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Vsuresh Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
meaning
Hi
I want to know what the bolded portion mean. This is an extract from the poem Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.
"The sea surges up with laughter, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach."
I want to know what the bolded portion mean. This is an extract from the poem Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.
"The sea surges up with laughter, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach."
Top answer
" Perhaps the beach is pleased to have the sea playing with children. I'll admit "Pale" and "gleams" as a collocation make a strange paradox. Does the word order seem unnatural to you?
- " Perhaps the beach is pleased to have the sea playing with children.
- I'll admit "Pale" and "gleams" as a collocation make a strange paradox.
- Does the word order seem unnatural to you?
- These inversions are common in poetry.
- Pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach.
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5 Answers
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vsureshand pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach."The typical ocean beach is a strip/stripe/line, perhaps like the smile on a "happy face." Perhaps the beach is pleased to have the sea playing with children.
I'll admit "Pale" and "gleams" as a collocation make a strange paradox.
Does the word order seem unnatural to you?
These inversions are com
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Thank you Avangi for your help.
Pale means something dull or sad and gleam means to shine
Now I am unable to understand why it is pale when the mood is otherwise happy.
Pale means something dull or sad and gleam means to shine
Now I am unable to understand why it is pale when the mood is otherwise happy.
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The paleness of the smile is for the hidden threat that the sea holds. The mood is not that happy when you have "death-dealing" anything around. The mood is ominous, almost creepy.
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A gleam is a dull shine, a brief dull shine. (I've never read Tagore before. Wow.) The word adds to the malevolence. The beach lures the children with all the beauty and serenity it can muster. It can only manage a dull glimmer, but it should be enough to draw them to the careless, deadly sea. Or maybe the beach takes evil pleasure in its work, and the dull gleam is its eldritch mirth.
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