Page:Stories from Tagore (IA storiesfromtagor00tago).pdf/60

46 chamber of the great End, but she does it so simply: it is merely by floating the dead body on a banana stem on the river, and having some incantations read by a magician. But in that rainy night and in the dim light of a lamp death loses all its horror in the mind of the boy, and seems nothing more than a deep slumber of a single night. When the story ends the tired eyelids are weighed down with sleep. Thus it is that we send the little body of the child floating on the back of sleep over the still water of time, and then in the morning read a few verses of incantation to restore him to the world of life and light.

sovereign. This word is taken directly from the French language. It is connected with the Latin “ supremus.”

links. Many English words are made up from the supposed sound or motion to be represented. Compare to splash, to plump, to quack, to throb, to swish.

suspicious. From the Lation word “ spicere,” to look. Compare auspicious, respect, inspect, aspect.

unsophisticated. This word comes from the Greek “ sophistes,” meaning a sophist, that is to say, one who makes a pretence of being wise. Unsophisticated means one who makes no pretence to be learned.

umbrella. This word has come into English from the Italian language. “ Umbra ” in Latin means “ shade ” and Ombrella in Italian means “ little shade.”

extravagant. From the Latin root “ vag,” meaning to wander. The word means “wandering outside” and so “ going beyond bounds.” Compare vagrant, vagabond, vague.