Gitanjali: (Illustrated)

I love Gitanjali and needed to replace my worn out copy. I returned one to the store because it was so badly designed as to be hard to read. This one is only somewhat better. All the poems are run together as though it is one big prose piece. I kept it because I was tired of shopping, but I'm disappointed.

The book arrived today and while it seems nice with a solid hardcover, there is a comma between the author's first and last name on the cover. Is it correct to have a comma after Rabindranath? Seems like a pretty pricey typo!

Tagore won the Nobel prize for his poetry and spiritual lit. I read these poems from a translator who wanted to change the Victorian version that Tagore and make it more like contempory parlance. The version I got on kindle was the one Tagore wrote for English-speaking people. It is beautiful. And I got it free. If any readers like spiritual poetry or read Rumi would love this. Thanks.

Book Review: Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore: A Journey To Infinity To Discover Yourself

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspot.in/2013/08/book-review-gitanjali-by-rabindranath.html

You need to have a big appetite to digest each and every word of Gitanjali written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941). The work was originally written in Bengali published over different Bengali books on poetry from where 103 poems have been picked, compiled and consolidated in this book. The translation has been done from Bengali to English by Rabindranath Tagore himself. Gitanjali in literal meaning denotes an offering of a handful of songs.

Gitanjali when was released first in August 1910, just one day before the date that became our Independence Day later (15th August). And then Gitanjali made Rabindranath Tagore the first non-European to win a Nobel for Literature in 1913. The book shook the whole world and placed India, Rabindranath Tagore and Gitanjali on international arena of literature.

These poems are only numbered, not titled. Hence each poem brings a different meaning to each of its reader without getting drifted away by the preconception got generated by reading a title. Each of the poem is thought provoking, intriguing, deeply meaningful and motivational. These poems in Gitanjali are building blocks of anyone within. You read a poem post which it forces you to interrogate yourself, discuss it with yourself to get deeper and deeper to conclude it.

In poem no XXXVI Tagore seems to be interacting/ conversing with God telling to accept his prayer to him and fill in the unfilled portion within his heart. Tagore prays to God to give him strength to absorb his joys and sorrows faced in life and not to get drifted away by them. He further adds to his prayer to God to shower his blessings so that love becomes meaningful in life.

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Book Review: Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore: A Journey To Infinity To Discover Yourself
Gitanjali
You need to have a big appetite to digest each and every word of Gitanjali written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941). The work was originally written in Bengali published over different Bengali books on poetry from where 103 poems have been picked, compiled and consolidated in this book. The translation has been done from Bengali to English by Rabindranath Tagore himself. Gitanjali in literal meaning denotes an offering of a handful of songs.

Gitanjali when was released first in August 1910, just one day before the date that became our Independence Day later (15th August). And then Gitanjali made Rabindranath Tagore the first non-European to win a Nobel for Literature in 1913. The book shook the whole world and placed India, Rabindranath Tagore and Gitanjali on international arena of literature.

These poems are only numbered, not titled. Hence each poem brings a different meaning to each of its reader without getting drifted away by the preconception got generated by reading a title. Each of the poem is thought provoking, intriguing, deeply meaningful and motivational. These poems in Gitanjali are building blocks of anyone within. You read a poem post which it forces you to interrogate yourself, discuss it with yourself to get deeper and deeper to conclude it.

In poem no XXXVI Tagore seems to be interacting/ conversing with God telling to accept his prayer to him and fill in the unfilled portion within his heart. Tagore prays to God to give him strength to absorb his joys and sorrows faced in life and not to get drifted away by them. He further adds to his prayer to God to shower his blessings so that love becomes meaningful in life.

These are among the most tender and inspiring poems that I have ever read. Each line is full of wonder and joy at everything the poet sees. They are impossible to describe. This tiny book should be read by everyone who has the slightest interest in verse.

"Gitanjali" is a collection of prose poems by Indian author Rabindranath Tagore. The Dover Thrift Edition contains an introductory note on the life of Tagore, who lived from 1861 to 1941. According to this note, Tagore, who wrote poetry in Bengali, translated "Gitanjali" himself into English. The Dover edition also contains a 1912 introduction by William Butler Yeats.
This English version of "Gitanjali" is a series of prose poems that reflect on the interrelationships among the poet/speaker, the deity, and the world. Although Tagore had a Hindu background, the spirituality of this book is generally expressed in universal terms; I could imagine a Christian, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or an adherent of another tradition finding much in this book that would resonate with him or her.
The language in this book is often very beautiful. The imagery includes flowers, bird songs, clouds, the sun, etc.; one line about "the riotous excess of the grass" reminded me of Walt Whitman. Tagore's language is sensuous and sometimes embraces paradox. Like Whitman and Emily Dickinson, he sometimes seems to be resisting traditional religion and prophetically looking towards a new spirituality.
A sample of Tagore's style: "I surely know the hundred petals of a lotus will not remain closed for ever and the secret recess of its honey will be bared" (from section #98). As companion texts for this mystical volume I would recommend Jack Kerouac's "The Scripture of the Golden Eternity" and Juan Mascaro's translation of the Dhammapada.

Finished. Wonderful, poetic, imaginative are just a few words to describe Tagore's work. I don't know of any other way to describe it, so I'll just let Tagore speak for Tagore's self,

On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds children meet with shouts and dances

They build their houses with sand and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.

They know not hos to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.

the sea surges up with laughter and pale gleams the smile of the sea beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea beach.

On the sea shores of endless worlds children meet. Tempest roams in the pathless sky, ships get wrecked in the trackless water, death is abroad and children play. On the seashores of endless worlds is the great meeting of children.

If this isn't a great example of poetic verse, I don't know what is.

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)

Gitanjali, by the great Indian Nobel Prize-winning-poet Rabindranath Tagore, is a beautiful collection of spiritual prose-poems. It is extrememly interesting when read from a Christian perspective. The poems are all written to one transcendant God and are almost all somewhat Biblical in their phrasings and images. The poems celebrate the absolute joy of being created: "I have had my invitation to this world's festival, and thus my life has been blessed." They also celebrate the many simple joys of life. Some poems of Gitanjali are apt explanations of the "problem of pain." Tagore's assertation that God's spirit is not most evident in a worship service but in the way man reacts to others is very important. The primary thing expressed by Tagore is exactly the same thing expressed by Christianity: love for God and love for humanity should be central to life.
I do not know much about Rabindranath Tagore's life. I have only read some of his poetry. Though it comes from a vastly different world-view from that of my own, much of the thought he expresses is similar to my own, and it enlightens my own. Tagore's language is also so moving and beautiful. Gitanjali is a masterpiece which I would like to see read more often.

Although this book cannot be considered genuine poetry the way it is -- the author admitted himself that he had translated the Bengali verse into English prose -- it is still among the most poetic and sweetest lyrics that we have in English today; what one migh call a "prose poem". These verses seem innocent, fresh, full and full of wonder -- spirituality at its best. Most of the songs in the book are religious in nature, but so tender that they are almost ecstatic. Rabindranath is totally naked here -- there is a vulnerability and a sincerity of emotion that is genuinely touching. The poet seems to see the whole world with the eyes of a child, full of inexpressible wonder and ineffable sweetness. It is as though Rabindranath has unconvered the art of seeing the sacred in everyone and everything. This is one of the greatest collections of poetry that I have ever seen. Each poem almost brought me to tears -- I can see why it affected Yeats so much. This volume is a rare and radiant jewel.

With Tagore, very little can go wrong if you're looking for some poetry to heal your heart and soul. Tagore's poetry appeals to the highest spiritual plains yet at the same time appeals to the human heart to the highest order. To achieve something like this will require a person of high spiritual attainment.
Gitanjali, or 'Song Offerings', is a collection of prose written with the Creator in mind, reflecting Tagore's wish to be united with the Creator. In his poetry one cannot miss his show of devotion and his pure love for the Creator, using variuos metaphorical subjects like flowers, rivers etc. One cannot but admire the beauty and art in it.
To give you a feel of his poetry, the Gitanjali starts with this : "Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life..."
W.B. Yeats, who contributed greatly to the exposure of Tagore to the Western world and subsequently to Tagore's award for the Nobel prize in Literature, has this to say, "...these prose translation from Rabindranath Tagore have stirred my blood as nothing has for years...".
Highly recommended.

The word and the deed were never far from each other in Tagore's life and not surprisingly he advocated the Universal Man. He was a polymath: a poet, fiction writer, dramatist, painter, educator, political thinker, philosopher of science. He was also a genius in music, choreography, architecture, social service and statesmanship. Over six decades Tagore gave the world some 2,500 songs, more than 2,000 paintings and drawings, 28 volumes of poetry, drama, opera, short stories, novels, essays and diaries and a vast number of letters.
I would enthusiatically recommend this book by my favorite author. Like the Psalms of David, Gitanjali is a soothing balm to the spirit. I read this entire book in less than two hours and has been my long-trip travel companion ever since. The introduction to the book by W. B. Yeats is magical and all the poems in this book transcend your imagination. The variety and quality of the poems are unbelievable!

Tagore is a wonderful example of merging of cultures - for example one of the prose poems is the reflections of the Samaritan women at the well after her encounter with Jesus. Yet other poems reveal the eroticism of longing that one associates with Indian bhakti poets such as Mirabai; others seem to long for a God without form as one associates with Kabir. Tagore thus represents the acceptance of some things Western while retaining a distinctively South Asian bent. The poems themselves are excellent and wide ranging - a few are not specifically religious or spiritual. An excellent book to read to enjoy either the Nobel prize winner Tagore or as an introduction to bhakti (devotional) poetry as a whole.

I have heard it said that reading Tagore in translation is like looking at a beautiful piece of embroidery from the wrong side of the cloth. But those who do not know Bengali must rely on translations, and in the case of "Gitanjali", Tagore himself has translated his verses into English. This is poetry that evokes all the feelings that make us human, such as love, devotion, faith and aspirations for that which is noble. The lines have to be absorbed, reflected upon, and at the end, we become all the better for it. One can only wonder how much more touching the verses must sound in Bengali.

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 is a sweet collection of poems and songs from Nobel Prize winning poet Rabindranath Tagore. These are songs that touch on love, faith, truth, life in general. Tagore has written from the heart. The wisdom contained in these works is startling. This is Eastern poetry that is a wonder to behold. Tagore embraces the personal as well as the universal. He encourages his people to transcend. I refer to this book variably over the years. Its alluring beauty has not faded in any way.

Recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand Indian culture. In 1913, Tagore became the first non-European and Asian to achieve the honour of receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. Can you imagine the honour he and the people of his generation living in that part of the world must have felt? Simple but meaningful, each of his poems carries a deeper meaning. Few may realise but he composed Jana Gana Mana, which was later to become India's National Anthem!

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.

Gitanjali is quite an emotional and spritual awakening. The poem is written in "vers libre" or as ignorant people like to call it "free verse". This free verse turned me aside at first but this use of vers libre actually allows for a freedom of writing. Tagore also uses such symbolism as lotus flowers to express his feelings about pride and how he despises pride. It is a spiritual epiphany because it shows you the consequences of Hindu law and India's social system. At the end of the book the reader is enlightened to know that God is not in a church or temple but he lives on in man's souls. Tagore also expresses the unapreciated beauty of India and its beauty of culture. I highly recommend this if you are especially in need of spiritual and emotional uplifting.

The two low star reviews of this book appear to be referring to different versions than the one for sale on this page. The poems are numbered and it seems unlikely that there are copyright issues as the book has been available for some time.

Is there a way for the store to remove or monitor the inaccurate reviews?

I strongly disagree with the close-minded views of ssghere from Berkeley California. He says first of all that the poems are written in free verse and they are not...they are in prose. Furthermore, Tagore does not make Any comments about Hinduism,...in fact, all of his poems are from a very separate SECT of hinduism called Bramhon, which believes in One God. His style and message is beautiful, and I reccomend that ssghere go to the library and do some research to get his current knowledge checked before he writes more reviews.

This is one of the really great spiritual books ever written. Tagore's simple traslations of his own poems (originally in Bengali) are superb and deep, even though entirely uncomplicated. As Wm. Butler Yeats said it, he, Yeats, carried the book around with him, but often had to close it lest some stranger should see how much it moved him.

This is a book with 100 peoms and they all are so soothing and heartpleasing that you feel that you are sitting under a shady tree by a river and enjoying the beauty of nature. It calms your mind and shows who it was in late 1800s and early 1900s. Really wonderful.

Book Review: Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore: A Journey To Infinity To Discover Yourself

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspot.in/2013/08/book-review-gitanjali-by-rabindranath.html

You need to have a big appetite to digest each and every word of Gitanjali written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941). The work was originally written in Bengali published over different Bengali books on poetry from where 103 poems have been picked, compiled and consolidated in this book. The translation has been done from Bengali to English by Rabindranath Tagore himself. Gitanjali in literal meaning denotes an offering of a handful of songs.

Gitanjali when was released first in August 1910, just one day before the date that became our Independence Day later (15th August). And then Gitanjali made Rabindranath Tagore the first non-European to win a Nobel for Literature in 1913. The book shook the whole world and placed India, Rabindranath Tagore and Gitanjali on international arena of literature.

These poems are only numbered, not titled. Hence each poem brings a different meaning to each of its reader without getting drifted away by the preconception got generated by reading a title. Each of the poem is thought provoking, intriguing, deeply meaningful and motivational. These poems in Gitanjali are building blocks of anyone within. You read a poem post which it forces you to interrogate yourself, discuss it with yourself to get deeper and deeper to conclude it.

In poem no XXXVI Tagore seems to be interacting/ conversing with God telling to accept his prayer to him and fill in the unfilled portion within his heart. Tagore prays to God to give him strength to absorb his joys and sorrows faced in life and not to get drifted away by them. He further adds to his prayer to God to shower his blessings so that love becomes meaningful in life.