The Song Of the Free

 

  About the Poet :-

Swami Vivekanand was born on January 12, 1863 in a well-known family of calcutta (Now Kolkata). Before becoming a 'sanyasi',  his name was Narendranath Dutta. He graduated from Christian College in Calcutta in 1884. He came under the influence of Ram Krishna Paramhansa and became a reformer and religious teacher. He lived only for a brief span of forty years. Now his disciples and followers are found all over the world.

 About the Poem :-

The poem expresses the saint-poet's faith in the divine character of human soul. The world is full of pain, misery, troubles and difficulties. Fate and nature do not favour him. Yet he should not leave the right path and should remember that he has a divine power in him.

                                                     Text

The wounded snake its hood unfurls,

The flame stirred up doth blaze,

The desert air resounds the calls

Of heart-struck Lion's rage :

                      The cloud puts forth its deluge strength

                      When lightning cleaves its breast,

                      When the soul is stirred to its inmost depth

                      Great ones unfold their best !

Let eyes grow dim and heart grow faint

And friendship fail and love betray.

Let fate its hundred harrors send 

And clotted darkness block the way--

                      And nature were one angry frown

                      To crush you out--still know my soul,

                      You are divine, march on and on

                      Nor right nor left, but to the goal !

                                                                                 __ Swami Vivekanand

Appreciation of the Poem :-

The Song of the Free is a famous poem where the poet expresses his views on the philosophy of 'Advaitwad'. He tells us that despite all odds of life, we should not lose heart. We should understand the spiritual truth that our soul has a divine character and is unaffected by the oddities of human life.