shaking and waking

let all the strains of joy mingle in my last song -
the joy that makes the earth flow over 
in riotous excess of the grass,
the joy that sets the twin sisters, life and death,
dancing over the wide world, 
the joy that sweeps in with the tempest,
shaking and waking all life with laughter,
the joy that sits still with its tears
on the open red lotus of pain,
and the joy that throws everything it has
upon the dust, and knows not a word.
                          -r. tagore
                             gitanjali