Class 10 1st Poem Leave this Chanting and Singing Rabindranath Tagore

 1st Poem 

    Leave this Chanting and Singing

            Rabindranath Tagore

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 forever.

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.

About the Poet

The poem “Leave This Chanting and Singing” was written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the first Asian Nobel Laureate in Literature (1913). He was a poet, philosopher, painter, playwright, and a reformer of Indian society. Tagore believed in universal humanism and spiritual freedom. He rejected blind rituals and emphasized finding God through love, service, and human connection rather than through formal religious practices.

About the Poem

The poem is from Tagore’s famous collection “Gitanjali” (Song Offerings), which earned him the Nobel Prize. In this poem, Tagore criticizes meaningless rituals like chanting, singing, and offering incense in dark temples. Instead, he presents a new vision of spirituality—one where God lives not in rituals or secluded shrines but in the everyday labor of farmers, workers, and ordinary people.

Summary of the Poem

The speaker in the poem tells worshippers to stop chanting, singing, and counting beads in temples. He declares that God is not hidden in dark corners but is present in the real world, among workers tilling the land and breaking stones. God shares in human struggle, under the sun and rain, covered with dust, toiling alongside mankind.

True deliverance, the poet says, cannot be found through ritualistic practices but through sharing life’s burdens with others. God himself has accepted the bonds of creation, so humans too should embrace work and service. The speaker finally urges worshippers to abandon empty meditation, flowers, and incense, and instead seek God in toil, sweat, and service to humanity.

The central message is that real devotion is in action, not ritual; in service, not seclusion.

Reading II

A. Find the words from the poem which have the following meanings.

a. a small piece of glass or stone threaded with others to make a necklace → beads

b. to prepare and use land for growing crops → tile

c. a piece of clothing → garment

d. a layer of something that covers a surface → mantle

e. the state of being rescued from danger, evil or pain → deliverance

f. a substance that produces a pleasant smell when you burn it → incense

g. covered with marks → stained

h. hard unpleasant work that makes you very tired → toil

B. Find the modern equivalents of the following archaic words used in the poem.

a. dost → do/does
b. thou → you
c. thine → your
d. thy → your

C. Answer the following questions.

a. Who is the poem addressed to?
The poem is directed towards people who seek God through age-old rituals like chanting, singing hymns, and counting beads.

b. What does the speaker advise people?
The speaker suggests that people should give up these conventional practices of worship and instead search for God in real life. He emphasizes that God dwells not in temples or secluded corners but in human labor and daily activities.

c. Where do people try to find the god?
People usually try to discover God in holy places like temples, in the shadows of shrines, and in spaces reserved for religious devotion.

d. Where, according to the speaker, does the god actually reside?
The speaker asserts that God truly lives in the living world, especially in the honest work of farmers and laborers who shape and sustain life.

e. How can people have a glimpse of the god?
One can catch sight of God by joining in the struggles of everyday life, by working hand in hand with ordinary people and sharing their labor.

f. Why can't the god rescue people?
God cannot rescue people because He is not present in rituals or lifeless idols. Unless people engage in real action and hard work, they cannot expect God’s help.

g. What does the speaker ask people to do in the last stanza?
In the last stanza, the speaker urges people to leave behind meditation, flowers, and incense, and instead seek God in sweat, effort, and the reality of human toil.

D. Do you believe in the existence of god? What do you do to please him? Share your opinion.
Yes, I believe in the existence of God. To please Him, I try to live a life of kindness, honesty, and service to others. Helping the poor, respecting everyone, and being compassionate are ways I show my devotion. I also pray regularly and express gratitude for the blessings I receive. For me, true worship lies in good deeds and maintaining faith, which gives me courage and inspiration in difficult times.