".............But it is a love, my beloved............"

The Gardener
By Rabindranath Tagore

Your questioning eyes are sad.
They seek to know my meaning
as the moon would fathom the sea.
I have bared my life before your eyes from end to end,
with nothing hidden or held back.
That is why you know me not.
If it were only a gem,
I could break it into a hundred pieces
and string them into a chain to put on your neck.
If it were only a flower, round and small and sweet,
I could pluck it from its stem to set it in your hair.
But it is a heart, my beloved.
Where are its shores and it's bottom?
You know not the limits of this kingdom,
still you are its queen.
If it were only a moment of pleasure
it would flower in an easy smile,
and you could see it and read it in a moment.
If it were merely a pain it would melt in limpid tears,
reflecting it's innermost secret without a word.
But it is a love, my beloved.
It's pleasure and pain are boundless,
and endless it's wants and wealth.
It is as near to you as your life,
but you can never wholly know it.