fill my heart with thy silence and endure it. I will keep still and wait like the night with starry vigil and its head bent low with patience. Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 23 The morning will surely come, the darkness will vanish, and thy voice pour down in golden streams breaking through the sky. Then thy words will take wing in songs from every one of my birds nests, and thy melodies will break forth in flowers in all my forest groves. 20 ON the day when the lotus bloomed, alas, my mind was straying, and I knew it not. My basket was empty and the flower remained unheeded. Only now and again a sadness fell upon me, and I started up from my dream and felt a sweet trace of a strange fragrance in the south wind. That vague sweetness made my heart ache with longing and it seemed to me that it was the eager breath of the summer seeking for its completion. I knew not then that it was so near, that it was mine, and that this perfect sweetness had blossomed in the depth of my own heart. 21 I MUST launch out my boat. The languid hours pass by on the shore ? Alas for me! The spring has done its flowering and taken leave. And now with the burden of faded futile flowers I wait and linger. The waves have become clamorous, and upon the bank in the shady lane the yellow leaves flutter and fall. What emptiness do you gaze upon! Do you not feel a thrill passing through the air with the notes of the far away song floating from the other shore? Gitanjali: Spiritual Poems of Rabindranath Tagore An e-book presentation by The Spiritual Bee 24 22 IN the deep shadows of the rainy July, with secret steps, thou walkest, silent as night, eluding all watchers. To-day the morning has closed its eyes, heedless of the insistent calls of the loud east wind, and a thick veil has been drawn over the ever-wakeful blue sky. The woodlands have hushed their songs, and doors are all shut at every house.

The Government is invading Peoples privacy

Privacy is a term used in circumstances to refer to the right one has to carry out his or her personal matters and receiving little or no intrusion in the process. This provision is not expressly incorporated in the constitutions of some countries America included; the right to privacy finds its backing from the bill of rights and the fourth amendment thereof. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Government is invading People’s privacy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This does provide government peeping into personal issues like contraception. The privacy of people has been disdained severally by governments all in the name of attempting to achieve security goals. Even though security is pertinent, the government has in several occasions gone to the extremes of totally compromising the privacy of the citizens which it is charged with the responsibility of protecting. Recently President Barak Obama was inv olved in a row that also culminates in a way to be a privacy concern. A black scholar named Henry Louis Jr. of Harvard University, came back to his house and tried to access it only to realize that the door had developed some problems and could not open. In an attempt to access his house, Henry broke into his own house only to be arrested for that! Think about it, it was his property but the right that one has to ownership of property was being infringed. Obama went ahead to accuse the cop of being an â€Å"idiot.† A couple of years ago James Turner of New Haven Conn found himself in trouble with the police as relates to speed with which he was driving. After being flagged down y the traffic police, they indicated to him the speed with which he was driving at. He later realized that the rental car he was using had been tracked by the Global positioning System. The police (government) had colluded with the car hire company to infringe into his right to privacy in a way. The se curity goals that the United States of America endeavors to achieve have played a major role in bringing privacy issues to a compromise. After the September 11th 2001 bombing of the Pentagon and the World Trade centre, the number of inspections outrageously grew. People walking home in the evening would be ransacked to ensure they did not have any missiles on them woe unto those who were of Arabic descent; harassment soared. In homes, the government has found itself accused of infringing privacy in trying to intervene in cases of battery. In the case of State vs. Hassey, the state was accused of having crossed the line and got into marital issues it should not have. The ruling by the North Carolina judge was that a slap on the cheek should be so slight that it should not warrant police intervention. According to Keenan (35) in the case, if a slap is not light, then assault shall have been committed and therefore warranting police intervention. The government of United States has re peatedly operated on premise that security does trump on freedom. Most international payments are processed by the Belgian based company SWIFT. This however has led to a lot of inspections lately. At one point George Washington was of the opinion that it was vital to give up privacy for the sake of security. He further added that worry should not be an issue if one doesn’t have anything to hide. Lately the government has been following through emails and text messages of persons and the people they are sent to in a bid to alleviate insecurity.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lately, fears are growing that the privacy of people in America and the world at large would be infringed further. There are suggestions that soon injectible tracking chips are going to be placed on humans and even (you wont believe this) animals so that their positions at various times can be monitored. T his it is said that is meant to alleviate issues to do with insecurity. The chip to be used possesses a transponder which can easily be detected by Global Positioning Satellite Systems while being unendingly powered by the muscular action of the persons wearing them. In conclusion, the security of a country is very important and should not be compromised at all under any circumstances. It is vital that people live in a place that is very secure. This could be the reason that leads the government to believe that privacy could be too costly (Keenan 33). This is true especially when national security is the issue at hand. However, diligence in the operations of the government is important just as reasonableness is. Situations warranting infringement of privacy should well be justifiable. It is not just enough to get into the way of people all the time on the premise that security is at stake even if it cannot be clearly justified. Work Cited Keenan, Kevin. Invasion of privacy: a refer ence handbook. California: ABC-CLIO Inc., 2005. Print. This essay on The Government is invading People’s privacy was written and submitted by user Clarissa Nolan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sample Essay on the Syrian Refugee Crisis in the US

Sample Essay on the Syrian Refugee Crisis in the USThere are many benefits to writing a sample essay on a certain topic, and the first one is to promote your website or service. Secondly, you'll be able to get free publicity for your business by writing informative pieces like this one.In the last decade, the world has seen a massive influx of billions of people, many of whom brought with them trillions of dollars of unclaimed money, a new crop of millionaires, and a gazillion dollar problems. Not all of these people came to America, but the U.S. government, unfortunately, is not responsible for everyone's financial wellbeing. This has led to a refugee crisis.There is a Syrian refugee crisis in the United States right now, as well as a Greek refugee crisis in Europe. In the United States, a large number of these refugees are children, many of whom have had family members killed in Syria. It has resulted in a refugee crisis in the United States, as well as a Greek refugee crisis.There are many different opinions as to how these crises came about. A fair assessment, however, is that people do not like war and death, and it is hard to survive living with people who do not have a home and relatives to support. One of the biggest problems with refugee crisis is the fact that they can only leave certain areas, which can lead to more problems. They can have difficulties in finding jobs, going to school, and fitting in with their new society.There are numerous writers who have written about the crisis. A few of the most famous writers are Mark LeVine, Anne Applebaum, Stephen Kinzer, and Jose Antonio Vargas. There are millions of words written on the subject in different sites around the web.The first part of the sample essay that I wrote was entitled 'The Triumph of War.' I described the reaction of many people when they first learned that refugees were leaving Syria. The reactions ranged from anger, to fear, to heartbreak. The last part of the essay talked about the p eople who have been accepted to move to the United States, and the reactions of the families who have already moved to the United States.This article was supposed to take five minutes to write, but ended up taking five months to write. The article, although lengthy, is quite descriptive and clear, but the best part of the essay was the testimonials from different people who had gone through similar situations in the past.All of the different people mentioned in the article were very kind, genuine, and heartfelt. I hope that the good you find in writing articles like this can make you a better writer.

How to Write a Good Essay

How to Write a Good Essay This thing that we are about to mention has certainly caused great trouble to all of you at least once in your lifetime. Irrespectively of our current occupation (which does not have to be anything connected to any sort of academic writing) every single one of us has had at least one essay assignment during their lifetime. When we think of all those writing assignments we had at school, we come to the conclusion that each and every one of us has had to write a number of essays during our lifetimes. Now, we all claim to be able to write it, however, not all of us can claim that they can write a good essay. Many times you could not help but wonder why your essay was evaluated so low even though you know you have given the greatest effort in its creation. Writing a good essay is far from easy and here we provide a main guideline which will help you write the perfect essay. To write the perfect essay, there are three main things you should dedicate a piece of your precious time to: planning your essay, writing the first draft (which by no means should be the last draft) and finally the editing and proofreading part. After all that is done, you will have the final and optimal version of the essay. The planning of the essay is always the hardest part because even when you have enough inspiration, you often have several ideas on mind and you cannot decide which one to write in particular, whether you will provide a whole essay on facts about that topic, because in an essay, there is just one topic provided by the title that requires your research, not more than one. Choose the topic which will be appealing for many readers and choose the title and make it intriguing to the readers. The second step consists of two things: first, write down on a bulleted list all ideas you want to incorporate in your essay (a phrase for each idea, nothing more) and using that list write your first draft elaborating on those ideas. Finally it has come the time for the editing and proofreading part. Here you can do whatever you think may improve the quality of your written work. If you think that the sentence from the second paragraph should be changed by other sentence, now is the time to do that. After you have done this, read the whole thing one more time and hand it to the person giving you the task.

Biography of Oliver Hazard Perry, American Naval Hero

Biography of Oliver Hazard Perry, American Naval Hero Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785–August 23, 1819) was an American naval hero of the War of 1812, famous for being the victor of the Battle of Lake Erie. Perrys victory against the British ensured U.S. control of the Northwest. Fast Facts: Oliver Hazard Perry Known For: War of 1812 naval hero, victor of the Battle of Lake ErieAlso Known As: Commodore PerryBorn: August 23, 1785 in South Kingstown,  Rhode IslandParents: Christopher Perry, Sarah PerryDied: August 23, 1819 in TrinidadAwards and Honors: Congressional Gold Medal (1814)Spouse: Elizabeth Champlin Mason (May 5, 1811–August 23, 1819)Children: Christopher Grant Champlin, Oliver Hazard Perry II, Oliver Hazard Perry, Jr., Christopher Raymond, Elizabeth MasonNotable Quote: We have met the enemy and they are ours. Early Years Perry was born on August 23, 1785, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. He was the eldest of eight children born to Christopher and Sarah Perry. Among his younger siblings was Matthew Calbraith Perry who would later gain fame for opening Japan to the West. Raised in Rhode Island, Perry received his early education from his mother, including how to read and write. A member of a seafaring family, his father had served aboard privateers during the American Revolution and was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Navy in 1799. Given command of the frigate USS General Greene (30 guns), Christopher Perry soon obtained a midshipmans warrant for his eldest son. The Quasi-War Officially appointed a midshipman on April 7, 1799, the 13-year old Perry reported aboard his fathers ship and saw extensive service during the Quasi-War with France. First sailing in June, the frigate escorted a convoy to Havana, Cuba where a large number of the crew contracted yellow fever. Returning north, Perry and  General Greene then received orders to take station off  Cap‑Franà §ais, San Domingo (present-day Haiti). From this position, it worked to protect and re-capture American merchant ships and later played a role in the Haitian Revolution. This included blockading the port of Jacmel and providing naval gunfire support for General Toussaint Louvertures forces ashore. Barbary Wars With the end of hostilities in September 1800, the elder Perry prepared to retire. Pushing ahead with his naval career, Perry saw action during the First Barbary War (1801–1805). Assigned to the frigate USS Adams, he traveled to the Mediterranean. An acting lieutenant in 1805, Perry commanded the schooner USS Nautilus as part of a flotilla assigned to support of William Eaton and First Lieutenant Presley OBannons campaign ashore, which culminated with the Battle of Derna. USS Revenge Returning to the United States at the end of the war, Perry was placed on leave for 1806 and 1807 before receiving an assignment to construct flotillas of gunboats along the New England coast. Returning to Rhode Island, he was soon bored by this duty. Perrys fortunes changed in April 1809 when he received command of the schooner USS Revenge. For the remainder of the year, Revenge cruised in the Atlantic as part of Commodore John Rodgers squadron. Ordered south in 1810, Perry had Revenge refitted at the Washington Navy Yard. Departing, the ship was badly damaged in a storm off Charleston, South Carolina that July. Working to enforce the Embargo Act, Perrys health was negatively affected by the heat of southern waters. That fall, Revenge was ordered north to conduct harbor surveys of New London, Connecticut, Newport, Rhode Island, and Gardiners Bay, New York. On January 9, 1811, Revenge ran aground off Rhode Island. Unable to free the vessel, it was abandoned and Perry worked to rescue his crew before departing himself. A subsequent court-martial cleared him of any wrongdoing in Revenges loss and placed blame for the ships grounding on the pilot. Taking some leave, Perry married Elizabeth Champlin Mason on May 5. Returning from his honeymoon, he remained unemployed for nearly a year. War of 1812 Begins As relations with Great Britain began to deteriorate in May 1812, Perry began actively seeking a sea-going assignment. With the outbreak of the War of 1812 the following month, Perry received command of gunboat flotilla at Newport, Rhode Island. Over the next several months, Perry grew frustrated as his comrades aboard frigates such as USS Constitution and USS United States gained glory and fame. Though promoted to master commandant in October 1812, Perry wished to see active service and began relentlessly badgering the Navy Department for a sea-going assignment. To Lake Erie Unable to achieve his goal, he contacted his friend Commodore Isaac Chauncey who was commanding U.S. Naval forces on the Great Lakes. Desperate for experienced officers and men, Chauncey secured Perry a transfer to the lakes in February 1813. Reaching Chaunceys headquarters at Sackets Harbor, New York, on March 3, Perry remained there for two weeks as his superior was expecting a British attack. When this failed to materialize, Chauncey directed him to take command of the small fleet being built on Lake Erie by Daniel Dobbins and noted New York shipbuilder Noah Brown. Building a Fleet Arriving at Erie, Pennsylvania, Perry commenced a naval building race with his British counterpart Commander Robert Barclay. Working tirelessly through the summer, Perry, Dobbins, and Brown ultimately constructed a fleet that included the brigs USS Lawrence and USS Niagara, as well as seven smaller vessels: USS Ariel, USS Caledonia, USS Scorpion, USS Somers, USS Porcupine, USS Tigress, and USS Trippe. Floating the two brigs over Presque Isles sandbar with the aid of wooden camels on July 29, Perry commenced fitting out his fleet. With the two brigs ready for sea, Perry obtained additional seamen from Chauncey including a group of around 50 men from Constitution, which was undergoing a refit at Boston. Departing Presque Isle in early September, Perry met with  General William Henry Harrison at Sandusky, Ohio before taking effective control of the lake. From this position, he was able to prevent supplies from reaching the British base at Amherstburg. Perry commanded the squadron from Lawrence, which flew a blue battle flag emblazoned with Captain James Lawrences immortal command, Dont Give Up the Ship. Lieutenant Jesse Elliot, Perrys executive officer, commanded Niagara. Battle of Lake Erie On September 10, Perrys fleet engaged Barclay at the Battle of Lake Erie. In the course of the fighting, Lawrence was nearly overwhelmed by the British squadron and Elliot was late in entering the fray with Niagara. With Lawrence in a battered state, Perry boarded a small boat and transferred to Niagara. Coming aboard, he ordered Elliot to take the boat to hasten the arrival of several American gunboats. Charging forward, Perry used Niagara to turn the tide of the battle and succeeded in capturing Barclays flagship, HMS Detroit, as well as the rest of the British squadron. Writing to Harrison ashore, Perry reported, We have met the enemy and they are ours. Following the triumph, Perry ferried Harrisons Army of the Northwest to Detroit, where it began its advance into Canada. This campaign culminated in the American victory at the Battle of the Thames on October 5, 1813. In the wake of the action, no conclusive explanation was given as to why Elliot delayed in entering the battle. Hailed as a hero, Perry was promoted to captain and briefly returned to Rhode Island. Postwar Controversies In July 1814, Perry was given command of the new frigate USS Java, which was then under construction at Baltimore. Overseeing this work, he was present in the city during the British attacks on North Point and Fort McHenry that September. Standing by his unfinished ship, Perry was initially fearful that he would have to burn it to prevent capture. Following the British defeat, Perry endeavored to complete Java but the frigate would not be finished until after the war ended. Sailing in 1815, Perry took part in the Second Barbary War and aided in bringing the pirates in that region to heel. While in the Mediterranean, Perry and Javas Marine officer, John Heath, had an argument that led to the former slapping the latter. Both were court-martialed and officially reprimanded. Returning to the United States in 1817, they fought a duel which saw neither injured. This period also saw a renewal of the controversy over Elliots behavior on Lake Erie. After an exchange of angry letters, Elliot challenged Perry to a duel. Declining, Perry instead filed charges against Elliot for conduct unbecoming an officer and failure to do his utmost in the face of the enemy. Final Mission and Death Recognizing the potential scandal that would ensue if the court-martial moved forward, the secretary of the Navy asked President James Monroe to address the issue. Not wishing to sully to the reputation of two nationally-known and politically-connected officers, Monroe diffused the situation by ordering Perry to conduct a key diplomatic mission to South America. Sailing aboard the frigate USS John Adams in June 1819, Perry arrived off the Orinoco River a month later. Ascending the river aboard USS Nonsuch, he reached Angostura where he conducted meetings with Simon Bolivar. Concluding their business, Perry departed on August 11. While sailing down the river, he was stricken with yellow fever. During the voyage, Perrys condition rapidly worsened and he died off the Port of Spain, Trinidad on August 23, 1819, having turned 34 that day. Following his death, Perrys body was transported back to the United States and buried in Newport, Rhode Island. Sources â€Å"Oliver Hazard Perry.†Ã‚  American Battlefield Trust, 5 May 2017.â€Å"Oliver Hazard Perry.†Ã‚  Naval History and Heritage Command.â€Å"Battle of Lake Erie.†Ã‚  Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island.

There are three topic in the file. choose one of them. thanks Essay

There are three topic in the file. choose one of them. thanks - Essay Example From the inception of patriarchal society, women’s labor has been carefully and systematically neglected and pushed to the background. It has never been acknowledged as pertinent to the main economic sources and centers of power. America, with its Puritan origins, strictly adhered to narrow gender roles, as religion dictated. The duties of women had been, traditionally, confined to the home and the hearth. They were the biblical ‘helpmates’, the passive caretaker of their children and their husband, while men were exalted as brave, noble and powerful in their ability to provide for and protect their women. In the 19th century, rapid industrialization produced a demand for cheap labor in America. Rural men who began to throng the busy cities in search of work seized this opportunity. Economy saw a shift from an agrarian mode to the dominance of waged labor. The vision of the earning man and the meek mother and wife – the ‘angel of the house’ - b ecame a cultural stereotype that was repeatedly reinforced through the literature and the politics of the day. However, the social climate was slowly changing. During the 1820s, women, especially young farm girls, began to participate in waged work as demand for labor rose. Women began to occupy a substantial position in the economic scheme of the newly industrialized nation. (Figart 1) The division between the spheres of the glorified male and degraded female labor saw a definite change in the 20th century United States. Emma Goldman, in her radically anarchist essay, champions the rights of worker, both male and female, over the state-issued exploitative policies of a greedy, capitalist society (Goldman). American Women Workers in the early 20th century As women became integrated within the larger economic network, the number of paid women workers began to increase. In the 20th century, for the first time in the history of the nation, women labor became an ‘established prese nce’ in the industrial set up. (Figart) However, while capitalist exploitation was a predominant evil of the American society, severe gender bias created an added problem for the female workers. In the early 20th century, they were still social and cultural stigmas associated with married women workers, unless they could provide evidence severe financial necessity. Furthermore, on the hand, the patriarchal order of society began to perceive threats in the increasing number of financially independent women who were now competing with men for their of the job market, since female labor cost less and were more easily exploitable. The women were not only victimized by their employers, economically and physically, but also by the larger society through marginalization and stigma. Racial and class divisions were crucial features of labor politics. When the viciousness of the First World War (1914-1918) took the men away from home, white, middle class women began to emerge from thei r sheltered existence and took on the novel role of the ‘breadwinner’. Previously, waged work was limited to the colored, poor or immigrant women. Now, with the inclusion of the educated middle women’s work, for the first time, gained an amount of prestige and social approval that

Lending & Securities Course Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lending & Securities Course - Research Paper Example This study has been conducted based on secondary research mainly information from the official website of the company. It will deal with in depth research on wide areas of banking activities and its target customers. NBAD practices both commercial and investment banking activities and it offers flawless banking services to individual as well as institutional customers. As this study mainly focuses on commercial lending, therefore, need of long term and short term financing of the potential consumers needed to be analyzed. NBD has disclosed detailed information related to its short and long term lending like starting from the details of different lending schemes for individual as we institutions, investment banking services to business for raising finance and other strategic financial activity, eligibility criteria and requirements of security for lending, banks analysis of future value of securities deposited by the banks etc.According to the report findings  National Bank of Abu D habi is market leader in core business lines in this industry. The company follows franchisee based business activity. It is the largest banking franchise in UAE with more than 140 branches and 740 ATMs and cash deposit machines across the UAE. This banking group is also major player in the corporate banking or business arena. It provides portfolio management and wealth management services to HNI individuals.   The company is a leading player in emerging Islamic banking, investment banking and private banking services in UAE and other Middle East countries. The bank is recognized as a leader in its high competence areas like asset management and financial brokerage services. This company has been well positioned among its target customers for its high value added services and delivering corporate value to shareholders and employees. Apart from its active business operation in UAE, the company is also successfully penetrated in emerging foreign markets like Qatar, United Kingdom, S ingapore and Jersey. The overall business activity is maintained by more than 8000 employees from more than 50 nationalities which have made the most diversified cultured organization in UAE region. Corporate social responsibility is key part of its business activity. National Bank of Abu Dhabi is involved in many corporate social activities like charity, education, culture, art and sports. It always focuses on the national culture into its business culture and dedicated to preservation of it. Discussion There are two different types of customers of the bank. One is individual people and another is small and medium businesses that require loans from the bank. Individual customers requires loan for personal requirements like marriage, child’s education etc. they also need loan for buying persona car, buying a property and many other reasons. The bank also offer a complete package of short term and long term lending facility to its priority individual customers under personal b anking. It provides short term and lo