“There is no joy but calm!”
Why should we only toil, the roof and crown of things?
And how natural is it for us to appreciate the point of view of our calm-loving, rest-seeking boatmen! For hours at a time they sit at their posts without uttering a word and as immovable as statues. Whether they arrive at their destination in a week or a month is apparently immaterial to them. So long as they are allowed to enjoy their kaif they are supremely happy.
As we gaze on our men at their “dreamful ease,” I recall the verses of Tennyson’s “Song of the Lotos-Eaters”:
How sweet it were, hearing the downward stream
With half-shut eyes ever to seem
Falling asleep in a half dream!
*****
How sweet (while warm airs lull us, blowing slowly)
With half-dropt eyelid still,