what do hurt hands imply in the poem keeping quiet??
Through these lines the poet wants to say that the man who gathers salt must stop his work and look at his hands, hurt from the burdens of his toil. Only then would he realise that Nature retaliates by turning his hands rough. Here mankind has been personified as the salt gatherer, who is in a mad rush to achieve his set goals. Human beings are so occupied with their daily duties and the hurry to reach their goals that they never make time to stop, look and understand themselves.