Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/447

 The moment to say 'adieu' has arrived; but it is only au revoir. The orb, so radiant to our living memories, was long declining along the western slope; and only a pensive farewell shall mark its final set. The fruit was full-ripe and has been 'seasonably gathered;' and the 'fruit-gathering' chant shall be both a requiem and a te Deum. No doubt, even unto the loftiest-souled, the poet permits, at the hour of translations "longing lingering look behind;" and the lone lingerer behind cannot but respond with an answering gaze of wistful wonder cast into the great Beyond. The spasm of bereavement, however, has no place in this solemn leave-taking. It is a temporary snap of 'the sacred tie;' hearts' loves shall be respun into inseparable unity.

This vivid expectation that the broken thread shall be restrung is prompted by the life-long affection that subsisted between the great Master and his countless pupils. The tender solicitude which embraced those large numbers in its ever-increasing compass and the admiring gratitude which