9. Summary

The poem "The Last Bargain" by Rabindranath Tagore starts with a speaker calling out for someone to hire him. He is first approached by the king himself, with a sword. He comes in a chariot and offers to hire the speaker with his power. The speaker rejects his offer as he does not want to be a slave. Then comes along an old man, when it is mid-day. He offers a bag of gold coins to hire the speaker. The speaker does not want to become a slave to money or any materialistic possessions. Towards the end of the day, he is approached by a fair maiden who tries to win him over with her smile. But the speaker understands that these are temporary things and moves on. He finally meets a child near the wayward sea, playing with shells. He offers to hire him with nothing, which makes the speaker a free man as he is not bound by any worldly or temporary things.