Rabindranath Tagore

UN NEBUN RĂTĂCEA ...

Un nebun rătăcea, cu păru-ncîlcit, ars de soare, acoperit de pulbere, cu trupul străveziu, buzele strînse ca şi poarta închisă a sufletului său, cu ochii arzînd, ca lampa de sticlă sclipînd ce-l însoţea, căutând piatra înţelepciunii.

Înaintea lui se frămînta imensitatea oceanului.
Valurile flecare povesteau despre comorile ascunse înlăuntrul lor şi rîdeau de nepriceputul care nu ştia să le-nţeleagă.
El mergea, fără nădejde şi fără odihnă, urmîndu-şi drumul spre ţinta ce-i devenise viaţă.
Asemeni oceanului, ce neîncetat se înalţă spre cer, ca să atingă necuprinsul.
Asemeni stelelor ce se rotesc, năzuind către o ţintă niciodată atinsă.
Astfel pe plaja pustie, nebunul, cu şuviţele roşcate de pulbere, rătăcea căutînd piatra înţelepciunii.

Într-o zi, un ştrengar se opri şi-l întrebă : " Cum ai găsit acest lanţ de aur, care-ţi încinge mijlocul ? "
Nebunul tresări, lanţul, cîndva de fier, se prefăcuse în aur ! Nu, nu visa, dar cum se întîmplase asta ?
Îşi lovi fruntea cu sălbăticie : " Unde, unde mi-am împlinit fără de ştire visul ? "
Prinsese obiceiul să încerce pietrele pe care le-aduna, lovindu-le cu lanţul său şi să le-arunce gînditor apoi, fără a cerceta de se-ntâmplase vreo schimbare ; aşa se face că sărmanul nebun găsise şi pierduse piatra înţelepciunii.

Amurgise ; spre apus, cerul era de aur.
Pustiit, cu trupul şi sufletul dezgolite, asemeni unui arbore dezrădăcinat, nebunul se porni să caute iar comoara pierdută.


A FOOL WAS WANDERING

A fool was wandering, with his hair tangled, burnt by the sun, covered with dust, with a transparent body, his lips tightened like the shut door of his soul, with his eyes burning, like the shining glass lamp which was accompaning him, looking for the philosopher's stone.


In front of him, the imensity of the ocean was rustling.
The talky waves was narrating about the treasures hidden inside them and was loughing at the silly man who don't know to understand them.
He was walking, hopeless and restless, fallowing his road towards the aim that had become his life.
Like the ocean, which continuously is rising towards the sky, to reach the infinity.
Like the stars which are turning round, longing to an aim never reached.
So, on the desert beach, the fool, with his reddish hair because of the dust, was wandering, looking for the philosopher's stone.

One day, a naughty boy has stopped and asked him : " How have you found this chain of gold, that girds your waist ? "
The fool started, the chain, once made by iron, had changed in gold ! No, he wasn't dreaming, but how was it happened ?
He stroke his forehead wildly : " Where, where, my dream had fulfilled, without me noticing it ?
He used to try the stones which he gethered, striking them with his chain and throw them thoughtfully later, without checking up if any change had happened ; so that, the poor fool had found and had lost the philosopher's stone.

It was twilight; at west, the sky was made by gold.
Devastated, with his body naked and his soul empty, like an rootless tree, the fool began to seek again for the lost treasure.