Heaven, If You Are Not Here On Earth

       Heaven, If You Are Not Here On Earth

                                                                                -Kuvempu

Photo by Lakshay Jain from Pexels

Summary:

 This poem is a translation of the Kannada poem Swargave, Bhoomiyoliradire Neenu. It reveals the rationalistic outlook of the poet who sees God in Nature. There is no other god for him since he has not been able to see any god nor has anyone else. Addressing heaven, the poet says that it cannot he far away in the sky or elsewhere; it has to be on the earth because there no other suitable place for it. We human beings have to be god and heavenly nymphs because there are no other gods and nymphs. Nobody has seen them. Nature is God to him, and worship of Nature is worship of God. Nature is bountiful and generous towards Man. All the beautiful things of the earth- the rushing, roaring stream with its sparkling water, the rolling surface at the edge of waves, the tender sunshine falling upon lush green gardens. The gentle sun warming the earth, the splendor of harvest and of moonlight — all these make the earth a heaven. He feels that surely, there cannot be anything more beautiful to constitute a heaven. As the proverb goes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Poets, being more sensitive, can see more than others. It is the poet, who, as the Kannada saying reveals, can see what the sun cannot see, and, by expressing everything in wonderful language, points out the beauty of earth to everyone. . By articulating his profound, noble thoughts, he crates heaven here itself.

Comprehension 1:

1. According to the poet ‘Heaven’ is   

a. on earth.

b. with us.

c. elsewhere.

Ans .a. on earth

2. Who creates ‘heaven on the earth’?

Ans. the poet

3. The poet finds god in

a. nature

b. earth

c. temple

Ans. a. nature

4. What does the line 'Heaven lies all over!' suggests?

Ans: Everything around is heavenly if only the eyes are ready to look at them.

 Comprehension 2:

1. Describe the beauty in nature that makes the earth a heavenly place.

 Ans. In order to stress his claim that heaven can be nowhere but this earth, the poet points to the many beauties of nature. He says the roaring, rushing stream with crystal-clear with water, the rolling milky-white surface at the edge of waves, the tender sunshine shining through the lush green leaves on verdant  gardens, the gentle sun warming the earth, the golden splendor of harvest and the cool, divine moonlight — all these make the earth a heavenly place. He feels that there cannot be anything more beautiful to constitute a heaven elsewhere.

2. Why does the poet feel that earth is more beautiful than heaven?

Ans. The poet feels that heaven cannot be anywhere else but on earth because everywhere around him, he sees wonderful scenes of pristine nature. Besides, he is amidst this beautiful nature and he has not seen heaven. Hence, instead of pining     for something he might never get to know, the poet feels all of us should thrill in being on this earth where nature is bountiful in every respect. Further, he is satisfied with himself because he is imbibing and spilling the song of nectar, thereby creating heaven on earth. That is to say, unlike others who cannot be poetic. he has the ability to recognize the beauty, of nature and express it vividly in well-measured lines. Through his articulation of his joy, he creates heaven on earth, for himself and for everyone else.

Comprehension Ill

1. How does the poet break the myth of heaven in this poem?

Ans. The poet says that heaven cannot be anywhere else but on earth because the earth is such a beautiful place that heaven deserves to be here and nowhere else. He believes that there cannot be anything more beautiful than what is found on earth. Besides, till now, nobody has seen heaven' or gods or nymphs. They are all creations of man's imagination. Therefore, he says that we have to be gods and heavenly nymphs. The poet, being a rationalist, believes in what he can see and touch, not in what he cannot see. He sees the bounty of nature all around him. So he says that nature is to the worshipped, and nature is the true God.  

2. How does the poem celebrate the power of the poet?

Ans. The poet, being a rationalist, believes that heaven is on earth. In order to prove his claim that heaven is only on this earth and not anywhere else, the poet gives many examples. He points to the roaring, rushing stream with crystal-clear water, the rolling milky-white surf at the edge of waves, the tender sunshine shining through the lush green leaves on verdant gardens, the gentle sun warming the earth, the golden splendor of harvest and the cool, divine moonlight — and says that all these make the earth a heavenly place. There cannot be anything more beautiful than all these. Thus, there cannot be another other place called heaven. Common people who are not very observant or articulate, miss the beauties of nature and carry on their mundane lives passively. The poet, being more sensitive and observant than others, imbibes and spills the song of nectar, pointing out the wonders of nature to everyone. In this manner, he creates heaven on earth through his poetry and invites everyone to experience the joy of being amidst bountiful nature. He says it is the poet who makes the earth appears heavenly.

Also don’t forget to see the To the Foot from Its Child chapter notes to see it click here