THE WORLD TODAY IS WILD WITH THE DELIRIUM OF HATRED
Glossary and Notes
Wild
violent, unruly, uncontrollable, riotous
Delirium
restlessness, craze, state of mental confusion
Conflicts clashes, wars, fights, battles
Unceasing continuous, nonstop, unending
Anguish suffering, pain, torture
Crooked dishonest, corrupt, shady, deceitful
Tangle complicated, knotty, complex
A
new birth of thine The poet is referring to Lord Krishna’s
promise to Arjuna that he would take birth in this world whenever he finds evil
prospering and virtue suffering a decline.
Thine Yours
Thou
Old form of second person pronoun ‘You’
Boundless
life Immortal
Eternal
everlasting, endless
Let
love’s Lotus ...light The
poet calls upon God almighty to inspire people to love one another and spread
sweetness all around.
Inexhaustible
never-ending, infinite, unlimited
Serene
calm, peaceful
Immeasurable
beyond measure, endless, incalculable
Renunciation
The act of giving up or sacrificing or
surrendering
Splendour
brilliance, glory
Wisdom
ability to apply knowledge, experience, understanding or common sense
and insight
Self-seeking
self-centered,
self-interested
Flaunt
show off
Harmony
agreement of
opinions and actions
Regeneration the activity of spiritual or
physical renewal, revival
Short Answer Type
Questions
Q1. What is the situation of the world
as depicted by the poet? (60 words)
Ans.
The poet presents the sad state of the present-day world. It has gone mad with
hatred. There are cruel, unending clashes and barbarous wars. People have
become dishonest, greedy and selfish. There is utter exploitation of the
masses. They are in extreme pain. All creatures are crying for the new birth of
God to free this world from evil, hatred and war.
Q2. What is the poet’s prayer and to
whom?
Ans.
The poet prays to the Almighty to cleanse and renovate ‘the heart of this
earth’ and make it totally free from evil, hatred and war. He prays to God to
give us the power of renunciation. The poet appeals to God to take away our pride
and make us humane and selfless. He asks God to kindle the light of wisdom in
our hearts. The poet further prays to God to bring unity, harmony and rhythm of
beauty in the lives of people.
Q3. What does the blood red mark of
hatred signify?
Ans.
The blood red mark of hatred signifies the determination of many self- centred
and power-hungry nations to kill and destroy each other. They indulge in cruel
and unending wars which result in large scale deaths and destruction.
Q4. What type of a world would the poet
like to live in?
Ans.
The poet prays to God for the regeneration of humanity so that he can live in a
utopia of his own- a world totally free from evil, hatred and war. He wants the
earth to become a paradise of love, harmony and peace
Q5. What is the central idea conveyed
in the poem ‘The World Today is Wild with the Delirium of Hatred’?
Ans.
In the poem ‘The World Today is Wild with the Delirium of Hatred’ Rabindra Nath
Tagore raises his voice of protest against the atmosphere of distrust,
selfishness and hatred prevailing in the present world. He prays to God to
cleanse and renovate the heart of this earth and make it totally free from
evil, hatred and war. He wants the earth to become a paradise of love, harmony
and peace.
Objective Type
Questions
Q1. Name the poet of the poem ‘The
World Today is Wild with the Delirium of Hatred’.
Ans.
The poet of the poem is Rabindra Nath Tagore.
Q2. Against what does Tagore raise his
voice of protest in the poem ‘The World Today is Wild with the Delirium of
Hatred’?
Ans.
Tagore raises his voice of protest against the prevailing atmosphere of
distrust and hatred.
Q3. To whom does Tagore pray for
regeneration of humanity?
Ans.
Tagore prays to God, the Almighty for regeneration of humanity.
Q4. Who are crying for a new birth of
God?
Ans.
All creatures, suffering and in extreme pain, are crying for a new birth of
God.
Q5. What does God mean by ‘a new birth
of thine’?
Ans.
Here, Tagore is referring to Lord Krishna’s promise to Arjuna that he would
take birth in this world whenever he finds evil prospering and virtue suffering
a decline.
Q6. Who is called ‘O Thou of boundless
life’, ‘O Serene, O Free’, ‘Thou giver of immortal gifts’ in the poem?
Ans.
God is called ‘O Thou of boundless life’, ‘O Serene, O Free’, ‘Thou giver of
immortal gifts’ in the poem.
Q7. Give the figure of speech used in
the line: ‘Let Love's lotus with its inexhaustible treasure of honey.........’
Ans.
Metaphor.
Q8. What does the poet pray for from
the immortal giver of gifts on behalf of suffering humanity?
Ans.
The poet prays to God, the immortal giver of gifts, to give them power of
renunciation.
Q9. What will happen in ‘a new sunrise
of wisdom’?
Ans.
In the light of wisdom, the blind will regain their sight and the dead souls
will become alive again.
Q10. What do the countries far and wide
flaunt on their foreheads?
Ans.
The countries far and wide flaunt the blood red mark of hatred on their
foreheads.
Q11. What does the ‘blood red mark of
hatred’ signify?
Ans.
It signifies the determination of self-centered and power-hungry nations to
kill and destroy each other.
Q12. What does ‘Touch them with thy
right hand’ mean?
Ans.
It is a prayer of the poet to God to shower His Grace on nations at war so that
they learn to live in harmony with each other.
Q13. In what kind of the world does the
poet want to live?
Ans.
The poet wants to live in a world which is totally free from evil, hatred and
war.
Rabindra Nath Tagore: A Versatile
Genius
Born
Rabindranath Thakur 7 May 1861 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now
Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Died
7 August 1941 (aged 80) Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (now
Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Versatile
genius A gifted musician and composer, a painter, an actor, a dramatist, a
powerful speaker, a novelist, a short-story writer, a philosopher, a social
reformer
Language
Bengala
His
poems and short stories were translated into several languages of the world
Notable
works Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, Gora, Jana Gana Mana, Rabindra Sangeet, Amar
Shonar Bangla
A
very popular anthology piece; ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’
Notable
awards The Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali. Conferred
knighthood in 1915 by Britain’s King George V but renounced it in the wake of
the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Awarded a Doctorate of Literature at a
special ceremony held at Shantiniketan by the Oxford University in 1940.
The World Today is Wild with the
Delirium of Hatred
(Rabindra Nath Tagore)
The
world today is wild with the delirium of hatred,
the
conflicts are cruel and unceasing in anguish,
crooked
are its paths, tangled its bonds of greed.
All
creatures are crying for a new birth of thine,
O
Thou of boundless life,
save
them, rouse thine eternal voice of hope,
Let
Love's lotus with its inexhaustible treasure of honey
open
its petals in thy light.
O
Serene, O Free,
in
thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
wipe
away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.
Thou
giver of immortal gifts
give
us the power of renunciation
and
claim from us our pride.
In
the splendour of a new sunrise of wisdom
let
the blind gain their sight
and
let life come to the souls that are dead.
O
Serene, O Free,
in
thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
wipe
away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.
Man's
heart is anguished with the fever of unrest,
with
the poison of self-seeking,
with
a thirst that knows no end.
Countries
far and wide flaunt on their foreheads
the
blood-red mark of hatred.
Touch
them with thy right hand,
make
them one in spirit,
bring
harmony into their life,
bring
rhythm of beauty.
O
Serene, O Free,
in
thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
wipe
away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.
Outline of the Poem
•
Even after the devastation caused during World War I, the world community
whether in Europe, the United States of America, or the East, as in China, was
still not ready to learn anything from the experience. The clouds of war were hovering
in the sky and power-hungry nations were going crazy in their preparations for war.
The greatly agonized soul of Tagore couldn’t find any hope except in the prayer
to God Almighty. Tagore wrote this poem in 1927 in the form of a song sung by
Buddhist Bhikshus in the play Natir Puja written by him. Tagore accurately
describes the world as “wild with the delirium of hatred.” Cruel conflicts
follow one another, exploitation of the masses, tangled in “bonds of greed.”
“All creatures” seem to cry out for “a new birth,” while the stanza turns into
a prayer, addressing “O thou of boundless life,” “O Serene, O Free,” appealing
for the cleansing and renovation of “the heart of this earth.” The speaker
places his hope in “a new sunrise of wisdom,” the blind regaining “their
sight.” Man is wracked with “the poison of self-seeking,” “countries far and
wide” bear the marks of bloodlust. The poet appeals to the Divine Being, on
behalf of suffering humanity, to “make them one in spirit, bring harmony into
their life”.
• Reference: The
Poet’s Religion of Rabindranath Tagore Frederick Glaysher Poet and Literary
Critic; 409/410 Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities 3.4
Explanation with
Reference to the Context
The
world today is wild with the delirium of hatred,
the
conflicts are cruel and unceasing in anguish,
crooked
are its paths, tangled its bonds of greed. All creatures are crying for a new
birth of thine,
• Reference to the context: These
lines have been taken from the poem ‘The World Today is Wild with the Delirium
of Hatred’ written by ‘Rabindra Nath Tagore’. In the poem, the poet prays to
God to wipe away all the evils from the present world and turn it into a
paradise of love, harmony and peace.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet presents the sad state of the modern world which had gone
mad with hatred. There are cruel, unending clashes and barbarous wars. People
have become dishonest, greedy and selfish. There is utter exploitation of the
masses. They are in extreme pain. All the creatures are crying for the new
birth of God to free this world from evil, hatred and war.
O
Thou of boundless life,
save
them, rouse thine eternal voice of hope,
Let
Love's lotus with its inexhaustible treasure of honey
open
its petals in thy light.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet says that this earth is filled with hatred, greed and
selfishness. He prays to God who has infinite life to save mankind and fill it
with new hope and courage. The lotus of love with endless treasure of honey
should bloom in each heart. In other words, the poet calls upon God to inspire
people to love one another and spread sweetness all around.
Explanation with
Reference to the Context
O
Serene, O Free,
in
thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
wipe
away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet says that God is an embodiment of peace and freedom. He
is an infinite ocean of mercy and goodness. The poet prays to the Almighty to
cleanse and renovate ‘the heart of this earth’ and make it totally free from
evil, hatred and war.
Thou
giver of immortal gifts
give
us the power of renunciation
and
claim from us our pride.
• Explanation: In these lines, the poet prays to God
who has given us endless gifts to bestow us with the power of surrendering and
sacrificing for the good of others. The poet appeals to God to take away our
pride and make us humane and selfless.
In
the splendour of a new sunrise of wisdom
let
the blind gain their sight
and
let life come to the souls that are dead.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet prays to God for the regeneration of humanity. He says
that hatred, greed and selfishness have blinded the people in the present
world. They have lost their ability to make right judgements. They have become
dead to the pain and suffering of others. He asks God to kindle the light of
wisdom in their hearts. In the glory of this light, the blind will regain their
sight and the dead souls will become alive again.
Explanation with
Reference to the Context
O
Serene, O Free,
in
thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
wipe
away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet says that God is an embodiment of peace and freedom. He
is an infinite ocean of mercy and goodness. The poet prays to the Almighty to
cleanse and renovate ‘the heart of this earth’ and make it totally free from
evil, hatred and war.
Man's
heart is anguished with the fever of unrest,
with
the poison of self-seeking,
with
a thirst that knows no end.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet says that man’s heart in the present world is full of
restlessness and tensions. Selfishness and endless lust for money and power
have poisoned his life. He has lost his peace of mind.
Countries
far and wide flaunt on their foreheads
the
blood-red mark of hatred.
Touch
them with thy right hand,
make
them one in spirit,
bring
harmony into their life,
bring
rhythm of beauty.
• Explanation: In these
lines, the poet says that many power-hungry nations are filled with the
determination to kill and destroy each other. They indulge in cruel and
unending wars which result in large scale deaths and destruction. The poet
appeals to God to shower His Grace on them to bring unity, harmony and rhythm
of beauty in the lives of people.
O
Serene, O Free,
in
thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
wipe
away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.
• Explanation: In
these lines, the poet says that God is an embodiment of peace and freedom. He
is an infinite ocean of mercy and goodness. The poet prays to the Almighty to
cleanse and renovate ‘the heart of this earth’ and make it totally free from
evil, hatred and war.
Summary/ Substance of
the poem
In
the poem ‘The World Today is Wild with the Delirium of Hatred’ Rabindra Nath
Tagore raises his voice of protest against the atmosphere of distrust,
selfishness and hatred prevailing in the present world. He prays to God for the
regeneration of humanity. The present-day world has gone mad with hatred. There
are cruel, unending clashes and barbarous wars. People have become dishonest,
greedy and selfish. There is utter exploitation of the masses. They are in
extreme pain. All creatures are crying for the new birth of God. He prays to
God who has infinite life to save mankind and fill it with new hope and
courage. The poet calls upon God to inspire people to love one another and
spread sweetness all around. The poet prays to the Almighty to cleanse and
renovate ‘the heart of this earth’ and make it totally free from evil, hatred
and war. He prays to God to give us the power of renunciation. The poet appeals
to God to take away our pride and make us humane and selfless. He says that
hatred, greed and selfishness have blinded people in the present world. They
have lost their ability to make right judgements. They have become dead to the
pain and suffering of others. He asks God to kindle the light of wisdom in
their hearts. In the glory of this light, the blind will regain their sight and
the dead souls will become alive again. The man’s heart in the present world is
full of restlessness and tensions. Selfishness and endless lust for money and
power have poisoned his life. He has lost his peace of mind. Many power-hungry
nations are filled with the determination to kill and destroy each other. They
indulge in cruel and unending wars which result in large scale deaths and
destruction. The poet appeals to God to shower His Grace on them to bring
unity, harmony and rhythm of beauty in the lives of people. He wants the earth
to become a paradise of love, harmony and peace
