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- What a master of words
- Gitanjali
- Great Indian Poet
- Awesome
- As Beautiful Today as when First Published in 1913
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Gitanjali
Rabindranath Tagore , and
W. B. Yeats
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ASIN: 1420926306 |
Book Description
An illuminating collection of inspirational poems by a Nobel Laureate
While traveling through one of the poorest regions in India, W. B. Yeats was amazed to discover the women in the tea fields singing the songs and poems of Rabindranath Tagore. This striking scene led the great Irish poet to appreciate the depth of India's far-reaching tradition of poetry and the fame of this one Indian poet. Tagore's work is without equal and plays an eminent role in twentieth century Indian literature.
The publication of the English edition of Gitanjali in 1911 earned Rabindranath Tagore the Nobel Prize in literature. A collection of over one hundred inspirational poems, Gitanjali covers the breadth of life's experiences, from the quiet pleasure of observing children at play to a man's struggle with his god. These are poems that transcend time and place.
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Song Offerings A collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.
Customer Reviews:
What a master of words.......2007-08-20
I don't think I am qualified enough (in Literature) to even comprehend the full meaning of every poem, but his gift is apparent from the first one's. He had an amazing eye for things in life most people will never care to even notice, and he had the talent to put forth those images and feelings in writing. No wonder he is hailed has one of the greatest literary minds in India. for people who want to explore more about Tagore, poetry wasn't his talent..he was a writer (plays and novels), a composer, an artist, and a Humanitarian.
Gitanjali.......2007-08-08
Extremely disappointing to find that the verses of Gitanjali are not numbered in this edition. Important that numbers be included for referencing in communication with others with whom one is discussing this classic.
Great Indian Poet.......2006-03-20
I gave this book to an friend of mine who lives in India and she just raves about it. Tagore is a great poet and this is in my opinion his best colletion.
Awesome.......2005-09-09
A magnanimous spirit's spiritual legacy.
It made me close my eyes and ruminate on the world as it was meant to be.
Reading just one or two poems might be unfulfilling or even boring.
The reader has to allow himself to be drawn in and read 7-8 of them and then perhaps re-read them. That's when the magic truly sets in.
It then indulges the nooks of the mind that daily routines tend to push out of sight.
The poems are easy to read since they are fairly short (9-10 lines often), but they put forth a lot more than that.
The original version in Bengali is supposed to be even better, but the English translation was special enough for me.
Brilliant is an understatement.
As Beautiful Today as when First Published in 1913.......2005-04-01
Rabindranath Tagore offers the discerning reader "manna for the spirit". In truth, this small volume of poetry consists of English translations of Bengali songs of worship. My well worn copy from 1971 (MacMillan and Company, New York) has stood the test of time, being read and reread many times in the past 24 years. Surprise (!!!) the price only went up by 5 cents!
Tagore is my favorite poet, he approaches the deepest most spiritual aspects of life with simplicity, grace, and reverence. Using the imagery of nature, he connects the reader to the truth of living, being, experiencing this world in all its myriad of forms. His poems touch depths within the soul of the reader in unexpected and unimaginable ways ...
Perhaps at the end of the day, the reader can concur with the words of Tagore in poem # 16: "I have had my invitation to life's festival, and my life has been blessed. My eyes have seen and my ears have heard. It was my part to play upon my instrument, and I have done all I could. Now, I ask, has the time come at last when I may go in and see thy face and offer thee my salutations."
Excerpts from Poem # 57 "The butterflies spread their sails on the sea of light. Lilies and jasmines surge up on the crest of the waves of light. The light is shattered into gold on every cloud, my darling, and it scatters gems into profusion. Mirth spreads from leaf to leaf, my darling, and gladness without measure."
Poem # 90 "On the day when death will knock at thy door what wilt thou offer him?"
Erika Borsos (erikab93)
Book Description
This novel is Rabindranath Tagores classic exposition of an extramarital affair that takes place within the confines of a joint family. This is the story of the rich, flambouyant Mahendra and jis simple demure wife Asha - a young couple who are befriended by the pragmatic Behari. Their cozy domestic scenario undergoes great upheaval with the introduction of the vivacious Binodini, a young, attractive widow. The novel is a sensational account of two illicit relationships: Mahendras infatuation with Binodini and Binodinis secret passion for Behari. A compelling portrayal of the complexity of relationships and of human character, this landmark novel is just as powerful today as it was 100 years ago.
Book Description
The first Asian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Rabindranath Tagore mesmerized the world with his spiritual insights and finely wrought writings. This comprehensive and engaging anthology gathers his polymathic achievement, from the extraordinary humanity of The Post Officer to memoirs, letters, essays and conversations, short stories, extracts from the celebrated novel The Home and the World, poems, songs, epigrams, and paintings. This inspired collection of works by one of this century's most profound writers in an essential guide for readers seeking to understand Indian literature, culture, and wisdom, and the perfect reintroduction of Tagore's magnificence to American readers.
Customer Reviews:
The soul of the man.......2007-01-03
When I was in London in September 2006, I visited the British Museum. The first exhibit I saw as I entered the building was of the paintings and writings of Tagore. I was deeply moved by his inspiring words and decided I needed to read more, know more, about this man. I found this anthology to be just what I was looking for. It contains his words, and gave me insight into the man behind them. Certainly his words reveal the soul. A "can't miss" if that is your aim.
Competent introduction to Tagore.......2005-04-25
If the only thing that you read in this book were the short play "The Post Office", then it would still be worth the price. The ending of the play is one of many moments scattered throughout the pages that had an almost physical impact on me as a reader.
It a testimony to the sheer strength of Tagore as a writer that the reader is able to have those moments while reading this anthology. It unfortunately suffered from many of the typical problems of this kind of collection. The selections often felt too shallow and abbreviated. The quality of the translations varied wildly from chapter to chapter.
As a reader, I would have appreciated it if Dutta and Robinson had refrained from excerpting the longer prose works and instead had concentrated on deepening the selection of letters, short stories and essays. Reading an excerpt of a longer work is bound to be a frustrating exercise, and the space was used at the expense of material more natural for this kind of collection.
I picked this up to give me an overview of Tagore as a writer. It served that purpose admirably. Recommended for someone with the same task in mind.
Pure Illumination.......2003-09-30
This anthology was my introduction to Tagore and what a spectacular discovery! It was like being introduced to several writers, each one distinctly different, dependent upon the medium.
Tagore's five short stories in this anthology are folkloric, sometimes sad or humorous, somewhat other worldly, and always entertaining. They expose the hues of Bengal better than paintings with their brilliant characterizations and finite details of place and time. Here's a sampling from The Raj Seal: "An old story came to his mind. An ass was pulling a temple car along the sacred way, and the passers-by, prostrating themselves in the dust before it were offering their pranams. 'They are all worshipping me,' the foolish ass thought. 'There's only one small difference between that ass and me,' the elder brother told himself. 'I have at last realized that it is not my person the British sahibs respect, but the jacket weighing on my shoulders.'"
Tagore's play The Post Office is included in its entirety. It's very childlike and simplistic in structure, yet it is poignantly profound with its message that death is serene; "...that great ocean of truth to which all life returns".
The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to him in 1913. Part of the tribute was for Tagore's poetry, particularly Gitanjali; however, there is too small of a sample (four stanzas) to truly appreciate it. My favorite from the anthology was Flute Music, an autobiographical poem.
Tagore the philosopher is evident in his essays and letters. In his letters he takes on the persona to whom the letter is addressed. The debate with Einstein "On the Nature of Reality" leaves the reader uncertain as to who was more convincing. A rebuke to Gandhi reads like the good counsel of a loving older brother. (It was Tagore who gave Gandhi the honorific title, Mahatma.)
The three excerpts from his novel The Home and the World have induced me to order the book, which is still in print. When Hermann Hesse reviewed the German translation, he praised it for its "purity and grandeur".
Now, I could only hope for more of his writings to become translated and accessible.
Extraordinairy Selections & Literary Achievement.......2003-06-03
With immense pleasure and great anticipation I read this Anthology. I feel the world is ready for Tagore's poems, short stories, and plays once more. His interest in world peace, his sensitivity for the human condition, and love of humanity is the kind of message the world needs, perhaps *even* more today than when the author first wrote his words. As with most translations of this author's famous work - there is a wonderful and necessary "Introduction" which gives many examples of his life experiences, interests, and achievements, helping one to sense the broad scope of knowledge and range of ideas to which the reader will be exposed.
Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson so wisely selected his play, "The Post Office" as the first chapter. This play is like a pearl found in an oyster shell ... the outside appearance gives no impression of the valuable gem to be found within. The message is breath-taking in its simplicity and sublime due to its universal message which transcends culture and time. The beauty of this Anthology is the wide range and depth of Tagore's writing to which the reader is exposed. His writing is awesome and inspiring, filled with love for mankind, by one who sees the complete picture, but nonetheless is filled with hope. We read Rabindranath Tagore's memoirs in "My Remininscences" - we learn about his relationship with his father, a journey into the Himalayas, and his boyhood days. Tagore's travel writings about Russia, Japan, England, Java, Persia, and a day at the spa in Balatonfured, Hungary are fascinating to read. We have the privilege of reading Tagore's personal letters to his neice, the poet Yeats, the poet Ezra Pound, many of his friends, the philosopher, Bertrand Russell, and many other people with whom he corresponded. From this one garner's more about the personality of the man whom Tagore was, a person who lived his values and beliefs, not one who merely just wrote about them. We read a fascinating exchange of ideas with Albert Einstein on "The Nature of Reality." Tagore's mastery of the short story has won him recognition in Bengal and throughout the world. He conveys social, political, and human relationships of the villager and city dweller with equal ability. He gradually exposes feelings and conflicts, and carefully builds suspense until the mystery is revealed or the situation is resolved often with unexpected consequences. Although fewer poems are included than one would expect, two important ones, "The Sick Bed" and "The Recovery", written toward the end of his life are included. Also, "The Ocean of Peace" a song Tagore himself planned to sing after a play, was instead sung for him at his funeral, which he requested while he was ill. If someone is unfamiliar with Tagore's writing this book is highly recommended as a starting point. It contains a full measure of the author's broad interests and truly represents the universal message, "the unity of mankind" which he attempted to convey in his writing.
Erika Borsos (erikab93)
A mesmerizing journey back to the past.......2001-03-09
As I flipped through the pages of this 400-pg assortment of Tagore's Letters, Essays, Anecdotes and other like items, I could not help comparing the same to Barbara Holland's "Endangered Pleasures". The parallells are quite striking; however, An Anthology is in a completely different league of it's own. It's always a welcoming experience to read about Noble laureates, but Tagore wasn't just another Noble prize recipient - a man whose works had left the indelible etching in the minds of millions of Indians and steered the country to independence, inspired hopeless souls and rekindled the hopes of victory in a god-forsaken land. Striking yet more are the personal letters of Tagore, letters to his nephew Indira Tagore which I must admit were humorous far beyond what we expect out of a man whom we usually associate with sterner and solemn works. The book clearly draws a calm and serene picture of Calcutta back in those days. Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson has produced a magnificent compilation of Tagore's works that appeal directly to the Westerners and Easterners alike. The book begins with a translation of 'Dak Ghar' (The Post office), and recursively descends down the various phases of his life through essays, letters and other small works. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in learnign more about the man and his most interesting escapades and experiences in life - a truly refreshing journey indeed.
An excerpt - "In certain years in Calcutta, birds strange to the city used to come and build in our banyan tree. They would be off again almost before I had learnt to recognize the dance of their wings, but they brought with them a strange lovely music from their distant jungle homes. So, in the course of our life's journey, some angel from a strange and unexpected quarter may cross our path, speaking of the language of our own soul, and enlarging the boundaries of the heart's possessions. She comes unbidden, and when at last we call for her she is no longer there. But as she goes, she leaves on the drab web of our lives a border of embroidered flowers, and our night and day are for ever enriched."
Book Description
The lock of error shuts the gate, open it with the key of love: Thus, by opening the door, thou shalt wake the Beloved. Kabir says: "O brother! Do not pass by such good fortune at this." The poet Kabir, one of the most intriguing and celebrated personalities in the history of Indian mysticism, lived in the fifteenth century. He was a great religious reformer and left behind an exquisite body of poetry of enlightenment that weaves together the philosophies of Sufism, Hinduism, and the Kabbala. These poems express a wide range of mystical experience, from the loftiest abstractions to the most intimate and personal realization of God, and have become a classic Sufi text.
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The river and its waves are one surf: where is the difference between the river and its waves? When the wave rises, it is the water; and when it falls, it is the same water again. Tell me, Sir, where is the distinction?
Customer Reviews:
Profound, but public domain.......2007-09-26
This is a classic translation of Kabir. So classic that you don't have to pay to read, print or distribute it. So unless you're particularly interested in Andrew Harvey's new introduction, you might want to shop around for a cheaper, or free, copy of this unusually profound text.
Archaic language, often stilted prose.......2004-09-22
Tagore wrote these translations a century ago. The language is often stilted or archaic.
However, I sense that these translations may be truer to the original than Robert Bly's. Indeed, reading these helped me to understand that some language that I thought was Kabir's was actually Bly's. For instance, I was always impressed with the line in Bly's translation that refers to a place "where those who live are not afraid to die."
But in Tagore's translation, that same reference was something to the effect of a place where there is no fear of death. The contrast between the living and the dead was not Kabir's but Bly's.
If I could only read one translation I would read Bly's. But why read only one?
My favorite book ever.......2004-01-12
I first found this book when I was young, 16, and exploring religion in my heart. These poems spoke to me. The relationship with god that is described in the poems is the one I wanted for myself. I have since read other versions of Kabir and many poems by Tagore, but this book remains my one and truest "Bible," which I always have closeby, and read in times of trouble or gladness. Whenever I read these poems I feel at peace and at one with my heart. I can't recommend these beautiful poems highly enough.
Kabir's vision was of the unity of the human and divine.......1999-03-30
Kabir was born about 1440 (probably), and was a contemporary of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak (possibly his mentor). A weaver by trade, and a mystic by nature, his spiritual vision accepted no division between Life and Creator, man and God, as evinced by the following excerpts; "I Laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty: You do not see that the Real is in your home, and you wander...listlessly! Here is the truth! Go where you will...if you do not find your soul, the world is unreal to you." and ..."Kabir says, God is the breath of all breath". Many of these songs contain criticism, not of "worldly" people who lived materialistically, but of renunciates who sought God outside of life and relationships; "The infinite dwelling of the Infinite Being is everywhere: in earth, water, sky, and air...He who is within is without; I see Him and none else". This translation by Tagore also contains allusions to Kabirs' cosmology and essential spiritual practice (absorbtion into the Divine Word or creative power) missing in the naturalistic and minimalistic interpretatations of Robert Bly. The poems, or songs, themselves are remarkably fresh, as if they contained the living inspiration which gave them form, and remain, as it were, untouched by time.
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- The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore
- Timeless Prayers of Tagore
- The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore
- read this if you have a tender heart or in quest of one
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The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
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ASIN: 0804835764 |
Customer Reviews:
The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore.......2007-02-17
this is a wonderful bedside book...the poems are what i would call in depth minimalist style writings...this might be a contradiction in terms but every word is positioned just right in tagors syntax...he is i guess what you would say famous for his going to the core of what he is trying to say...yet he excludes nothing and every poem is titled well...so you can a navigate the book with ease...this is my first tagore book and i have another...fireflies...on the way...pleasant reading
Timeless Prayers of Tagore.......2005-09-01
This collection of seventy-seven poems of the Nobel Laureate poet of India is taken from seven sources of his poetry. The editor has skillfully degenderized and introduced contemporary language where he deemed appropriate. The beauty of Tagore's spirit and his eloquence will be augmented for some by the editor's gifts. Long familiar with Tagore's own translations of his poetry, I find in this collection extreme satisfaction in accessing the presence of the poet in images of rare beauty. This book is an important addition to the literature, providing
fresh acquaintance with a master poet.
The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore.......2001-10-30
In prayers and poems of depth and simplicity,Tagore expresses his very soul...which is somehow the soul of each of us.
Obviously a spiritual master, he speaks for each of our hearts with a depth of compassion and honesty that embraces universal and timeless themes. Human struggle, delight, quest, hope, trust, joy, despair, and peace are expressed in a compelling commitment to Love which draws him only into deeper intimacy with the Beloved.
Tagore puts into words a love which surpasses understanding, time, or any methodology. He speaks in his writings a very human, very real, very tender love letter to the Divine.
I liked this book because it draws me also into the heart of God.
read this if you have a tender heart or in quest of one.......2000-04-11
everyone will have something to worry about,some unfulfilled ambitions. This is a collection of the poet's mystic prayers.I am sure this will move anyone with a tender heart. He was the composer of the Indian national anthem and was also a social reformer and a romantic. This makes me wonder if he wanted to address these questions to god. My immediate goal is to learn bengali and read his poems in his own language. I am also looking forward to read his gitanjali which got him the nobel prize.
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful; more than spirit-sustaining.
- In My Top Ten of World Spiritual Classics
- Excellent!
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Sadhana The Realization of Life
Rabindranath Tagore
Manufacturer: Filiquarian Publishing, LLC.
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ASIN: 1599869977 |
Book Description
Sadhana The Realization of Life was written by Nobel Prize Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore was one of the most important figures in history to bring Indian philosophy and spiritual teachings to western civilization. Sadhana, or spiritual practice when translted from Sanskrit is written to educate those interested in Indian philosophical teachings. Those interested in Indian philosophy and spiritual teachings must not pass up the opportunity to read this important, unmatched work by Tagore.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful; more than spirit-sustaining........2001-02-12
I am careful in spiritual pursuits--notions of spirituality have to win me by changing me with their beauty and honesty. Tagore's Sadhana does this time and again.
I fell in love with physics and mathematics because of my liking for their perfectness, exactness, and trimness; perfect form. (No large claims; a physics major and math minor, no graduate work.) For the same reasons, vague or inconsistent pictures of the universe are difficult for me to take in--I often take a statement, rework it, rework myself, think carefully, stay honest, and in the end sometimes come up with an expanded understanding of things; almost always the statement and I both must be reworked; there is no problem with that, it is just the natural metabolism of thinking.
But Sadhana is so honest and well thought through that my first reading of it was smooth, beginning to end. And it was expanding. And it was perfect. And it was beautiful because it was true; it was perfectly beautiful; however you want to put it, I was taken.
The book presents a perception of things which goes to their root; fortunately and unfortunately, I find no other words for this than "spiritual;" I must be careful to point out that this spirituality is grounded in the world; it is not pained to explain ugliness; it is honest about things--this honesty does not make it less beautiful; but a rather awe-filled more. The integrity of perception of things is wonderful, and makes it a joy to read; any inch of slack can be overlooked in loo of the expansiveness, truth, and depth of insight provided.
It is the only presentation of a cosmology I have found which seems (to me!) 1. entirely consistent with a physicist's beliefs of the nature of things, and 2. which even encompasses the physicists's awarenesses, without at all attempting to (at least not by the same route). And yet with all this, it is more a work of poetry of the heart than a work of philosophy or analysis. It successfully remains part of the *lived* world.
I would like to continue about how I came to *Sadhana* in the first place, but it is best read in quiet, absent commentary by others. Get to the book. Make it "yours" first, perhaps, and then talk with others (just a thought).
Perhaps I can say this final bit (it only clues you in to the table of contents):
I came to this book a few months after finishing Plato's *Republic*, and I know that Plato's work helped me develop the ideas and questions which led me to find Sadhana.
I felt--coming from my reading and response to *The Republic*--that there was something worthy to pursue related to such notions as beauty, self, soul, and consciousness. Unfortunately, keyword searches on these called up not much helpful; mainly, they were works arrived at with too much fear and desire pushing for a crystallization of philosophy, or which lacked depth of heart.
The best writings I didn't find under these searches, but instead under searches related to poetry, music, or art--nothing directly speaking of "soul," "self," and so forth. Yet I finally queried the library computer for any books which contained all four above words (the initial four). The fact that anything came up at all, with such 'different' notions, was unusual--I approached it warily, yet with subdued and slightly hopeful stride. My wariness soon evaporated away; dissolving. I read. It was Tagore's Sadhana, you assuredly have guessed.
In My Top Ten of World Spiritual Classics.......2000-05-24
Like the constancy of the great cellestial constellations, Tagore's Sadhana delivers the message of the human connection to universal transcendance in hauntingly beautiful English prose.
Perched as he was at the cusp of the Twentieth Century, Tagore saw with penetrating insight the fallacies of the age of science when he wrote,
" The man of science knows, in one aspect, that the world is not merely what it appears to be to our senses; he knows that earth and water are really the play of forces that manifest themselves to us as earth and water -how, we can but partially comprehend. Likewise the man who has his spiritual eyes open knows that the ultimate truth about earth and water lies in the apprehension of the eternal will which works in time and takes shape in the forces we realize under those aspects. This is not mere knowedge, as science is, but it is a perception of the the soul by the soul. This does not lead us to power, as knowledge does, but it gives us joy, which is the product of kindred things. The man whose acquaintance with the world does not lead deeper than science leads him, will never understand what it is that the man with the spiritual vision finds in these natural phenomena. The water does not merely cleanse his limbs, but it purifies his heart; for it touches his soul. The earth does not merely hold his body, but it gladdens his mind; for its contact is more than a physical contact, -it is a living prsesence."
When I first read these words over twenty years ago, they took my breath away.I have read and re-read Sadhana many time since then. Each reading or re-visting of favorite passages is as fresh as the first.He says much more that is worth reading in this 164 page gem.
Sadhana is also an excellent primer on classical Hinduism, as Tagore beautifully quotes the Vedas and Upanishads with Sanskrit transliteration to convey the lovliness of the vocal cadences of that ancient tongue.
Sadhana ranks with Psalms, the Tao De Ching, the Dhammapada, Zen Mind Begginers Mind and other enduring classics of world spiritual literature for its directness, simplicity and beauty of expression. My copy is beginning to fall apart so I am delighted to find it is again in print.
Finally, I thank Dr. Purshotam Lal of Calcutta for having introduced me to Tagore as Visiting Professor at Hofstra University in the 1960's. Lal, a Tagore Scholar, also produced a lovely translation (or as he preferred, a "transcreation") of the Dhammapada then published by Farrar Straus in New York. Thanks again, Lal.
Joel Freiser Hoboken, New Jersey
Excellent!.......2000-01-27
My grandfather bought this book in the 1940's while he lived in Japan, his copy was printed in 1919. I eventually inherited it. I read it last year sometime, and I thought that it was one of the best books that I had ever read. If you are fond of Tagore, or just like philosophical/poetic works I strongly recommend that you buy it! I hope that anyone who buys this will enjoy it as much as I did! Namaskar!
Book Description
Out of Bengal and the Hindu spiritual tradition comes a Nobel prize-winning mystical poet whose time for broad, popular acceptance has come. William Butler Yeats fell in love with these poems almost a 100 years ago, the Nobel Committee honored them with their literature prize in 1913 and just recently The Utne Reader cited Tagore as one of today's most overlooked spiritual writers. This new edition is important because its lyrical translation has been made from Tagore's original Bengali and because it makes the entire collection of 157 Gitanjali, or "song offerings" available to a wider audience for the first time. Rabindranath Tagore wrote with the insight and emotion that so characterizes Kahlil Gibran, with the mystical passion that has made Jalaluddin Rumi so popular and with a simplicity and depth that remains fresh and attractive to today's seekers.
Customer Reviews:
fabulous poems and translation.......2004-04-10
Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore is a series of poems exposing Tagore's search for union with the divine. Tagore, a Bengali Hindu, writes with great beauty, emotion and simplicity. Reading the poems in order (there are 157 poems, each about a page or less long) shows the waxing and waning cycles of Tagore's spiritual life. Sometimes God is present to Tagore, only to leave later. A Christian spiritual seeker myself, I could easily relate to the pendulum swing that Tagore writes about: the joys, frustrations and patience. Tagore himself made an English translation of these poems for which he won the Nobel prize for literature in the early 20th century (the first non-European to win the literature prize). Here the translation is by a Catholic monk who spent most of his adult life in Bengal, and many scholars think his translation is better than Tagore's, due to his absolute fluency in both languages. I have read beautiful poems by many spiritual writers, and I found Tagore's Gitanjali the most approachable and meaningful. Highest recommendation.
Customer Reviews:
Indelible Drama.......2007-03-09
Rabindranath Tagore did very well to choose the structure he did for this short dramatic novel. It is successfully written from the three points of view of the protaganists, the chapters interlocked as "Bimala's Story", "Nikhil's Story" and "Sandip's Story". It is a powerful drama of awakening, ideology, courage and tragedy. It would make a terrific opera!
The language has an unfamiliar, florid quality that takes a bit of adjustment but I quickly adapted to the Bengali lushness. It is a very poignant tale of three people enmeshed in the intolerable situation of the British partition of Bengal and foreign occupation. Written early in the 20th Century Tagore foreshadows the Indian independence movement that will come later in the century and the idea of the liberation of women.
The unintended consequenses that result from the relationship of the three main players is predictable and tumultuous and a suitable metaphor for the terrible circumstances that were tearing through Bengal and other parts of India at that time. I was deeply moved by the work in spite of the harsh criticism it received at the time of it's original publication.
Poetic Fog.......2007-02-15
Ok ok... I know that Tagore is such an important figure in the literature and the history of India's independence struggle. And I recognize that he is a fantastic poet. Thing is, I prefer poets writing poems, not whole novels. Perhaps it is a flaw with my personality, but I found reading The Home and The World and exhaustive experience. The fluffy, poetic language throughout interrupted the flow of the intense drama that Tagore describes. I found this book, thus, incredibly difficult to read. Still, it provides an important metaphor for the struggles of india's independence movement and a good vein for familiarizing oneself with that time and place. Still, approach this book with a lot of patience.
A complex allegory in a changing landscape.......2005-09-07
A prolific Bengalese writer, Tagore structured this novel such that three main characters represent the turbulence of the Partition that was yet to come to India in 1947. Nikhil is married to Bimala, living in the traditional domestic manner; for herself, Bimala has no expectation of her life ever deviating from her wifely path. The concept of "Swadeshi", a renewed appreciation of everything Indian, and a denial of everything British, particularly British imported goods and grains, rages throughout the country.
The egocentric Sandip, a guest in Nikhil's home, is a fierce proponent of Swadeshi. Sandip finds himself passionately attracted to Bimala; he idealizes her as the epitome of "Mother" India, and pursues Bimala without reservation. Flattered by Sandip's attention, Bimala begins to question the nature of her marriage, and the three embark upon an emotional journey that will forever alter their lives, just as India begins a lengthy period of upheaval and unrest.
Of the three, Sandip is transparently shallow, while Nikhil thoughtfully considers every aspect before embarking on a course of action. Both men indulge in lengthy discourses, but the introduction by Anita Desai does much to frame this novel in the appropriate perspective. The allegorical nature of this tale is evident as the characters plunge headlong into the future. (pp)Luan Gaines/2005.
Book Description
The poems of Rabindranath Tagore are among the most haunting and tender in Indian and world literature, expressing a profound and passionate human yearning. His ceaselessly inventive works deal with such subjects as the interplay between God and mortals, the eternal and the transient, and the paradox of an endlessly changing universe that is in tune with unchanging harmonies. Poems such as “Earth” and “In the Eyes of a Peacock” present a picture of natural processes unaffected by human concerns, while others, as in “Recovery—14,” convey the poet's bewilderment about his place in the world. And exuberant works such as “New Rain” and “Grandfather's Holiday” describe Tagore's sheer joy at the glories of nature or simply in watching a grandchild play.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2003-07-22
Radice's translations do injustice to Tagore and books such as this one (along with Tagore's own inadequate transations of his work) might end up misleading Western critics. The strength of his poetry is in his command on language, the musicality of his verse and, in general, the formal perfection of his work. Although some of his later work was in free verse, Tagore was undoubtedly a formalist. He took the metrical and rhythmic patterns of classical Sanskrit poetry and also traditional narrative Bengali verse and either retained them or experimented with them by splitting whole units into shorter lines (consider, for example, Balaka) as dictated by needs of movement and development. One of the almost insurmountable difficulties of translating formal poetry is that meter (along with sonic devices) is inextricably linked to meaning and the translator, somehow, has to convey both.
This is where Radice fails miserably. Let me simply cite the opening two lines of his translation of "Golden Boat" (Shonar Tari) along with the original.
Translation:
Clouds rumbling in the sky; teeming rain.
I sit on the river bank, sad and alone.
Original:
gagane garaje megh ghana barasha
kule eka boshe achhi, nahi bharasha
In Bengali, unlike in English, it is the consonant count (note that joint consonants are counted as one) and not the syllable count that defines a given meter. Here, we have a truncated fourteen-beat meter with a caesura after the eigth beat. The "ga" sounds are onomatopoeic, after the roaring of the clouds. Subsequently, the use of softer consonants indicates a draining of tension and reflects the loss of hope on the part of the narrator. Radice's version lacks any discernible meter and most importantly, the cohesion of sound and sense. The only device he uses is a slant rhyme and this, by itself, falls short of conveying the music of Tagore's verse. Other weaknesses include the unhappy gerund and the prosaic modifiers.
Although the loss of formalism remains the primary failing of Radice's translations, there are other drawbacks. Reading Tagore aloud is always a pleasure because language in his hands is not only expression but can be read for sound alone. Those long polysyllabic compounds, the internal rhymes, the effortless alliteration are always a delight, no matter what the content, be it some his later abstruse works (of which I am not particularly fond) or his purely narrative poems. Radice's translations lack this linguistic richness and are bland for the most part. Worse, he has a penchant for cliches ("bright as a million suns", "sea of joy surges through his heart" etc.). One might as well ask, "What is the point?"
Submitted incognito, these poems would be rejected by even middling journals. I can only guess what impressions critics unfamiliar with Bengali might form of Tagore's work, particularly in relation to his contemporaries, Yeats, Pounds and Stevens. I would refer them to selected translations by Radice's wife, Ketaki Kushari Dyson. "I won't let you go" (Jete nahi dibo), in particular, is well rendered.
An Excellent Overview of Tagore.......2000-06-30
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the outstanding Bengali poet, literateur and humanist (and Asia's first Nobel Laureate in 1913), is scarcely read outside his native Bengal because only a small fraction of his works have been translated from Bengali into English or indeed into other languages. English translations were those done by Tagore himself and by a few Bengali literary scholars well-versed in English. The arrival of Dr William Radice on the scene of Bengali scholarship in the early eighties brought in a current of fresh air. Here was an Englishman admiring Tagore and translating him! In this book, Radice applies his deep perception of Tagore in putting together a bouquet, as it were, redolent with the exotic fragrance of Tagoreana. No single collection can ever do justice to Tagore, and this one doesn't either. However, it does give the English-knowing reader a vivid glimpse of Tagore's amazing creativity. Radice has done a good job of choosing competent translators who have applied their hearts to the task -- Tagore is so subtle that it is enormously difficult to translate him! This book is strongly recommended for readers of all nationalities.
Book Description
This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1915 edition by Macmillan and Co., Ltd., London.
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