Q0213
“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the…” — Rabindranath Tagore (Fireflies, no. 191 (1928))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Fireflies, no. 191 (1928). Theme: faith.
English
Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Fireflies, no. 191 (1928) and files it under Indian Classical Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was a Bengali poet, educator, and thinker—the first non-European Nobel laureate in Literature (1913). He founded Visva-Bharati to embody cosmopolitan learning rooted in Indian traditions.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Anselm of Canterbury and Averroes), faith is framed through Islamic Philosophy and Scholasticism. Some passages define faith; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through faith.
Concepts in this quote
- Faith
- Faith appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat faith as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Rabindranath Tagore. (n.d.). Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0213
MLA: Rabindranath Tagore. “Faith is the bird that feels the light….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0213.
Chicago: Rabindranath Tagore. “Faith is the bird that feels the light….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0213.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Faith is the bird that feels the light…”?
The passage is attributed to Rabindranath Tagore, Fireflies, no. 191 (1928). The archive attributes this English wording to Fireflies, no. 191 (1928) and files it under Indian Classical Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Rabindranath Tagore mean by faith?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Anselm of Canterbury and Averroes), faith is framed through Islamic Philosophy and Scholasticism. Some passages define faith; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through faith.