NAME 1

World Literature

Rabindranath Tagore: “Gitanjali”

The life and times of Rabindranath Tagore greatly influenced his works. Tagore’s

birthplace had a great impact on him. He was born in culturally rich area: “The mansion

in which Rabindranath was born on 7 May 1861, No. 6 Dwarkanath Tagore’s Lane,

Jorasanko, lay in the heart of the Bengali section of Calcutta” (Dutta 34). The place

where they lived was diverse as the Tagores were Bengali Hindus. Tagore provides the

best description of his family say it is “the product of ‘a confluence of three cultures:

Hindu, Mohammedan, and British’” (Sen OL). Tagore was a name known in Calcutta

even before Rabindranath existed. His family was prominent: “His father was the

Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, the Hindu reformer and mystic and his mother was

Sharada Devi” (Harilal OL). Westerners also influenced Tagore’s poetry: “Western

influences on Tagore were Romantic: Goethe in Germany; Wordsworth, Keats, and

Shelley in England; Whitman and Emerson in America. He refers to these poets time

after tie, nor is the attraction surprising. Most of these poets had themselves been

influenced by Indian thought and literature” (Palmer OL). Since the romantics used ideas

that Tagore grew up with, he could relate to their work: “What Tagore liked in the

romantics was essentially what they had gotten from India—their mystical insistence on

the closeness, indeed, the unity of the divine, the human, and the natural world in

general” (Palmer OL). The variety of influences work themselves into Tagore’s poetry.

Tagore’s family and household helped him become a success. The family was

already thriving in numbers: “His mother already had 12 living children when Tagore

was born, several of whom were married. Her husband was often away on business.

NAME 2

Tagore’s support therefore came from his older siblings” (Harilal OL). Fortunately the

amount of siblings didn’t hinder Tagore, but actually helped him. Of these twelve

brothers and sisters, five were close and helpful to Rabindranath:

[His] brother, Dwijendranath, born in 1840, was an interesting and gifted

figure. So were four others of the thirteen surviving children of the

Maharshi: Satyendranath, born in 1842, Hemendranath, born in 1844,

Jyotindranath, born in 1849, and a daughter Swarnakumari, born around

1856. Rabindranath, who was the youngest, far outshone them all, but he

owed much to their stimulus in childhood and youth – particularly to

Jyotindranath….These five [siblings], plus two sister-in-laws and two

elder cousins living in the other house, together with the cream of

Calcutta’s artists and intelligentsias as visitors, generated an atmosphere in

Joransanko of variety, vivacity, and celebration of eccentricity virtually

bound to nourish any seed of talent. (Dutta 37)

Even though Tagore became more famous than his siblings, he couldn’t have done it

without their support nor without living in the Tagore household. Another reason his

siblings had a greater impact on him was the early death of his mother. The void of not

having a mother was filled by one of Tagore’s sister-in-laws:

Rabindranath never received the love of his mother (his mother died when

he was quite young). But when he was about seven or eight, his brother

(fifth eldest, Jyotirindranath) was married and brought home Kadambari

Devi. Tagore and Kadambari were about the same age. But perhaps

because the mothers’ instinct comes early to women, kadambari filled for

NAME 3

Tagore the void left by the death of his mother. To this young brother-in-

law of her own age, she had extended great affection and love. (Chatterjee

OL)

More deaths occurred in his family which led to more changes in his outlook towards

poetry: “The inner change in Tagore came through the experiences of the death of his

wife, a son and a daughter. At this time he wrote the Bengali poems of ‘Gitanjali’ for

himself and not for publication. This transformation in the poet brought to him the

realization that Santiniketa was his sadhana (spiritual work)” (Cenkner 62). “Gitanjali” is

a perfect example of poetry that wasn’t aimed the public. The Tagore family provided

Rabindranath with experiences and support that made him into the great man he was.

Tagore’s education was significant to him, and the method of teaching was even

more so. He started schooling at normal age, and showed his poetic talents early. He

learned from private tutors beginning at age five and was writing poetry by age eight

(Kalasky 401). This talent did not go ignored. “He [Satkari Babu, one of Tagore’s

teachers] sent for me one day and asked: ‘So you write poetry, do you?’ I did not conceal

the fact. From that time on, he would occasionally ask me to complete his quatrain by

adding a couplet of his own” (Chakravarty 92). Practicing poetry at a young age

developed his skills even more. ). Tagore was not only gifted in poetry, but also in

thinking. He thought through his experiences and could analyze them. Tagore did this

while pondering about his education many times:

I well remember the surprise and annoyance of an experienced

headmaster, reputed to be a successful disciplinarian, when he saw one of

the boys of my school climbing a tree and choosing a fork of the branches

NAME 4

for settling down to his studies. I had to say to him in explanation that

‘childhood is the only period of life when a civilized man can exercise his

choice between the branches of a tree and his drawing-room chair, and

should I deprive this boy of that privilege because I, as a grown up man,

am barred from it?’ What is surprising to notice is the same headmaster’s

approbation of the boys’ studying botany. He believes in an impersonal

knowledge of the tree because that is science, but not in a personal

experience of it. (Chatterjee OL)

Because Tagore was not satisfied with the education and educators of his day, he

established his own methods of teaching in his later life.

“In matters of education, Tagore was a lifelong believer in freedom in

nature, within and without. In his own life, he shunned structured school-

education entirely; he believed that a mind which is not truly free to

knowledge bound in the pages of books or confined within four walls, is a

mind which is uninspired. As an educator, he therefore chose the marga

of freedom whereby young students could be closer to their own nature as

well as nature outside” (Chatterjee OL).

Other criticisms Tagore had about the schools of his time dealt with the British rule over

India. The Westerners had taken over the education system and there was a lack of

understanding between teachers and students.

He said in his essay, ‘Indian students and Western Teachers, ‘that Indian students

needed sympathy and inspiration, but that, ‘the least insult pierces to the quick.’

The university, he argued, could be the arena for the beneficial meeting and

NAME 5

sharing of cultures, but it cold never be such as long as the British stereotyped the

Bengali, made men into adjectives rather than nouns, and demanded a relationship

based on fear and hate. (Chatterjee OL)

Rabindranath Tagore didn’t feel the education provided in schools was enough for life.

He felt that the teachers hindered the learning process with their strict and blind views.

[insert closing sentence / transition]

Writing and translating “Gitanjali” proved to be a fascinating task for Tagore. It

was originally written in Bengali, and he never intended to make his poems a worldwide

sensation. Tagore only wanted to use some extra time productively by translating: “It is

an old habit of mine…that when the air strikes my bones, they tend to respond in music.

Yet I had not the energy to sit down and write anything new. So I took up the poems of

‘Gitanjali’ and set myself to translate them one by one” (Kripalini 215). Before the

translation of this poetry collection, Tagore put together three collections of poetry of

which “Gitanjali” was the second. It was a time when thoughts of religion overcame his

mind: “The religious consciousness, the need of establishing a satisfactory relationship

wit the Absolute, the Ultimate, which was to find its culmination in the ‘Gitnajali’ period,

[was] beginning to stir within him” (Kripalini 136). To understand these deep feelings,

Tagore found a perfect place to release the thoughts on paper: “As a child, weary from

running about the livelong day flees to its mother’s breast, so Tagore laid his tired limbs

aboard ‘Padma’ [his houseboat]. Here he lived all by himself, writing a number of songs

that were afterwards translated into English and included in ‘Gitanjali’(Khanolkar 166).

Translating from one language to another is already difficult, but keeping the mood,

meaning, and emotions as strong as the original is even more so. Tagore put an intense

NAME 6

amount of his feelings into “Gitanjali.”: “All the pain and suffering…both in the world

and in his mind, which this poet…went through in the first decade of this century wer

finally resolved and sublimated in the songs that poured forth from his full and chastened

heart in 1909 and 1910 published as ‘Gitanjali’ (Handful or Offering of Songs) in the

latter year” (Kripalini 210). Tagore also felt that his knowledge of the English language

was embarrassing. He didn’t understand how people liked the translations. “I cannot

imagine to this day how people came to like it [“Gitanjali”] so much. That I cannot write

English is such a patent fact that I never had even the vanity to feel ashamed for it. If

anybody wrote an English note asking me to eat, I did not feel ashamed of it. If anybody

wrote an English note asking me to tea, I did not feel like answering it….” (Chatterjee

OL). If it hadn’t been for Tagore’s friends who saw the magnificence in his poetry, the

world may have never sung “Gitanjali.” “It was Rothenstein who initially read Tagore’s

manuscript, exulted in the poems, contacted Yeats, introduced Tagore to writers, artists,

and thinkers, and arranged for the publication of the book by the India Society and then

by Macmillan” (Dutta 164). The journey from his first lyrics of “Gitanjali” in Bengali to

the translations in English that Tagore was ashamed of definitely came to a very happy

ending.

Tagore traveled to many places, and some experiences were good, while others

were not. He took some of the trips only because he was invited to speak. “In 1916,

speaking in Japan and across the USA, he eloquently warned each nation about the

dangers of militaristic nationalism, unbridled commercialism, and the love of technology

for its own sake” (Dutta 13). Tagore’s intelligence was in demand after the Nobel Prize

NAME 7

and a few universities had listened to him, but he didn’t always feel welcome in some

parts of the world.

At the immigration office in Vancouver, a US official, aware of who he

was, nevertheless kept him standing for half an hour and then asked him

the stock questions: who had paid his passage, had he been to jail, was he

going to settle permanently in the USA? (A London paper claimed that

Tagore was even asked if he could write.) Not surprisingly, Tagore’s anti-

American hackles rose. (Dutta 284)

Despite this event, Tagore did continue traveling. As discussed before, he grew up in a

diverse country in a diverse family. This made him and his range of ideas immeasurable;

the vastness only grew with every place he visited. “Yet for all I know, it [staying in

Calcutta] was necessary, not for my peace of mind, but for realizing, rightly or wrongly,

that my mission of life was not for exclusively turning out verses difficult of

comprehension” (Chakravarty 25). Tagore even realized what he wanted to do with his

life and talents by venturing everyone in the world his name had reached. On the inside,

Rabindranath Tagore was still Indian. No matter where he went, he wouldn’t forget his

home. “[In London], he was stuck in one stuffy, sparsely-furnished room in Regent’s

Park in bleak midwinter, having to fend for himself. ‘Sometimes Indians would come to

see me and, though my acquaintance with them was but slight, when they rose to leave I

wanted to hold them back by their coat-tails’” (Dutta 71). “Gitanjali” brought Tagore

opportunities to travel the earth knowing that someone would be waiting for him to speak

or impart his intelligence to them. However, he didn’t leave his mother land for long.

NAME 8

Rabindranath was recognized many times for his work. His most notable honor

was the Nobel Prize. This not only acknowledged his talent in poetry, but brought him

international fame. “Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), who was knighted in 1914

(presumably because he won the Nobel Prize in 1913), has been one of the few Indians to

gain an international reputation” (Seymour-smith 711). Recognition from home probably

meant more to Tagore than honor from everywhere else. He received this kind of special

tribute from both Bengal and India:

It is fitting that after independence, India chose a song of Tagore (‘Jana

Gana Mana Adhinayaka,’ which can be roughly translated as ‘the leader of

people’s minds’) as its national anthem. Since Bangladesh would later

choose another song of Tagore (‘Amar Sonar Bangla’) as its national

anthem, he may be the only one ever to have authored the national

anthems of two different countries. (Sen OL)

Poetry isn’t the only art Tagore is known for. He did much more in his life. Some would

even go as far and say:

‘If asked to select but one man to represent the highest Hinduism has

produced, many would select Rabindranath Tagore…He was a genius in

many fields- poetry, short stories, music, choreography, painting,

architecture, science, education, social service and statesmanship. Three

months before his death, though troubled by the war in Europe, he wrote

an essay ‘Crisis in Civilization (Sabhyatar Sankat)’ in which he said, ‘I

shall not commit the grievous sin of losing faith in Man.’ (Chatterjee OL)

NAME 9

As mentioned before, Tagore’s intentions had nothing of fame and fortune in them, but

however good or bad his name did travel the globe. At the time, Tagore was not very

happy with the attention: “The perfect whirlwind of public excitement it has risen to is

frightful. It is almost as bad as tying a tin can at a dog’s tail making it impossible for him

to move without creating noise and collect crowds all along. I am beng smothered with

telegrams and letters for the last few days…. Really these people honour the honour in

me and not myself’” (Kripalini 229). Without even trying, Rabindranath Tagore became

known worldwide for his talent and gift in poetry and other arts. He definitely deserved

all the accolades he received if not more.

Tagore wanted India to be an independent nation. To show how much his country

meant to him, “In 1919, by repudiating his knighthood, he became the first Indian to

make a public gesture against the massacre at Amritsar” (Dutta 13). Rabindranath wasn’t

a violent man, but when it came to his beliefs he was ready to fight. “…‘just then a

police sergeant shoved a Bengali lady supporter of khadi. The next instant my non-

violent non-cooperating condition was converted into furious sedition.’ The hero is

promptly picked up, roughed up and jailed – not for the first time in his life” (Dutta 261).

Tagore even experienced jail in his quest for freedom. Gandhi, the most widely known

Indian freedom fighter of India, and Tagore respected each other because of their mutual

goals. “’I regard the Poet’, Gandhi said, ‘as a sentinel warning us against the approach

enemies called Bigotry, Lethargy, Intolerance, Ignorance, Inertia, and other members of

that brood’” (Dutta 13). Tagore’s death did not take his great thoughts and ideas away

from the world. “Rabindranath Tagore, who died in 1941 at the age of eighty, is a

NAME 10

towering figure in the millennium-old literature of Bengal” (Sen OL). He is still

remembered as one of the greatest Indian poets that ever lived.

The events in history that occurred during Tagore’s times also influenced his

poetry. As noted earlier, a variety of events impacted Tagore’s works. “Gitanjali” is

filled with religious references because “Much of Tagore’s ideology came from the

teaching of the Upanishads and from his own beliefs that God can be found through

personal purity and service to others. He stressed the need for new world order based on

transnational values and ideas, the ‘unity consciousness’” (bigchalk OL). Another

fantastic Indian poet, Kalidas, also had an impact on Tagore’s work: “’Rabindranath’s

real master has been Kalidasa. He never misses a chance of paying Kalidasa homage,

either by explicit panegyric or by subtler way of paraphrasing or quoting…’” (Kalasky

403). “Western influences undoubtedly curtailed older Bengali habits of leisure, but if

there was one thing for which people in Bengal had remained famous (as they still are), it

was for their love of meeting ‘for the pleasure of simply being together or, to use the

Bengali world, ‘to do adda’” (Dutta 45). <<< I don’t see a solid purpose for this

paragraph. Should I move these few quotes to the biographical influences paragraph?

>>>

Tagore’s works prompted many different reactions. His works were definitely

recognized in India. He was even compared to the most well-known Indian at the time.

“As a supreme symbol of India’s culture and spirit, Tagore was a contemporary of the

other colossus of nineteenth century India, Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). Tagore and

Gandhi were great admirers of each other, despite their difference in matters of politics,

nationalism and social reform” (Chatterjee OL). Although not everyone knows, Tagore’s

NAME 11

stories, songs and paintings were also honored. “ Tagore was not only an immensely

versatile poet; he was also a great short story writer, novelist, playwright essayist, and

composer of songs, as well as a talented painter whose pictures, with their mixture of

representations and abstraction, are only now beginning to receive the acclaim that they

have a long deserved” (Sen OL). Only after the success of “Gitanjali” did people take

notice of this other art. Not only did Tagore follow his Indian background, but he

believed in accepting ideas from everywhere. “An assiduous student of classical

Sanskrit, Bengali, and European literatures [,] Tagore passionately affirmed his Indian

heritage and identity, yet repudiated nationalism and asserted is devotion to a universal

divinity” (Kalasky 401-402). His universal nature made accepting his works easier.

“Since last year the book, in a real and full sense, has belonged to English literature, for

the author himself, who by education and practice is a poet in his native Indian tongue,

has bestowed upon the poems a new dress, alike perfect in form and personally original

in inspiration. This has made them accessible to all in England, America, and the entire

Western world for whom noble literature is of interest and moment” (Hjarne OL).

Translating “Gitanjali” into English was one of the best things he did in his life because it

became available to the rest of the world. Tagore was not very sure of this fact though.

‘When I [Tagore] first translated them into English, I had not the slightest

faith my English would be readable. Many even suspected that Andrews

had done the translating. It embarrassed poor Andrews terribly. The day

Yeats invited all the distinguished personages to Rothenstein's home for a

reading of Gitanjali, I cannot describe to you how utterly embarrassed and

uneasy I felt…. By nature the English are somewhat reticent, they could

NAME 12

not say anything right there and then’” (Chatterjee OL). “’I [Yeats] have

carried the manuscript of these translations [of ‘Gitanjali’] with me for

days, reading it in railways trains, on the tops of omnibuses and in

restaurants, and I have often had to close it lest some stranger would see

how much it moved me.’ (Kalasky 402)

This miraculous collection of poems stunned its first listeners and critics to an extent that

Tagore could not believe. He did not have a positive outlook, but a positive outcome was

due indeed. Rabindranath Tagore’s English translation of “Gitanjali” was almost loved

by all.

Not all of Tagore’s reception was positive. Although most people were taken

aback by Tagore’s lyrics, a few felt that there was nothing special about Rabindranath

Tagore. Some of the media was very cruel to him: “A section of the press kept him under

constant fire, frequently descending into mud-sling…. ‘ Few writers have been more

scurrilously abused [than Tagore],’ wrote Nired Chaudhuri, the leading critic of modern

Bengal. It was this abuse, in part, Chaudhuri claimed, that forced Rabindranath to look

westwards for appreciation in 1912” (Dutta 9). Aside from local media, the Western

press could not help but attack his name, race, or religion: “The ‘Globe’ of Toronto,

Canada, wrote: ‘It is the first time that the Nobel Prize has gone to anyone who is not

what we call ‘white’. It will take time, of course for us to accommodate ourselves to the

idea that anyone called Rabindranath Tagore should receive a world prize for literature”

(Kripalini 226) A newspaper in California went along the same lines: “The ‘Times’, Los

Angeles, complained that young modern writes in Europe and America had been

discouraged by the award of the [Nobel] Prize ‘…to a Hindu poet whose name few

NAME 13

people can pronounce, with whose work fewer in America are familiar, and whose claim

for that high distinction still fewer will recognize’” (Kripalini 226). It is sad that these

negative critics couldn’t focus on just Tagore’s poetry. A judgment based on anything

else should not be even considered. Some critics did comment on the poetry itself:

“Indeed, critics were not wanting who refuse ‘to fall under the spell of this Indian poet.’

One of them wrote in ‘New Age’, London, ‘any of us could write such stuff ad libitum;

but nobody should be deceived into thinking it good English, good poetry, good sense, or

good ethics’” (Kripalini 223). The claim that “any of us” could do the same is highly

disprovable. One may wonder why that critic didn’t write poetry and win the Nobel Prize.

Other still had a different reason to put down Tagore, but they accepted the fact that

“Gitanjali” was of high quality. They started to make themselves feel better because they

wanted to be part of the honor the poet received: “Some critics patted themselves on the

back that the British had civilized the Indian’s so well that the latter could write such

good stuff” (Kripalini 223). It is a ridiculous proposition to make such a relation. Other

critics who also felt that “Gitanjali” was remarkable said that Tagore couldn’t have done

it himself: “There were many critics, both in Great Britain and in India, who found it

hard to believe that Tagore who had not published anything in English before could write

so well in that language and attributed the success of ‘Gitanjali’ to Yeats having

drastically revised or rewritten the poems” (Kripalini 221). Without knowing it, these

critics just praised Tagore praising “Gitanjali.” The fallacy in their argument saying that

Tagore didn’t write the poems is clarified by the same source: “Yeats did here and there

suggest slight changes, but the main text was printed as it came from Tagore’s hands’”

(Kripalini 221). The poet didn’t deny using help, but it is clear that Yeats did not have

NAME 14

any part in Tagore’s Bengali “Gitanjali” and therefore could not have had a huge impact

on the translation. [need sentence] “John butler Yeats, the painter and father of poet,

wrote thus to his son about the content and style of Tagore’s poetry: ‘His ideas are

vapourously philanthropic…Out of vapour you can make a background or atmosphere,

not the body of the poetry, the feelings it excites [are] too tepid, and who indulges

himself in that kind of speculation weakens his power in its very source” (Palmer OL). A

few critics did not like the poetry because they compare it to his original, Bengali, poems.

“Many Bengali critics consider it over-sensuous, so much given to musings and

digressions about beauty that it falls short of the standard of his best work” (Lago OL).

Another critic agrees that “Poetry is, of course notoriously difficult to translate… (Sen

OL), but they also continue with“…anyone who knows Tagore’s poems in their original

Bengali cannot feel satisfied with any of the translation (made with or without Yeats’s

help). Even the translations of his prose works suffer, to some extent, from distortion”

(Sen OL). Not many people can or have compare both Bengali and English texts making

it hard to trust a few people’s opinions. Every poet will receive negative criticism, but

none of the attacks towards Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjali” have strong support.

Most critics feel Tagore had something special inside of him. One of Tagore’s

best friends and critics “Mr. Yeats[,] observes in his Introduction to the ‘Gitanjali’: ‘A

tradition, where poetry and religion are the same thing, has passed through the centuries,

gathering from learned and unlearned metaphor and emotion, and carried back again to

the multitude, the thought of the scholar and the noble’” (Radhakrisnan 180). Because

Tagore was religious and showed it in his poetry, others felt the magic of his beliefs.

Critics saw a great personality when they looked at Tagore. “The basic and most robust

NAME 15

characteristic of Tagore’s philosophy of life was his emphasis on the development of the

human personality and his deep-set conviction that there is no inherent contradiction

between the claims of the so-called opposites – the flesh and the spirit, the human and the

divine, love of life and love of God…” (Kripalini 5). [insert sentence] “The loving and

intense religious sense that permeates all his thoughts and feelings, the purity of heart,

and the noble and unaffected elevation of the style – all amount to a total impression of

deep and rare spiritual beauty’” (Dutta 186). One critic believes Tagore is among the

most influential Hindus:

The Hindu culture of the few- the philosophers, artists, rishis (seers), and

poets- is a culture much to be admired. But for every Sankara, or

Kalidasa, or Buddha, or Tagore there are thousands living in squalor, filth

and ignorance…But this should not blind critics to one of the great

strengths of this culture- the fact that it has produced some of the noblest

specimens of the human race. (Chatterjee OL)

While some compared him to the greatest that lived, others felt that his greatness came

with his similarities with the common person: “The author of ‘Gitanjali’ could be as

practical and down-to-earth as any American farmer or Bolshevik manger of a collective

farm. His only difference from the former was that he used his practical ability to benefit

others and not himself, and from the latter was that he did not believe in using force but

relied on the power of persuasion” (Kripalini 152). Although Tagore could be compared

to a farmer or manger, the differences are what made him lovable to all. What separated

him from the rest was his thinking: “Rabindranath…is a reflective thinker, but in him

reason and reflection are subordinated to imagination and emotion” (Radhakrisnan 161).

NAME 16

Tagore let the world discover his thoughts and feel his emotions through his poetry.

Without this form of art, Tagore’s ideas wouldn’t have been to every corner of the earth:

“If Rabindranath has touched Indian hearts, it is because he is first and foremost a poet

and not a philosopher” (Radhakrisnan 169). Even though Tagore could be seen as a

philosopher, he used this mental power to create intriguing poetry such as “Gitanjali.”

“His [Tagore’s] penetrating insight into human minds and the many intricate ways they

relate to other people around them in love and in conflict…allowed him to map

characters and stories…from his pen” (Bengali Literature OL). Another unique quality

critics saw in Tagore was his ability to relate with children. “In a world where adults

emphasized how much children can learn from grown-ups, the poet never forgot how

much adults can learn from children” (Chandler 235). Tagore was different in that he

didn’t look for recognition; his poetry came from the heart. This is why the Nobel Prize

wasn’t everything. “If there was a bigger prize [than the Nobel Prize] for Tagore – it was

to be the hearts and souls of millions of Bengaliees who lived during his lifetime or will

ever walk on this earth since his passing away” (Bengali Literature OL). [concluding

sentence]

“Gitanjali” was a very moving collection of poetry for many. One large reason

for its success was because “’Gitanjali’…had the great and rare luck of the translator’s

being the author himself, an author who had already worked in words for well over thirty

years. It was destined to be a miraculous transformation” (Mauro 334). Another reason

is that Tagore’s life and experiences were felt in “Gitanjali” by everyone who read it.

“’Gitanjali’ while being a handful of flowers that the poet offers to the Lord of his Life, is

something more than just a sentimental bouquet. It is a handful of word-flowers that

NAME 17

drew their life from his own experience” (Khanolkar 154). “’Gitanjali’ was more than

just words; it was a part of him: “His religious poetry of this period which culminated in

the passionate sincerity and utter simplicity of ‘Gitanjali’ was wrung out of his heart’s

blood. His religious insight, like that of all great saints and mistics, was born of deeply

experienced sorrow and loneliness” (Kripalini 204). Because every aspect of Tagore’s

thoughts are in “Gitanjali”, his religious beliefs can also be found in it. Tagore made

religious poetry personal and therefore magnificent. Tagore’s religious poetry has been

placed with the “world’s highest poetry” by critics because of its quality (Kripalini 181).

Tagore was accepted as an experienced and talented poet which allowed him to make his

own style. “A poetic genious like Rabindranath need not be bound by forms. He is a law

unto himself, makes his on rules and breaks thought he ordinary conventions”

(Radhakrisnan 149). Because the poet and translator was the same, and because Tagore

put his heart and soul into “Gitanjali”, it has emotionally moved people all over the

world.

Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Gitanjali’ was acknowledged all over the world by critics

and the media. Translating “Gitanjali” proved to be one of the smartest things he did.

“Now that ‘Gitanjali’ was being translated into most of the progressive and cultured

languages of the world, Tagore was winning a host of admirers and new friends in every

land. Everywhere, people felt that in some mysterious way he uttered the thoughts of

their inmost hearts” (Khanolkar 193). Articles praising Tagore’s poetry could be found

in various newspapers in different parts of the world. Chicago was one city that praised

him: “Tagore’s reputation was sensibly increased by an appreciative review of

‘Gitanjali’ in the ‘Chicago Tribune’” (Khanolkar 175). Even the well known literary

NAME 18

magazines couldn’t help but praise it: “’Gitanjali was reported to be enjoying great

popularity, and the ‘Times Literary Supplement’ of November 7 [1912] had carried a

long and appreciative review of it” (Khanolkar 173). That magazine wrote: “‘…and in

reading these poems one feels, not that they are the curiosities of an alien mind, but that

they are prophetic of the poetry that might be written in England if our poets could attain

to the same harmony of emotion and idea’” (Kripalini 223). The British literary

magazine felt as if Tagore was familiar, and his ideas were for everyone. Another aspect

of Tagore’s poetry that made it favorable to many was its newness. “Never before had

poetry been read like this—in prose form, in a foreign tongue, before a foreign audience,

to whom its fancies, its imagery were something altogether new and unlike anything they

had heard till now” (Khanolkar 1). The novel style and ideas of “Gitanjali” raised its

praise to great heights. Some even said “It was of this book that critics considered equal

or superior to everything in the West from the Songs of David, the writings of Christian

mystics, and Dante, on down to Milton, Wordsworth and Shelley” (Palmer OL). To back

that bold statement up, the critic explains: “Tagore wrote some 3,000 poems and songs.

I know of no English or American poet who wrote as much. He penned some 100,000

lines of poetry. This quantity astonishes those who realize that a great writer like John

Milton wrote only about 18,000 lines of poetry” (Palmer OL). After observing the

world’s reaction, one should also look at how his own country felt. Not surprisingly,

India and Bengal are the proudest of their poet. This is reflected in the schools where

“Every Indian schoolchild learns…to recite his patriotic poem ‘Where the Head is Held

High and the Heart Set Free from Fear’, and of course to sing, on a variety of public

occasions, the Indian nation anthem, ‘Jana Gana Mana’, composed by Tagore in

NAME 19

Bengali…” (Desai 5). The world accepted Tagore’s poetry, acknowledged his talent, and

praised “Gitanjali,” his greatest translated piece.

“So great was his hatred for this concept that he refused to entertain It even

where India was concerned. He had led the movement against British authority, seeing

colonialism as an expression of greed and selfishness, but he would not replace it by

Indian nationalism which he feared just as greatly” (Desai 11).

Perhaps publishers had a premonition for the future success of “Gitanjali”

because Tagore did not have trouble getting it published once the first company accepted

the risk. “From Rothenstein he received a copy of ‘Gitanjali’ published by the India

Society, together with a letter saying that arrangements had been finalized for Macmillan

and Co. to publish a further edition of ‘Gitanjali’ as well as ‘The Gardener’ and ‘Cresent

Moon’” (Khanolkar 173). After the original publication, everyone wanted a part of

Tagore, even though it hadn’t received any recognition yet. “First published in March

1913, ‘Gitanjali’ was reprinted ten times before the award of the Nobel Prize on 13

November” (Dutta 167). [concluding sentence]

Bengali literature has very rich roots and Tagore is just one part of it. The

Bengali language originates from Sanskrit and its literary heritage reflects that (Bengali

Literature OL). (Bengali Literature OL). This heritage started even before a system of

permanent writing was developed. Folk poetry was the origin and the first that came

before anything could be printed and saved:

Bengali literature has its roots in poetry. Bengali poetry has its roots in its

people. Long before the print medium was invented, folk tales had been

told from one generation to the next…. Kobials (folk poets) would often

NAME 20

recite their compositions in front of appreciative audiences not only in

their immediate neighborhood, but often in far-away places…. (Bengali

Literature OL)

The folk poetry was popular not only for its entertainment value, but for its inspirational

value also: “The verses, which often included references to familiar characters from the

great Indian epics ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Ramayan’ would serve as beacons for thousands…”

(Bengali Literature OL). Listening to poems about characters they knew or people that

lived inspiring lives positively impacted the Bengalis. Modern Bengali poetry developed

from that same inspiring folk culture and there were a few people who helped create a

rich cultural background: “Madhusan Dutta who appeared as a comet in the literary sky

of Bengal following Naveen Chandra Sen, introduced blank verses and sonnets and

presented to the world his masterpiece epic poetry ‘Meghnad Badh Kabya’” (Bengali

Literature OL). Tagore is given the most acclaim for his contribution to Bengali

literature: “Bengali Poetry reached its peak in the hands of Nobel laureate Rabindranath

Tagore (Bengali Literature).

The different literary figures belonged to separate periods into which Bengali

Literature is structured. Prose came in early 19th century. “William Carey…translated

the Bible into Bengali in 1801 for spreading Christianity – noted as the pioneering work

in Bengali prose” (Bengali Literature OL). Although it was just a translation, it was a

start of a new poetry form in this language. The Loric Period consisted of fables.

Fable-centered literature of this period has been classified into two distinct

streams. The first steam was purely romantic…. Events were exciting,

and happenings romantic. Characters and storylines were inspired by the

NAME 21

omnipresence of God…. The second stream, not unlike its predecessor,

continued to be laden with religious preaching and moral edicts. However,

these were less exotic and less fanciful. Soon these stared to deal with

tales of ordinary people and their ordinary lives. (Bengali Literature OL)

This was the first step in going from folk to a more modern type of literature. Characters

that people could relate to helped increase interest. The Bankim Period slightly swayed

from the idea that literature had to have moral judgements. The literature from this

period was meant to please the reader. One author from the transitional period between

the Loric and Bankim periods couldn’t successfully accomplish this: “A new era dawned

with Pyarichand Mitra’s trend-setting prose- based novel…. Many criticized Mitra…of

not writing for entertainment value only. He…erred in making value judgments. ”

(Bengali Literature OL). Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, whom the period is named after

was the first to progress Bengali literature to have entertainment value. “It is Bankim

Chandra Chatterjee who finally dropped curtain on the Loric period…” (Bengali

Literature OL). After this Bankim period came the most known period in Bengali

Literature; the Tagore Period contains Bengali literature’s best. “The Tagore period,

which followed the Bankim period and co-existed with the Sarat Period, has to date been

the most defining period in Bengali literature…” (Bengali Literature OL). This was

because Tagore had talent and versatility, and because it was the first time Bengali

literature became world renowned. Bengali poetry was read outside of Bengal and India

on a larger basis. Because of this Rabindranath Tagore is considered a “world

phenomenon” (Bengali Literature OL). The works of the Tagore period still remain the

most known of the Bengali literature outside of Bengal. The Sarat Period was during the

NAME 22

same time period as Tagore’s days. Even though Tagore’s name was everywhere “…it

was novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterjee who brought modern Bengali literature to the

[Bengali] masses…” (Bengali Literature OL). He was more learned in pure Bengali and

therefore gave the readers something more. Sarat knew enough himself that Tagore did

not alter him: “His mastery on this branch of Bengali literature was so complete that…

remaining under the full glare of Tagore’s creative genius, Sarat Chandra was never to be

influenced by it…” (Bengali Literature OL). Out of all of the literary periods

The freedom of his nation was of great importance to Tagore. Gandhi was the

most known freedom fighter in Tagore’s time. Tagore and Gandhi knew and respected

each other very much, however, they didn’t agree on everything (Sen OL). They had

their own ideas and beliefs on how to go about earning freedom. Even if this was true,

“Rabindranath knew that he could not have given India that political leadership that

Gandhi provided and he was never stingy in his praise for what Gandhi did for the

nation…” (Sen OL). There were many problems in India; some because of the British

rule and the others not. “Towards the end of his life, Tagore was indeed become

discouraged about the state of India…” (Sen OL). Rabindranath Tagore felt the need to

do something to help his nation.

Tagore’s style is emotionally felt throughout the hundred-plus poems. Imagery is

the dominant technique that Tagore uses. “Written while Tagore was in extreme pain and

moving slowly but inexorably toward death, they are compact, elegant, contemplative,

and riveting lyrics that pierce the quiet realm of planets an stars, then dive back to the

flowery, noiseome Earth, where beauty and ugliness, life and death entwine” (Seaman

OL). Images continually form as one reads “Gitanjali” as one line from it shows: “…

NAME 23

The horizon is fiercely naked – not the thinnest cover of a soft cloud, not the vaguest hint

of a distant cool shower” (Tagore 45). Tagore paints a picture of the sky with his words

to bring to feeling of emptiness. Many have recognized that “’…[ Tagore uses a]

wonderful abundance of imagery…” (Kalasky 404) but few go on to conclude that “Here

we get close to the heart of his genious, and can confidently claim for him the title of

great poet. No poet that ever lived…has a more constant and intimate touch with natural

beauty’” (Kalasky 404). Perhaps the first stanza from poem XVI reveals Tagore’s zeal

and mastery towards imagery: “I have had my invitation to this world’s festival, and

thus/ my life has been blessed. My eyes have seen and my ears/ have heard” (Tagore 19).

The poet feels blessed because he was able to satisfy his senses and experience the world.

Although the amount of imagery is incredible, the fact that Tagore only uses a few things

to create the vast variety of images is even more so: “’There is a recurrence of certain

vocabulary, of flowers, south wind, spring, autumn, tears, laughter, separation, tunes,

bees, and the rest…’” (Kalasky 403). Tagore utilizes many recurring motifs in

‘Gitanjali’.

Nature was close to Tagore’s heart. “So deep is Rabindranath’s love of nature

that to him every aspect of nature becomes a symbol of beauty” (Radhakrisnan

Cenkner2). Tagore creates images of the beauty of nature throughout “Gitanjali” as seen

in poem LXVII:

There comes the morning with the golden basket in/ her right hand bearing

the wreath of beauty, silently to/ crown the earth.// And there comes the

evening over the lonely meadows/ deserted by herds, through tackles

paths, carrying cool/ draughts of peace in her golden pitcher from the

NAME 24

western/ ocean of rest.// But there, where spreads the infinite sky for the/

soul to take her flight in, reins the stainless white/ radiance. (Tagore 79)

“Indian thought never cared for nature divorced from spirit, Nature thus viewed is an

illusive phenomenon” (Radhakrisnan 135). Tagore, as an Indian, also felt a connection to

nature. In “Gitanjali” he exclaims “Thou art the sky and thou art the nest as well”

(Tagore 79) saying that his soul through God is one with nature. Because “Nature is

present in nearly every poem of these three volumes…” (Lago OL), it is apparent that

nature was needed to complete Rabindranath Tagore.

The poet was also in search of the Eternal or Ideal. Tagore refers to the Eternal

throughout the poetry. “In ‘Gitanjali’ the ‘eternal’ is in quest of man – a quest which

leaves its footprints on endless stretches of planets” (Verma 91). This longing to reach

God elevates the value of “Gitanjali.” It has a bigger purpose. “Poetry would not delight

and give joy if it did not reveal the eternal though its form. Poetry aims, in the language

of Hegel, ‘ to present in forms for the imagination features of the ultimate ideal of the

harmonised universe’” (Radhakrisnan 127). In writing “Gitanjali,” Tagore successfully

accomplishes Hegel’s definition of poetry because of the quest to the eternal is included.

Other motifs are also dispersed within “Gitanjali.” Even though there is much

repetition, Tagore makes excellent use of his limited motifs:

Rarely was fine poetry, one thinks, made out of less variety; rain and

cloud, wind and rising river, boatmen, lamps, temples and gongs, flutes

and vinas, birds flying home at dusk, travelers tired or with provisions

exhausted, flowers opening and falling. It is astonishing what range the

poet gets out of these few things—they are far too naturally and purely

NAME 25

used there to be called properties, as they justifiably might be in much of

his work…. (Thompson OL)

[add sentence] One of his common motifs is “the poet” that is actually referring to God.

“The tribute to the poet of the earth is eloquently expressed in ‘Gitanjali’ (song No.

XLIX, pp.23-24): ‘Masters are many in your hall and songs are sung there at all

hours….’ The divine hears the note of human pain in the poet’s song which is ‘plaintive

little strain mingled with the great music of the world’” (Verma 124). Tagore relates God

to his own life to feel closeness. Another motif of Tagore’s is time. “In the ‘Gitanjali’

poem (LXXXII) ‘Time is endless in thy hands, my lord’, the Old Testament idea of a

revealing pattern of life which God dog not permit one to see fully, He limits the vision

by time, while in His hands time is endless” (Verma 24). While reading “Gitanjali,” what

Tagore said about time being endless seemed true. As Tagore stayed with only a few

motifs, he also stayed with the common language for his poetry: “Most important, he

initiated a rhetorical revolution in modern Bengali poetry by using language that

orthodox literary pundits considered unsuited to serious poetry: he used the simpler

colloquial diction and verb forms of the vernacular instead of the highly Sanskritized,

more formal and sonorous diction of literary Bengali” (Lago OL). Tagore’s ability to

create an entire collection of poetry using limited motifs and a simple language brought

him the recognition he deserved.

Translating poetry from Bengali to English created an almost new poetry

collection apart from the original. Even though the original Bengali “Gitanjali” was

rhymed and was sung, the translation into English changed this:

NAME 26

Inextricably bound up with this great event was the problem of translation,

a problem always central to international literary exchange; it becomes

especially thorny when, as in the case of Rabindranath’s poems, the form

is changed from rhymed metrical verse to free verse, when the editors

neither know the language of the original poems nor enlist as consultant

any one who does, and the general public has neither information about

other poetry in the Bengali language nor access to instruction in that

language. (Lago OL)

“Despite the archaic language of the original translation of ‘Gitanjali’…its elementary

humanity comes through more clearly than any complex and intense spirituality…” (Sen

OL). After the translation, the style differed from the original, but still proved to be

powerful.

“Gitanjali” is also a collection of melodic poems that can be sung. One critic

even claims: “They [poems of ‘Gitanjali’] fairly cry out to be set to music” (Lago OL).

Melody is a key aspect in Tagore’s poetry. This is why the original poems were sung.

“The Song Offerings are more of song in the original and more of an offering in the

English” (Mauro 333). The title of the poem indicates that the poem has the melody of a

song: “’…the titles of these three volumes [‘Gitimalya’, ‘Gitanjali’, & ‘Gitali’] clearly

indicates that Tagore considered the melody to be at least as important as the poetic

imagery’” (Kalasky 413). Even though the translation does not have the complete

songlike melody, there is a distinct melody and rhythm in “Gitanjali.” One critic reveals

that “There will be melody in the tongue only if there is melody in the heart. The

NAME 27

harmony of the soul is attained when the mind is not seized with doubts” (Radhakrisnan

129). Tagore had a beautiful tune inside of them that created the melody of “Gitanjali.”

Tagore’s poems also display wonderful rhythm. As with melody, Tagore’s inner

qualities and lifelong experiences expressed the rhythm in his poems (Radhakrisnan 129).

To apply this rhythm to his lyrics, Tagore used prose: “They are written in prose, but a

prose which has all the rhythm and beauty of poetry” (Kripalini 270). He chose abandon

the rhyme he used in Bengali in order to keep his message pure: “…realizing that rhymes

have a restricting effect on the free flight of the poetic spirit, Rabindranath employs the

rhythmical prose…” (Radhakrisnan Cenkner9-150). “Gitanjali” is meant to be read aloud

and only this way will one be able to get the full effect of its rhythm: “The movement of

his prose may escape you if you read it only from print, but read it aloud, a little

tentatively, and the delicacy of its rhythm is at once apparent” (Pound OL). A critic says

that the prose Tagore chose to write in was meant to be: “I think this good fortune is

unconscious. I do not think it is an accident. It is the sort of prose rhythm a man would

use after years of word arranging” (Pound OL). Tagore’s rhythmical prose is successful

in keeping melody, rhythm, and the original ideas from the Bengali “Gitanjali.”

Rabindranath Tagore uses a mixture these ideas to create tones and feelings in

“Gitanjali.” All of them together can be overwhelming: “Their wistfulness, which if one

were to read all 159 poems at a sitting, would become very wearisome, echoes a

dominant mood of Kshanika” (Lago OL). Underlying all of the feelings, there is a

calmness; “…beneath and about it all is this spirit of curious quiet….As the sense of

balance came back upon Europe in the days before the Renaissance, so it seems to me

does this sense of a saner stillness come now to us in the midst of our clangour of

NAME 28

mechanisms…” (Pound OL). Tagore is asking for this silence in “Gitanjali”: “…come

to me, my lord of silence, with thy peace and rest” (Tagore 44). The poems may be quiet,

but not sullen. “…these poems [of ‘Gitanjali’] are full of light, they are full of positive

statement” (Pound OL). Through “Gitanjali,” Tagore reveals how God bring this

positive, light feeling: “The light of thy music illumines the world” (Tagore 3). Since

much of the mood comes from a spiritual angle, not all readers may be able to relate.

One critic sees that “…if they [poems of ‘Gitanjali’] have a quality that will put them at a

disadvantage with the ‘general reader’, it is that they are too pious. Yet I have nothing

but pity for the reader who is unable to see that their piety is the poetic piety of Dante,

and that is its very beautiful…” (Pound OL). The imagery also impacts the tone of

“Gitanjali.” The scenes Tagore creates with his words takes the reader through a calm,

natural-filled world: “In the fragrant days of sunny April through the forest path he

comes, comes, ever comes” (Tagore 51). As seen in the previous quote, “His work is,

above all things, quiet. It is sunny, Apricus, ‘fed with sun’, ‘delighting in sunlight’. As

noted before, Tagore has a connection with nature. “One has in reading it a sense of even

air, where many Orientals only make us aware of abundant vegetation” (Pound OL).

Contrary to most, one critic feels that the poems are slightly dismal:

The book’s mood is grey, its key is almost always minor, its pictures

mournful, or, at best, untouched by exhilaration. Probably the impression

of monotony comes from this oneness of mood, an impression as of a

wind wailing through rainy woods, and from the fact that the book gets its

effects out of the merest handful of illustrations (Thompson OL)

NAME 29

There are certain parts of “Gitanjali” where one may seem lost and down: “I have no

sleep tonight. Ever and again I open my door and look out on the darkness, my friend!// I

can see nothing before me. I wonder where lies thy path!” (Tagore 26) However, the

message in “Gitanjali” asks the reader to look beyond the outside into ones own self. It is

there where the light and happiness of “Gitanjali” can be experienced: “I knew not then

that it was so near, that it was mine, and that this perfect sweetness had blossomed in the

depth of my own heart” (Tagore 23). The “sweetness” Tagore refers to is the realization

of self-worth. Through hues, feelings, nature, and pictures formed by words Tagore

makes a positive mood prevail throughout his poems.

Although most people would agree that poetry need not be as deep and spiritual

as Tagore made it, to him it was necessary. Another critic felt that some philosophy is

required in superior poetry: “Though it is not the aim of poetry as a species of art to tell

us of a philosophy, still it cannot fulfill its purpose unless it embodies a philosophic

vision. It must offer an interpretation of life, give a fuller view of reality” (Radhakrisnan

127). Tagore wrote “Gitanjali” not only because it was his art form, but it became his

way to discover his own soul (and help others do the same). While creating the spiritual

poems, Tagore succeeded in making beautiful art with his words. The same critic earlier

in this paragraph gives importance to the concluding feelings of a poem: “A tragedy

which leaves on the mind an impression of disgust and dissatisfaction is a failure as a

work of art. The ultimate feeling in true art should be one of triumph and satisfaction”

(Radhakrisnan 132). Tagore is able to bring the sense of satisfaction in the end by having

the relationship with the lord grow. [add book quotes]

NAME 30

The hundred plus poems in ‘Gitanjali’ revolve around a few strong themes.

Tagore’s love of nature is presented in the lyrics of “Gitanjali”. Tagore’s connections

with nature is unmatched my anyone: “’Gitanjali’ brings the poet into closer and more

familiar contact with the natural world than any previous book” (Hall 491). “Gitanjali’s”

contents are very religious, but Tagore makes them more subtle with nature. “While

most of Tagore’s poems are imbued with a deeply spiritual and devotional quality

bordering on mysticism, his vision is firmly grounded in a love for nature and the world

sensuous experience” (Kalasky 401). Poem IV gives an example of this: “I shall ever try

to drive all evils away from my heart and keep my love in flower, knowing that thou hast

thy seat in the inmost shrine of my heart” (Tagore 4). Tagore relates his love of nature to

God’s presence everywhere in order to comprehend spiritual ideas. “To him

[Rabindranath Tagore] every flower is a symbol of worship, every garland a gitanjali,

every forest a temple, and every hill-top God’s dueling-place” (Radhakrisnan 142).

Seeing God in all of nature most likely sustained his love for nature. He felt no

separation or differences: “A poet who wishes to see beauty everywhere must love the

earth. The soul must be at home in the world and feel no strangeness in it”

(Radhakrisnan 131). As the quest for a Hindu is to become one with God, Tagore was

one with nature. “The true poet finds his happiness in the world or not at all. The poet

must have love of nature and of creation” (Radhakrisnan 130). Seeing that his creator

and the creator of nature were the same, “Rabindranath taught that nature reflects the

Supreme Person, that divinity is immanent and behind the phenomenal creation, and the

genuine education is experiential and not vicarious” (Chandler 235). Rabindranath

Tagore’s perspective is not shared by all; the Western viewpoint differs:

NAME 31

There is in [Mr. Tagore] the stillness of nature….He is at one with nature,

and fins no contradictions. And this is in sharp contrast with the Western

mode, where man must be shown attempting to master nature if we are to

have ‘great drama’. It is in contrast to the Hellenic representation of man

the sport of the gods, and both in the grip of destiny…. (Pound OL)

Unaware, or choosing not to care about others’ views, Tagore passionately filled

“Gitanjali” with his own beliefs and his own true love for nature.

Love was showered towards many things in this poetic journey. “…Tagore had

defined ‘love’ as the perfect comprehension…” (Verma 127). Poem LXV explains that

definition: “Thou givest thyself to me in love and then feelest thine own entire sweetness

in me” (Tagore 76). From God’s love, Tagore feels the strength, feels the power within

himself. Tagore’s deepest feeling of love is expressed towards God. “The fountain

[‘Gitanjali’] from which all this springs is a deeply dug source in the rugged rocks of ages

—the love which man has felt for his deity and who responded to it” (Verma 131 132).

From this love, Tagore wrote the hundred or so poems of “Gitanjali” in Bengali and

translated most into English to spread the feeling further. “His previous themes converge

in this series [‘Gitanjali’, ‘Gitamalya’, and ‘Gitali’], including love of nature, love of

women and mankind, the dedication to nation and poetry…” (Cenkner 25). One poem

reveals Tagore’s care for his country: “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my

country awake” (Tagore 40). The theme of love is everywhere in “Gitanjali.”

The search for and connection to God is what carries a reader through all the

poems of “Gitanjali”. “The idea of a direct, joyful, and totally fearless relationship with

God can be found in many of Tagore’s religious writings, including the poems of

NAME 32

‘Gitanjali’” (Sen OL). It is clear that Tagore is religious because “Gitanjali” is not the

only place God is a main theme. He takes two angles when he looks at God: “The poet

worships God as the spirit of beauty, while the philosopher pays his homage to God as

the ideal of truth” (Radhakrisnan 160). As noted before, Tagore finds God everywhere in

what he loves most, nature:

“If he seeks the divinity in nature, he finds there a living personality with

features of omnipotence, the all-embracing lord of nature, whose

preternatural spiritual power nevertheless likewise reveals its presence in

all temporal life, small as well as great, but especially in the soul of man

predestined for eternity” (Hjarne OL).

Because Rabindranath Tagore is Hindu and Indian, his background’s influences are in his

poetry. “In India, the greater part of our literature is religious because God with us is not

a distant God. He belongs to our homes as well as to our temples” (Chandler 235).

Tagore always keeps God around him in “Gitanjali”. “…when a person experiences the

Supreme Self, a person fulfills the purpose of human existence. The Supreme Self is not

an abstract philosophical conception but reality experienced immediately by individuals

through expanded consciousness” (Chandler 234). This realization of “the Supreme” is

what Tagore is trying to bring out through his poetry. [concluding sentence]

Rabindranath Tagore’s religious practices and beliefs are visible in “Gitanjali.”

“Yeats was not wrong to see a large religious element in Tagore’s writings” (Sen OL).

However, since almost the entire “Gitanjali” is an “offering” to God, it is not surprising

to see copious amounts of religious references. “Praise, prayer, and fervent devotion

pervade the song offerings that he lays at the feet of this nameless divinity of his” (Hjarne

NAME 33

OL). One of those “offerings” wonderfully illuminates Tagore’s faith in his deity: “If I

call not thee in my prayers, if I keep not thee in my heart, thy love for me still waits for

my love” (Tagore 37). He is saying that God will always love him regardless of his

attitude towards Him. This is the divinity that Tagore’s “Gitanjali” is an offering to. This

is the God that inspired him to make these religious poems. “Tagore’s expression of a

personal communion with a supreme deity who inspires his praise and devotion [is]

culminated in ‘Gitanjali (Song Offerings)’” (Kalasky 401). After feeling God inside

himself, Tagore let “Gitanjali” flow out of himself expressing his religious nature as a

strong theme in the poems.

Death is different in the mind of this poet than most others. “In ‘Gitanjali’ there

are a few deftly created songs out of the original Bangla which touch on the theme of

‘death’…” (Verma 130). In those poems that do have the theme of death, the reader gets

the impression that Tagore is unafraid and ready for death: “O thou the last fulfilment of

life, Death, my death, come and whisper to me!” (Tagore 107). Unlike most people,

Tagore asks for death’s arrival. “In Tagore, death is a great friend, an extension of the

frontiers of consciousness in other dimensions” (Verma Cenkner8). Tagore realizes that

death is inevitable and thus puts a positive outlook towards it. He almost sees it as a

celebration to his life: “On the day when death will knock at thy door what wilt thou

offer to him?// Oh, I will set before my guest the full vessel of my life---I will never let

him go with empty hands” (Tagore 106). The poet is certain that he will live a complete

life so as to not regret anything he must give up at the time of death.

Tagore desired freedom, not only for his country, but also for the world. His

experiences under the British rule brought the theme of freedom into “Gitanjali”:

NAME 34

For Tagore it was of the highest importance that people be able to live,

and reason, in freedom. His attitudes toward politics and culture,

nationalism and internationalism, tradition and modernity, can all be seen

in the light of this belief. Nothing, perhaps expresses his values as clearly

as a poem in ‘Gitanjali’: ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is

held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken

up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;…Where the clear stream of

reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;…Into

that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.’ (Sen OL)

[insert sentence] “They [poems from ‘Gitanjali’] contain not only his surrender of

himself, but also the expression of his grief for this country’s sorry state” (Khanolkar

154). To deal with his country’s “sorry state,” Tagore asks his deity for the ability to do

something: “Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.// Give me the

strength to make my love fruitful in service.// Give me the strength never to disown the

poor or bend my knees before insolent might” (Tagore 41). The poet would not accept

sitting around watching his nation go down; he wanted to do all that his strength would

allow. “Tagore believed that India had a message for the world, but he thought India

must also incorporate others’ messages into her own cultural repertoire” (Chatterjee OL).

Before accepting others’ ideas, ones own ideas must be strong. Tagore’s quest in

“Gitanjali” included the desire for freedom; he wanted the freedom to live life, nothing

more.

There are other important themes as well. “Tagore, poignant and wise, ponders

love, fear, time memory, and the porousness of the self in poems of wonder, sorrow, and

NAME 35

solace” (Seaman OL). “’Rabindranath is frequently characterized as a poet of joy.

Assuming that ‘joy’ means not ‘happiness’, but implies a realization of the

transcendent…’” (Kalasky 404). “His own attitude, moreover, is that he is but the

intermediary giving freely of that to which by birth he has access. He is not at all

anxious to shine before men as a genius or as an inventor of some new thing” (Hjarne

OL).

Tagore’s structure varies throughout “Gitanjali,” but the length of lines is based

on a Bengali meter. “He combined one of the oldest of Bengali meters, the payar (two

lines of fourteen syllables each), with subject-matter drawn from the most commonplace

details of daily living” (Lago OL). As mentioned, there are two lines together that form

one stanza, and there are mostly four stanzas in every poem. “Gitanjali” consists of one

hundred three poems. They are written in unrhymed prose.

“[The] metrical achievement of ‘Gitanjali’ is impeccable. The poems were

written to be sung; but they sing themselves” (Hall 491). Because “Gitanjali” was first

written in Bengali, it had the melodic structure of a song. Translating it into English took

away its songlike quality.

Rabindranath Tagore created almost a story-like structure in “Gitanjali.” In the

beginning, the poet establishes a relationship with his deity. Later on he expresses the

desire to realize God and reach Him. By the end he is ready to accept death having lived

a satisfactory life. This collection of poems ends with the poet dedicating his everything

(including these poems) to the divinity he seeks throughout “Gitanjali.”

NAME 36

Works Cited

Dutta, Krishna Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-minded Man. New York: St.

Martin's, 1996 (DePaul PK1725 .D871996)