Publisher Description
Gitanjali
By Rabindranath Tagore
With an Introduction by W. B. Yeats
Gitanjali (song offerings) is a collection of 103 devotional poems written originally in Bengali and first published in 1910. In 1912 a translation into English by the author was published in 1912, and led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
The Indian sage, Paramahansa Yogananda, who was a friend and admirer of Tagore, made the following comment on his poetry:
"The beauty of his lines, to me, lies in his art of referring to God in nearly every stanza, yet seldom mentioning the sacred Name. 'Drunk with the bliss of singing,' Tagore writes, 'I forget myself and call thee friend who art my lord.'"
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About Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was a Bengali polymath who reshaped the art of his culture. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics political and personal. His verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed—or panned—for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India’s “Jana Gana Mana” and Bangladesh’s “Amar Shonar Bangla.” Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 and knighted by the British Crown in 1915, though he later renounced this honor after the 1919 Amritsar massacre.