A BLISS OF SOLITUDE
Far off when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude
And then my heart with pleasures fills
And dances with daffodils
Lines from Wordsworth’s famous poem Daffodils – I always find these lines very fascinating, especially for that Bliss of Solitude which Wordsworth refers.
As I sit alone in my balcony on a sloppy Sunday, sipping cupful of coffee and observing picturesque scenery in splashing showers, I could not appreciate more, the fascination of this bliss of solitude.
Solitude is a state of being alone. But it is quite different from loneliness. While loneliness is forced on you and leads to dejection, solitude enlivens the mind. I have really enjoyed such relaxing moments of solitude over last four years since I left my home for job. And it has always been very refreshing.
On lazy Sunday afternoons sitting in the balcony or on relax evenings on the sea shore, or during rain soaked late nights or in wee hours of any day when first sun rays start painting the skies, solitude enables me to slip in a pensive mood and gives opportunity for refreshing exchange with inner mind. One gets chance to daydream, or to figure out some seemingly incomprehensible problem of life, or to appreciate the paradoxes of world around, or to marvel some nice book or piece of music captured in distant memory, or simply to enjoy any mundane activity.
When great Marathi Saint Tukaram says “येणे सू़खे रूचे ए़कान्ताचा वास!.....आपलाची वाद आपणासी!” (Thus it’s such a happy state of being alone and having dialogue with self) he really refers this bliss of solitude. Such refreshing dialogue with self, unfolds a rainbow of ideas- ideas ranging from a new recipe of cooking a fish to writing this article keep flashing in my mind in such fascinating moments of inner chatting.
Experiencing solitude is always very fascinating but one has to be careful that it should not lead to loneliness. As solitude is refreshing so is sharing. Getting connected with our family and friends and experiencing our triumphs and travails with them has an aura of its own.
Of course in today’s busy, noisy and hungama filled world, managing few quiet and relaxed moments engrossed in blissful pensive mood is a mystically fanciful experience. This really throws open an opportunity to watch with our inner eyes-
‘A host of golden daffodils
Besides the lake, beneath the tress
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze’
Far off when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude
And then my heart with pleasures fills
And dances with daffodils
Lines from Wordsworth’s famous poem Daffodils – I always find these lines very fascinating, especially for that Bliss of Solitude which Wordsworth refers.
As I sit alone in my balcony on a sloppy Sunday, sipping cupful of coffee and observing picturesque scenery in splashing showers, I could not appreciate more, the fascination of this bliss of solitude.
Solitude is a state of being alone. But it is quite different from loneliness. While loneliness is forced on you and leads to dejection, solitude enlivens the mind. I have really enjoyed such relaxing moments of solitude over last four years since I left my home for job. And it has always been very refreshing.
On lazy Sunday afternoons sitting in the balcony or on relax evenings on the sea shore, or during rain soaked late nights or in wee hours of any day when first sun rays start painting the skies, solitude enables me to slip in a pensive mood and gives opportunity for refreshing exchange with inner mind. One gets chance to daydream, or to figure out some seemingly incomprehensible problem of life, or to appreciate the paradoxes of world around, or to marvel some nice book or piece of music captured in distant memory, or simply to enjoy any mundane activity.
When great Marathi Saint Tukaram says “येणे सू़खे रूचे ए़कान्ताचा वास!.....आपलाची वाद आपणासी!” (Thus it’s such a happy state of being alone and having dialogue with self) he really refers this bliss of solitude. Such refreshing dialogue with self, unfolds a rainbow of ideas- ideas ranging from a new recipe of cooking a fish to writing this article keep flashing in my mind in such fascinating moments of inner chatting.
Experiencing solitude is always very fascinating but one has to be careful that it should not lead to loneliness. As solitude is refreshing so is sharing. Getting connected with our family and friends and experiencing our triumphs and travails with them has an aura of its own.
Of course in today’s busy, noisy and hungama filled world, managing few quiet and relaxed moments engrossed in blissful pensive mood is a mystically fanciful experience. This really throws open an opportunity to watch with our inner eyes-
‘A host of golden daffodils
Besides the lake, beneath the tress
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze’
Special Note- Though solitude primarily involves inner chatting with self, a captivating book or a good music are of course two companions which make solitude more lively and blissful.
