Tagore’s Seashore of Worlds

I have just read “Song 60” from the classic Gitanjali by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Its beautiful verses reminded me of a recent walk, on a golden afternoon, along the beach in Puerto Viejo, Limón. Children swam and played in the sea as the loving Nereid of the Caribbean watched over them. Their ludic freedom and simple beauty moved me, heralding the meaning of Tagore’s verses for me: “On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances. They build their houses with sand and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.” Let the children have their play on the seashore. And let us all play with them.