The central idea of Balkrishna Sama’s poem “All-Pervading Poetry” is that poetry is not confined to specific places or objects: it exists everywhere, in nature, in human experiences, in joy, sorrow, and even in destruction. To perceive it, one must look with love, sympathy, and a sensitive vision. The poem emphasizes that poetry is an all-pervading essence of life and the universe, waiting to be discovered by those who see deeply and feel profoundly.
Summary
The poem begins with a holy man who sets out with a big basket, determined to gather poetry from nature. He searches through forests, hills, streams, waterfalls, fruits, and bushes, but finds nothing. Disappointed, he thinks poetry must be out of season and starts to return home. On his way, he meets an aesthete (a person sensitive to beauty and art).
The holy man asks about poetry, and the aesthete explains that poetry is everywhere. If one looks at nature with dull or ordinary eyes, even a waterfall may seem dry, like youth fading away. But in reality, nothing can dry up the vitality of nature or destroy its beauty. The aesthete urges the holy man to look with greater love, sympathy, and sensitivity. He tells him to feel the world’s joys and sorrows deeply, to let his heart be moved, and then poetry will reveal itself.
According to the aesthete, if one looks with such an awakened vision, even rocks will show veins of blood, stones will have hearts, cliffs will flow with nectar, and poetry will become a drinkable essence. After saying this, the aesthete disappears, like melting wax under the sun.
The holy man’s eyes, too, begin to soften. He sees the trees turning into resin, fruits into honey, fields into lakes, the world melting like snow, the sky becoming the river Ganga, and stars dissolving into drops of water. At that moment, he realizes that he himself is only like a teardrop in the vast universe.
Finally, he discovers that poetry surges everywhere: in each atom, in the sound of destruction, and throughout the entire world. Poetry is all-pervading, eternal, and inseparable from existence itself.
In simple words, the poem shows that poetry is not something to be searched for in particular places. It is present everywhere: in nature, in human experience, in joy and sorrow, and even in destruction. To find poetry, one needs sympathy, love, and a sensitive vision, not just physical searching.
Interpretation
The poem “All-Pervading Poetry” presents a thoughtful message about where poetry truly exists and how it can be discovered. It begins with a holy man who goes into the forest carrying a large basket, hoping to gather poetry as if it were a physical object. He searches everywhere — in hills, streams, waterfalls, fruits, and bushes — but finds nothing. His failure shows that poetry cannot be collected by simply looking at the outer world with ordinary eyes.
When the holy man meets an aesthete, the aesthete explains that poetry is present everywhere, but it cannot be seen unless one looks with sensitivity and depth. If a person observes the world with a dull mind, even a beautiful waterfall will seem dry and empty. But if the mind and heart are filled with love, sympathy, and awareness, the natural world becomes alive with meaning. The aesthete teaches that poetry is not found in objects themselves but in the feelings and insights that arise within a person who truly engages with the world.
After the aesthete disappears, the holy man begins to see everything differently: trees melt into resin, fruits into honey, fields into lakes, and the entire world seems to soften and dissolve. This transformation shows the awakening of his inner vision. He realizes that he himself is only a small part of a vast universe, like a teardrop within the great flow of existence.
In the end, he discovers that poetry is everywhere—in every atom, in creation and destruction, and in every part of life. The poem teaches that poetry is all-pervading, and one must feel deeply to truly experience it.
Understanding
1. What is the holy man in search of? Did he find the object of his search?
The holy man is searching for poetry. He goes through forests, hills, streams, waterfalls, and fields looking for it. At first, he does not find what he is searching for because he is looking for poetry outside, as if it were an object he could collect in a basket.
2. How does the aesthete answer the holy man?The aesthete tells him that poetry is everywhere. He explains that if we look at nature with dull or ordinary eyes, we cannot see poetry. But if we look with love, sympathy, and deep feeling, then we will find poetry in everything around us.
3. What happens when we look at the world through prosaic eyes?When we look at the world with prosaic (plain, unfeeling) eyes, the world appears dry, empty, and lifeless. Even a beautiful waterfall seems dry and meaningless, like youth fading away. We fail to see beauty, meaning, and poetry.
4. How is poetry created in the heart?Poetry is created when the heart is filled with love, sympathy, and deep emotional experience. When a person feels the world’s joys and sorrows, and their eyes become soft with understanding, poetry rises naturally from those feelings.
5. Does the aesthete see the universe as alive? Explain.Yes, the aesthete sees the universe as alive. He believes that everything — rocks, stones, cliffs, trees, and even atoms — has inner life. He says that rocks have “blood,” stones have “hearts,” and cliffs can shower “nectar.” For him, the whole universe is full of living energy, and poetry flows from every part of it.
Rhetoric/Language/Writing
1. Why does the poet use a holy man in this poem? Is it because poetry and religion do not come together?
The poet uses a holy man to show that even a spiritual person, who is searching for deeper truth, may fail to see poetry if he looks for it in the wrong way. It is not because poetry and religion cannot come together. Instead, the poem suggests that both require inner vision, sensitivity, and love. The holy man represents a seeker who must learn to look with a softer, more understanding heart to find poetry.
2. Find out the different similes used in the poem. How do they contribute to the poem's argument?The poem uses several similes, such as:
- The aesthete “melting like beeswax in the sun.”
- Trees melting “like resin.”
- Fruits melting “like honey.”
- The whole world thawing “like snow.”
3. What is the tone of the poem?
The tone of the poem is gentle, reflective, and spiritual. It teaches a lesson about seeing beauty and poetry through deeper feelings, not through ordinary observation.
4. What is the significance of the softening of the holy man's eyes (L. 31)?The softening of the holy man's eyes shows that his inner vision is awakening. He begins to see the world with love, sympathy, and sensitivity — just as the aesthete advised. This moment marks the start of his true understanding of poetry.
5. Explain the metaphors of the "blood" (L. 24) and "Ganga" (L. 35) in the poem.
The “blood” in the veins of rocks suggests that even stones and cliffs have life and feeling. It means that poetry exists even in things that appear lifeless.
The “Ganga” metaphor shows the sky melting into a sacred river. It suggests that when the mind opens, the whole universe becomes pure, flowing, and full of divine meaning. It shows the holy man's realization that poetry pervades everything.
Discussion
1. The poet's primary task in the poem is to argue how the universe is ablaze with poetry. Are the arguments strong enough to make the poem a strong statement for the universality of poetry?
Yes, the poet’s arguments are strong. He shows that poetry is not limited to special places or objects. Through the aesthete’s words, the poem explains that poetry appears when a person looks at the world with deep love, sympathy, and imagination. The holy man’s transformation — seeing trees, fruits, fields, the sky, and even stars melt into soft, flowing forms — gives powerful images that support the idea that poetry fills the whole universe. Thus, the poem makes a convincing case that poetry is universal and present in everything.
2. The same blood flows in the heart of a human being and a rock. Discuss.
This idea comes from the aesthete’s teaching. It means that even things that look hard, lifeless, or ordinary — like rocks and stones — have inner energy and meaning. When a sensitive person looks deeply, they can feel life in every part of nature. The “blood” in rocks is a metaphor suggesting that the same life force and beauty that move human beings also exist in the natural world. Everything is connected, and everything contains poetry.
3. Poetry is defined as "literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm" (Britannica). Does the poem "All-Pervading Poetry" fulfill this definition of poetry?
Yes, it does. The poem uses rich images, strong emotions, and imaginative language to express deep experiences. It makes the reader look at the world with new awareness. The poem’s images — melting trees, flowing cliffs, blood in rocks, the sky turning into Ganga — create emotional and imaginative responses. The language is carefully chosen to show meaning, sound, and rhythm. So the poem clearly meets the definition of poetry as concentrated imaginative awareness expressed through meaningful language.
4. Compare this poem with Sama's another poem, "Don't Cut Down the Trees", also translated by Michael Hutt. On the basis of the two poems, try to make an estimate of Sama as a poet.In “All-Pervading Poetry,” Sama shows that poetry exists in every part of the universe. In “Don’t Cut Down the Trees,” he speaks for nature’s protection and shows deep respect for the environment. Both poems reveal his ability to see nature as alive, meaningful, and connected to human feeling. He uses strong images, emotional depth, and spiritual insight. Based on both poems, Sama can be seen as a poet who is sensitive, imaginative, nature-loving, and deeply aware of the spiritual unity between humans and the natural world.
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