Rediscovering Tagore's Gitanjali
 Once
I met a Bengali professor of comparative literature, Dr Gupta. It was my
first visit to India, as I had to attend a certain communication seminar
held at Osmania University. I found an intimate link with Gupta as I was
interested in Tagore contribution via English translations. Gupta who
was an unassuming person told me that I should pay a visit to Shnati
Niketan premises and spend sometime learning Bengali. Though he said
that smilingly he explained to me that even the great poetic work by
Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) should be understood in its essential
perspectives if one learns Bengali: "So do you mean to say that Tagore's
works in English are not recommended?" I asked Gupta.
Once again he smiled and said: "I do recommend, but with
reservations." I found the English translations in collaboration with
the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1885 - 1939) were the texts widely
found in the English reading world. After sometime the Bengali - English
bilingual writer Bhavani Bhattacharya undertook the task of
retranslating the works of Tagore into English. One good example of
prose poetry titled The Golden Boat as I finished reading the latest
Sinhala translation of Tagore's Gitanjali, I am reminded of the various
types of poetry readings before a selected group of enthusiasts.
 Edmund
Jayasuriya is fit to be read aloud instead of mere reading. I too felt
that the prose poetry context is the sensitive area extant in this
translation. If read out aloud this translation ought to prove a fitting
gift to an area of darkness that lies before us today in the Sinhala
poetry scene, which alas has proved to be the most misunderstood premise
in the contemporary literary scene. Another significant feature as
regards the translation is the most appropriate introduction written to
the text by the late veteran journalist cum poet and lyricist Sri
Chandraratne Manawasinghe.
He underlines the necessity of a sensitive spiritual climate in
poetic creations over and above the trivial down the earth mundane
creations on the aspects of love of the subjects etc as the title
implies Gitanjali means a 'handful of songs' or a cluster of songs.
These songs could be sung in the manner that appeals to a person's mind
and mood. As Manawasinghe lays down these songs are intermingled with
the nuances of nature, and as such cannot be separated from it. Even the
verbal images are drawn from the nature, and nothing falls short of it.
Wherever you happen to reside the poet Tagore takes us in and around the
marvels of nature, allowing us to bask in seashore, traverse in a forest
watch the creations of ripples in a pond, the sound of chirping and even
the humans toiling in the scorching and blazing sunshine. It is the
inner merriment that should make one happy and not the outer material
well being, which is mundane.
Tagore's poetic vision could not be perceived, as Yeats once printed
out without the understanding of spiritualism as laid down in Vedanta
philosophy. Both of them tried their best to express this highest apex
of delight via their own poetic creations. It is a pleasure to note that
the translator EJ had tried to understand the poetic vision of Tagore at
the age of 24. This may be a rare occurrence in a person's life.
In the forties and fifties several Tagore works came to be translated
into Sinhala. Some in pieces appeared in various newspapers and
periodicals. Some appeared in poetry magazines of the period, how mostly
defunct, due to various reasons.
I remember several Tagore poems were published in Dedunna, the poetry
magazine edited by the veteran poet P B Alwis Perera. Then came a
stalwart, the late medical doctor William Alwis, who was a scholar in
Bengali. He translated several poems from Gitanjali. But I wonder
whether the complete work appeared. But he translated The crescent moon
titled as Ada Sanda into Sinhala. During the recent times quite a number
of prose poems of Tagore came to be translated both from Bengali and
English.
Now we have two complete Gitanjalis translated: one by Kusum
Disanayaka and the other the present translation by Edmund Jayasuriya.
All these goes to feel that Tagore like Khalil Gibran (Rubaiyyat) is a
poet who is quite closer to our hearts. A final word about the pleasing
design and the layout on the part of the publishers (Gunasena 2010) is
worthy of mention. This work which carries 103 prose poems proves that
it is a fascinating gift for those who wish to embrace a sense of inner
happiness where a particular age is a regardless factor.
[email protected] |
