You say that father write a lot of books, but what he writes I don’t
understand.
    He was reading to you all evening, but could you really
make out what he meant?
    What nice stores, mother, you can tell us! Why can’t father
write like that, I wonder?
    Did he never hear from his own mother stories of giants and
fairies and princesses?
    Has he forgotten them all?
    Often when he gets late for his bath you have to call him
a hundred times.
    You wait and keep his dishes warm for him, but he goes on
writing and forgets.
    Father always plays at making books.
    If ever I go to play in father’s room, you come and call me,
“What a naughty child!”
    If I make the slightest noise you say, “Don’t you see that
father’s at his work?”
    What’s the fun of always writing and writing?
    When I take up father’s pen or pencil and write upon his book
just as he does,-a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,-why do you get cross with me
then, mother?
    You never say a word when father writes.
    When my father wastes such heaps of paper, mother, you don’t
seem to mind at all.
    But if I take only one sheet to make a boat with, you say,
“Child, how troublesome you are!”
    What do you think of father’s spoiling sheets and sheets of
paper with black marks all over both sides?

The poem “Authorship” by Rabindranath Tagore presents a moving picture of a young child attempting to make sense of the mysterious world of their father’s creative endeavours. The youngster expresses a sophisticated story that explores the themes of incomprehensibility, imaginative detachment, neglect, and the tension between work and play through a sequence of observations and questions. Using moving quotations that capture the spirit of the child’s viewpoint, this essay seeks to analyse the poem’s major topics.

Incomprehensibility of Father’s Writing:

The child’s struggle to understand the father’s writing is evident in the lines, “You say that father writes a lot of books, but what he writes I don’t understand.” The poem’s opening line, which highlights the difficulty of bridging the communication gap between the father lost in his own literary universe and the youngster trying to understand the written words, sets the tone for the entire poem.

Comparison with Mother’s Stories:

The mother’s storytelling skills are compared to the father’s writing, expressing the child’s desire for engrossing stories: “What lovely stories, mother, you can tell us! I wonder why my father can’t write like that. This quotation highlights the child’s preference for the imaginative stories that the mother tells, drawing a clear distinction between the father’s literary pursuits and the child’s perception of their lack of interest or complexity.

Loss of Connection with Imagination:

When the child wonders if his father has forgotten the wonderful tales of giants and fairies, it suggests that there may be a break in the child’s connection to childhood fantasy. The lines “Has he forgotten them all?” and “You have to call him a hundred times when he gets late for his bath” allude to a disconnect between the father’s obsession with writing and the child’s daily routine, which helps to ground the child in reality.

Neglect and Preoccupation:

As the father puts writing ahead of his everyday obligations, the youngster senses his neglect: “You wait and keep his dishes warm for him, but he goes on writing and forgets.” This comment highlights the conflict between the demands of artistic expression and the obligations of family life, raising concerns about the father’s priorities and the effect of his creative endeavours on domestic interactions.

Mother’s Double Standard:

When the mother responds to artistic endeavours, the youngster cleverly highlights what she perceives to be a double standard: “If ever I go to play in father’s room, you come and call me, ‘What a naughty child!’” The youngster highlights a contradiction in the mother’s attitude by contrasting this with the absence of protest when the father “wastes heaps of paper,” which further muddies the child’s comprehension of the dynamics between work and play.

Waste of Paper:

The child’s critique of the father’s excessive use of paper for writing is evident in the lines: “But if I take only one sheet to make a boat with, you say, ‘Child, how troublesome you are!’” This juxtaposition highlights the child’s perception of the father’s writing as not only incomprehensible but also wasteful, prompting reflections on the purpose and value of the creative process.

Conflict Between Work and Play:

The poem’s central question is summed up by the child’s last question, “What’s the fun of always writing and writing?” This question highlights the tension between the serious, lonely act of writing and the child’s need for interactive and playful involvement, capturing the essence of the child’s displeasure with the father’s ongoing literary aspirations.

In Rabindranath Tagore’s “Authorship,” the child’s perspective serves as a powerful lens through which the complexities of creative endeavors, family dynamics, and the clash between imagination and reality are explored. The poignant quotes analyzed in this essay provide a nuanced understanding of the child’s observations and inquiries, unraveling the layers of emotion and complexity embedded in the poem. Through this exploration, Tagore invites readers to reflect on the intricate interplay between the worlds of adults and children, creativity and responsibility, as seen through the eyes of a child grappling with the enigma of authorship.