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[ CC ] The Third Stanza
Seeking interpretations of the poem
"The Last Bargain" by Rabindranath Tagore,
Mister Sykes navigated the classroom
as if Alladdin floating on his magic carpet.
Susie Speckledbottom zealously raised a hand.
It's about how power always fails to deliver
on it's promise of alleviating your hardships,
symbolized by the King in the first stanza
flaking on hiring a man desperate for work.
Proud of her answer, she beamed, riding
upon a ninth cloud of her own self worth.
The teacher nodded, somewhat impressed ...
yet hardly satisfied with the intuitive response.
Why is that? he queried, quite down to earth
now in his pacing, same as anyone in his shoes.
Johnny Proudfoot couldn't help blurting out:
Because Money is Power; the more you spend
towards easing burdens, the more you expend
time and energy earning it back! This is evident
by the man counting gold in the second stanza
who didn't want to toil in the afternoon heat!
Sykes, feeling a migraine developing, rebuttled.
Neither did the narrator turning down his offer.
He rubbed his temple as if it were a genia's lamp
wishing for the nagging feeling to go away
while meandering through rows of desks
occasionally glancing at the overbearing clock.
Ann Architect timidly raised her hand.
His poem is about doing what you love
for the sake of enjoying yourself at play,
without expectation of anything in return.
Thus, you become truly free of obligations
---no longer is there need for money or power;
time lost and energy exerted is inconsequential.
The final stanza is very self explanatory.
Excellent! Mister Syke exclaimed.
However, he suddenly whirled about
with a crazed look in his eyes reminiscent of
Victor Frankenstein or Gene Wilder or both
simultaneously grappling great mysteries of Life,
hands slamming hard upon Bobby Rottenbrain's desk!
But what of Stanza Three that reads:
"It was evening. The garden hedge was all aflower.
The fair maid came out and said, "I will hire you with a smile."
Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went back alone into the dark."
Can anyone tell me what this means?!
Bobby sort of wet himself, while the remaining
students nervously glanced at one another.
The entire classroom was deathly silent.
The teacher sighed in exasperation, defeated.
I was hoping you could tell me, because even
I don't know.
The bell rang.
Children more than less fled the room.
On the way out, Abby Rhodescholar
handed him an apple from her bookbag.
Don't worry, Mister Sykes,
she said with a smile wide beyond her ears.
Now that you've asked the question
the answer will surely come
when it is time for you to know.
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