The Collected Plays. Rabindranath Tagore

      You don't want me to remain indoors?

      Why remain indoors? This outer world has been made with a lavish expenditure of sun and moon and stars. Let us enjoy it, and then we can save God's face for indulging in such extravagance.

      Leader

      What were you discussing?

      This:

      (They sing.)

      Play blooms in flower and ripens in fruit

       In the sunshine of eternal youth.

       Play bursts up in the blood-red fire, and licks into ashes the decaying and the dead.

      Our Dada's objection was about this play.

      Dada

      Shall I tell you the reason why?

      Yes, Dada, you may tell us, but we shan't promise to listen.

      Dada

      Here it is:

      Time is the capital of work,

       And Play is its defalcation.

       Play rifles the house, and then wastes its spoil,

       Therefore the wise call it worse than useless.

      Chandra

      But surely, Dada, you are talking nonsense. Time itself is Play. Its only object is Pas-time.

      Dada

      Then what is Work?

      Chandra

      Work is the dust raised by the passing of Time.

      Dada

      Leader, you must give us your answers.

      Leader

      No. I never give answers. I lead on from one question to another. That is my leadership.

      Dada

      Everything else has its limits, but your childishness is absolutely unbounded.

      Do you know the reason? It is because we are really nothing but children. And everything else has its limitations except the child.

      Dada

      Won't you ever attain Age?

      No, we shall never attain Age.

      We shall die old, but never attain Age.

      Chandra

      When we meet Age, we shall shave his head, and put him on a donkey, and send him across the river.

      Oh, you can save yourself the trouble of shaving his head for Age is bald.

      (They sing.)

      Our hair shall never turn grey,

       Never.

       There is no blank in this world for us, no break in our road,

       It may be an illusion that we follow,

       But it shall never play us false,

       Never.

      (The Leader sings.)

      Our hair shall never turn grey,

       Never.

       We will never doubt the world and shut our eyes to ponder.

       Never.

       We will not grope in the maze of our mind.

       We flow with the flood of things, from the mountain to the sea,

       We will never be lost in the desert sand,

       Never.

      We can tell, by his looks, that Dada will some day go to that Old Man, to receive his lessons.

      Leader

      Which Old Man?

      The Old Man of the line of Adam.

      He dwells in a cave, and never thinks of dying.

      Leader

      Where did you learn about him?

      Oh, every one talks about him, And it is in the books also.

      Leader

      What does he look like?

      Some say he is white, like the skull of a dead man. And some say he is dark, like the socket of a skeleton's eye.

      But haven't you heard any news of him, Leader?

      Leader

      I don't believe in him at all.

      Well, that goes entirely against current opinion. That Old Man is more existent than anything else. He lives within the ribs of creation.

      According to our Pundit, it is we who have no existence. You can't be certain whether we are, or are not.

      Chandra

      We? Oh, we are too brand new altogether. We haven't yet got our credentials to prove that we exist.

      Leader

      Have you really gone and opened communication with the Pundits?

      Why? What harm is there in that, Leader?

      Leader

      You will become pale, like the white mist in autumn. Even the least colour of blood will disappear from your mind. I have a suggestion.

      What, Leader? What?

      Leader

      You were looking out for a play?

      Yes, yes, we got quite frantic about it.

      We thought it over so vigorously, that people had to run to the King's court to lodge a complaint.

      Leader

      Well, I can suggest a play which will be new.

      What?—What?—Tell us.

      Leader

      Go and capture the Old Man.

      That is new, no doubt, but we very much doubt if it's a play.

      Leader

      I am sure you won't be able to do it.

      Not do it? We shall.

      Leader

      No, never.

      Well then, suppose we do capture him, what will you give us?

      Leader

      I shall accept you as my preceptor.

      Preceptor! You want to make us grey, and cold, and old, before our time.

      Leader

      Then, what do you want me to do?

      If we capture him, then we shall take away your leadership.

      Leader

      That will be a great relief to me. You have made all my bones out of joint already. Very well, then it's all settled?

      Yes, settled. We shall bring him to you by the next full moon of Spring.

      But what are we going to do with him?

      Leader

      You shall let him join in your Spring Festival.

      Oh no, that will be outrageous. Then the mango flowers will run to seed at once.

      And all the cuckoos will become owls.

      And the bees will go about reciting Sanskrit verses, making the air hum with m's and n's.

      Leader

      And your skull will be so top-heavy with prudence, that it will be difficult for you to keep on your feet.

      How