The Tiger And The Deer By Sri Aurovindo

About the Poet :

Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta on August 15, 1872. In 1879, at the age of seven, he was taken with his two elder brothers to England for education and lived there for fourteen years. Brought up at first in an English family at Manchester he joined St. Paul’s school in London in 1885 and in 1890 went from it with a senior classical scholarship to King’s College Cambridge, where he studied for two years. In 1890 he passed also the open competition for the Indian Civil Service, but he failed at riding examination. He joined Baroda service in 1893 and returned to India in the same year. He worked in Baroda service till 1906. He worked there first in the Revenue department and in Secretarial work for the Maharaja, afterwards as professor of English and finally as Vice- Principal at Baroda College.

The Poet and his works:

Sri Aurobindo is the name now given to Aurobindo Ghose. He came of a distinguished family of Calcutta. He had his early education of St. Paul’s School, London. Later, he studied at King’s College, Cambridge, where he showed a remarkable proficiency in English, French and the Classics. He showed his brilliance in the Indian Civil Service examination, but did not appear at the test for horse riding. because he had made up his mind not to serve the Britishers on his return from England. He joined the band of freedom fighters for the liberation of his motherland from foreign bondage He became a revolutionary. He at first believed in armed revolution. But later he gave up political associations and in response to his spiritual urges, he retired to Pondicherry, where he founded an Ashram and persuade his spiritual vocation for the rest of his life.

Sri Aurobindo was a veritable intellectual prodigy. He was proficient in several European languages and was completely at home with the great classics of Greece, Rome, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. He was a versatile student of many Indian languages and of Sanskrit. He made a profound study of the Rigveda. As a devoted and practical yogi and penetrating analyst, he made memorable contribution to the religious literature of the country and his “Life Divine” is truly a magnum opus. His writings include poetry, drama, literary criticism and philosophical treatises. In his greatest literary creation, Savitri, which is an epic poem. he records his faith that man can grow out of his present imperfection into a perfect individual. The poetic message of Sri Aurobindo may be regarded as a synthesis of human aspirations and the passionate longing of humanity for the responsive “call divine”.

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Summary:

The poem starts with a splendid picture of the tiger.. He describes the physical beauty of the tiger and its surrounding. The Tiger is a splendid creature. It walks awkwardly, some time crawling in the middle of the green forest. His eyes shine with brightness. He possesses a strong chest. His paws are soft, hence they make no noise. His paws are sublime and murderous at the same time. Sublime because of its splendid softness and murderous because its one blow kills innocent creatures. When the tiger walks the wind slows its movement otherwise the noise and voice can disturb that splendid yet pitiless creature, that is tiger. The wind stops its movement but the tiger crawls towards its aim without making noise. Such movement of the tiger is fatal because by walking thus he is preparing himself for an attack. The tiger jumps as death on the beautiful wild deer as it was drinking water in a pool under the shadows of leaves. He was not conscious of the death which was coming over him. He was torn, he died remembering its mate in the deep woodland.

Thus the poet says, the innocent beauty of nature was destroyed by the cruel beauty of nature. The poet is hopeful that a day will come. when this order will be changed. The tiger will not slouch and crawl in the dreadful heart of the forest. When this will happen, the deer will peacefully drink the water from the pool. It is the faith of the poet that the very strength and might of the mighty creatures will cause their destruction. The mighty will perish. The killed will survive the killer. The poet points out that the tender forces are more enduring than the cruel forces of nature. It means that humanity is stronger than animality.

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