The picture above shows Einstein and Tagore engaged in a dialogue regarding objectivity, subjectivity, the universe and identity.

The following is an excerpt from a poem simply titled "14" which appears in the section called "Poems of Hope and Defiance" in Later Poems of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore wrote from the point of view of an untouchable or outcast in the corrupted caste system of India. Many Indians fought non-violently to remove untouchability; Gandhi, Tagore's contemporary, called the "outcasts" "Harijan" or "Children of God".

14

Friendless as a child

And looking far away,

I live my days in solitude.

I was born in a world

Unloved, unclean,

A world without walls and blazons.

My neighbors' homes were circled by high fences.

I was a nameless boy, an outcast,

They had fine and crowded homes;

From afar, I watched their coming and their going

Along the paved way.

I have no caste,

And may not dine with them.

The men brought up in ritual and creed

Did not recognize Man in me,

Therefore I played on the streets alone.

Holding up their robes, they passed by,

And plucked flowers for the worship of their God,

Flowers plucked by the rules of their holy books;

And for my God, left behind

Flowers from all lands,

Flowers blessed by the same sun.

Neglected by the crowd

I have roved, hungry for unity with Man,

Whose guest-house has no walls, no guards.

Beyond the crowd I have found friends in my solitude,

Friends who in history's great Ages

Have come with lights,

Come with the Great Message.

They are heroes, death-conquerers,

They are my kith and kin,

My caste and my lineage.

By their constant purity, I am made pure.

They are Truth's pilgrims,

Light's worshippers,

Worthy possessors of Amrita*.

In the narrow circle, I have lost Man

And found him there, where he transcends

The limits of all lands.

With folded hands, I have prayed to Him:

'O Eternal Man, you who belong to all men,

Save me from the arrogance of Pride,

That wears the mark of Exclusion.'

What is your interpretation of "In the narrow circle, I have lost Man, and found him there, where he transcends the limits of all lands"?

How does Tagore distinguish between spirituality and religion?

Do you think the Indian outcast in this poem may be analogous to certain people in our society? Explain.

Who are the friends of which he speaks?