Gitanjali: A Bilingual Classic of Prophecy

Author: () Rabindranath Tagore
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: "Gitanjali" means "hymns of offering" in Indian language. It consists of 103 poems, selected by Tagore on his 50th birthday from his three collections—_Gitanjali_, _Kabuliwala_, and _Gitanjali_, as well as poems that appeared in newspapers and magazines since 1908. The collection was published in 1910 and is a representative work of Tagore's philosophical poetry. It has had a profound and widespread influence on the world literary scene of the 20th century and has been translated into over 40 languages, spreading across the globe. In 1912, Tagore translated _Gitanjali_ into English, and the following year, upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature, he became the first Eastern writer to win this award. In the poems, we deeply feel the poet's profound love for his country and its peace-loving people. Through the lines, we see innocent children playing and laughing by the sea, young Indian girls with swinging skirts carrying oil lamps and pots walking through the fields, and Indian workers blowing reed flutes in gardens and ferry crossings, softly sharing their stories with people.