The full text of Rabindranath Tagore's "Paper Boats"

Paper Boats (Author: Rabindranath Tagore)

Day by day, I placed the paper boats one by one in the flowing stream.

I used big, black letters to write my name and the village where I lived on the paper boat.

I hope someone in a strange land will discover these paper boats and know who I am.

I gathered shiuli flowers from my garden and loaded them in my boat, hoping that these flowers of dawn would reach the land of night safely.

I launched my paper boat into the water and looked up at the sky. I saw small clouds holding bulging white paper.

I don’t know what playmate of mine in the sky lowered them to race with my paper boats!

When night comes, I bury my face in my arms, and I dream that my paper boat floats forward, floating, under the midnight stars.

The spirit of sleep sails forward in a paper boat carrying a basket full of dreams.