Brianna Green

Professor Adam Diehl

HUMN 2010

29 April 2022

Analysis of “Unending Love” by Rabindranath Tagore

Throughout history, the concept of love has been displayed in numerous amounts of

poetry, paintings, songs, etc. Love encompasses a large range of strong, positive, and emotional

desires and affections. Poet Rabindranath Tagore does an exceptional job of conveying different

elements and depictions of romantic love in his poem “Unending Love” through word choice,

imagery, and repetition. In comparison, the Beatles have encompassed the same conceptual idea

of love in their song “In My Life”. Both entities combine the elemental concepts of the seven

types of Greek love and Gary Chapman’s five love languages to portray variations of love.

“Unending Love” by Rabindranath Tagore captures the feeling of love deeply and

delicately to the point that it resonates for an extended period. The spiritual notion of love is felt

through the concept of “age after age” and the “remaking” of love throughout this poem. Within

the first stanza, he uses repetition of the word “numberless”, when describing the different forms

and times he has loved this person. He also uses phrases such as “life after life” and “age after

age”. These repetitious phrases showcase the continuous growth of individuals in life and

throughout love over the course of time, through good and bad moments. Tagore also hints at

trials and tribulations of their love through lines 6 and 7, “…Whenever I hear old chronicles of

love, its age-old pain, It’s ancient tale of being apart or together….”. While incorporating the ups

and downs of love, the poet enforces the use of the word “forever” throughout the poem. The
present theme of “forever” insinuates that the love will always be found within this special

person.

Describing the love between the poet and his romantic partner, Tagore uses words of

affirmation, quality time, and giving gifts to display ongoing feelings. This poem is seemingly an

ode to his partner. He illustrates through imagery the idea that this individual is the light of his

life in the second stanza. In lines 8 and 9 of the second stanza, the poet states “As I stare on and

on into the past, in the end you emerge, Clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of

time…”. The use of imagery coincides with words of affirmation to conclude the idea that the

partner has become the active image of what light is in his life. The poem begins with the lines “I

seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times… In life after life, in age after

age, forever”. To love someone in different forms and different times equates to cultivating

personal connection through quality time. Hints of quality time are also displayed through lines

7, 13, 14, and 19 of the poem; arguing the idea that they have spent time apart and together that

have provided memories of love. Gifts are present in the idea of “made and remade necklace of

songs” which could be an indication of love being shown in the gifting of songs for his partner.

Throughout this poem depictions of Eros, Storge, Pragma, Ludus, and Agape love are

present. Eros is communicated in stanza 1 through the phrases “…my spellbound heart…” and

“…loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…”. The passion can be felt through those

lines in reference to his partner. Representing storge love, line 5 communicates the thought “In

life after life, in age after age, forever”. This line indicates a form of unconditional love after

aging, in different phases of life, and continuously after life. Tagore incorporates Ludus through

the idea of “… shared in the same shyness of meeting…”; which encompasses the concept of the

playful idea of having a crush in the beginning of a relationship. Pragma and Agape love can be
seen through the expressions “universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life”, “shapes that renew

and renew forever”, and “The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours – And

the songs of every poet past and forever”. These phrases represent the selflessness, commitment,

and universality of pragma and agape love.

In comparison to “Unending Love” by Rabindranath Tagore, the Beatles have portrayed

similar themes of love within their song “In My Life”. The Beatles and Tagore both incorporate

elements of reflection through the ideas of reminiscing about past relationships to show

appreciation for their current partners. Both artists express the immensity and seriousness of their

love for their person through words of affirmation, and quality time; while presenting elements

of Eros, Pragma, and Storge love. The Beatles showcase words of affirmation, Eros, Pragma, and

Storge love through the lines “There is no one compares with you…And these memories lose

their meaning…When I think of love as something new” and “Though I know I'll never lose

affection…For people and things that went before…I know I'll often stop and think about

them… In my life I love you more”. Just as Tagore uses reminiscence as a tool to create a

personal epitaph for his person of interest, so do The Beatles.

Rabindranath Tagore depicts love in a seamless way through imagery, diction, and

repetition. Throughout this poem, he has expressed the idea of a continuous, universal love. The

act of reminiscing forces the poet to acknowledge the failures, trials, and tribulations of the past

to appreciate the love he has found. Tagore teaches that the love romantic partners share should

be universal and be able to be felt by everyone around the world. The main lesson to absorb from

the words written in this poem is: people continuously grow and change over time and it is the

duty of the partner to adjust and continue to love; when it comes to an everlasting love, the

partners share in universal joy, sorrow, and life.