He: (Shey) (Modern Classics (Penguin)) by Rabindranath Tagore Read Free Book Online Page B

of knowing him.
    Udho . You can’t test people by making them climb trees, brother. I had a brainwave. My hog-plum tree was laden with fruit, and I said to everyone I saw, ‘Come, climb the tree and help yourself to all the fruit you want.’ The tree’s been stripped bare, the branches are wrecked, but I’ve yet to spot this elusive tree-climber.
    Ponchu . There’s no time to waste—let’s get going. With luck, we’re bound to get a glimpse of the sage. Why not call upon him, ‘Tree-Sage, O Tree-Sage, kind and compassionate Tree-Sage, if you’re lurking somewhere in these parul woods, do appear before us unhappy mortals.’
    Gobra . That’s enough! The Tree-Sage has had mercy upon us!
    Ponchu . Where, where?
    Gobra . Why, on that chalta tree over there!
    Ponchu . What? I don’t see anything!
    Gobra . Why, can’t you see it swinging?
    Ponchu . Swinging? But that’s a tail!
    Udho . Have you lost your wits, Gobra? That’s not the Tree-Sage; it’s a monkey! Don’t you see it pulling faces at us?
    Gobra . It’s a dark age, you see. The Tree-Sage has disguised himself as a monkey to trick us.
    Ponchu . We’re not deceived, your black face can’t deceive us! Make as many faces as you like, we’re not budging from this spot—we have sought the refuge of your holy tail.
    Gobra . Look! The sage is leaping away! He’s trying to give us the slip!
    Ponchu . That’s impossible! Can he ever outrun our devotion?
    Gobra . There he is, sitting on top of that bael tree!
    Udho . Go on, Ponchu, climb the tree!
    Ponchu . Why don’t you climb it?
    Udho . No, you climb it.
    Ponchu . We can’t ascend to your height, Baba. Have mercy on us and come down.
    Udho . Bless us, holy Tree-Sage. In our last hours, may we close our eyes with your holy tail round our necks.
     
    ‘Well then, nitwit, could you make her laugh?’
    ‘No. It’s not easy to make a person laugh who believes unquestioningly in everything. In fact, I’m feeling rather apprehensive: what if Pupu-didi sends me in search of the Tree-Sage?’
    The look on Pupu-didi’s face caused me a twinge of misgiving as well. The idea of the Tree-Sage obviously appealed to her. Well, tomorrow I’ll conduct a little experiment, and find out if it’s possible to have a bit of fun over something without believing in it.
    After a while, Pupu-didi came to me and asked, ‘Dadamashai, what would you have asked the Tree-Sage for?’
    I answered, ‘I’d ask him for a magic pen that would make all Pupu-didi’s sums come out right.’
    Pupu-didi clapped her hands and cried, ‘What fun that would be!’
    This time, in her arithmetic exam, Pupu-didi has scored thirteen and a half out of a hundred.
----
    17 karamcha : a kind of fruit.
    18 kaviraj : ayurvedic doctor.
    19 siddhi : an intoxicating drink made from Indian hemp.

4
    I DON’T KNOW IF I’M AWAKE OR DREAMING. I DON’T KNOW HOW LATE IT is. The room is dark; the lantern stands outside in the veranda. A small bat is wheeling about the room, greedy for insect prey, like an unappeased spirit.
    He arrived and yelled out, ‘Dada, are you asleep?’ Without waiting for an answer, he burst into the room. He was shrouded from head to toe in a black rug.
    ‘What’s this you’re wearing?’ I demanded.
    ‘It’s my wedding suit,’ he answered.
    ‘Your wedding suit! Explain!’
    ‘I’m going to see my bride.’
    I don’t know why, but my sleep-befuddled senses found nothing inappropriate in his attire. I exclaimed enthusiastically, ‘You’re admirably garbed. I’m pleased to note your originality. Your costume is nothing short of classical.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘When Shiva married his ascetic bride, 20 he was draped in elephant hide. You’re in bearskin. Close enough. The sage Narada 21 would have approved.’
    ‘Dada, you’re a sensible man. That’s why I came to you, even at this hour of the night.’
    ‘How late is it?’
    ‘No later than one-thirty, I think.’
    ‘Must you visit your bride right