In what a profound sadness are sky and earth
immersed! The further I go,
the more I hear the same piteous note:
‘I won’t let you go!’
In this stunning collection of poems by Nobel laureate Rabindranath
Tagore, acclaimed translator Ketaki Kushari Dyson brilliantly captures the
energy and lyricism of the legendary poet’s verses.
The title poem evokes the inner turmoil of a man who must return to the
drudgery of work after visiting his home for the Durga Puja vacation.
Haunted by his four-year-old daughter’s parting words, ‘I won’t let you
go!’ he finds his anguish reflected in the vagaries of nature, with the earth
echoing his pain.
The other poems in this collection brim with Tagore’s compassionate
humanity and delicate sensuousness. From detailing the nuances of
intimate relationships to ruminating on the vast cosmos, these poems
glow with a burning awareness of man’s place in the universe, reaffirming
Tagore’s reputation as one of India’s greatest modern poets.
About the Author
Born in 1861, Rabindranath Tagore was a key figure of the Bengal
Renaissance. He was a household name in Bengal as a poet, a songwriter,
a playwright, an essayist, a short story writer and a novelist. In 1913
he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and his verse collection
Gitanjali came to be known internationally.
Tagore was a pioneering literary figure, renowned for his ceaseless
innovations in poetry, prose, drama, music and painting, which he took
up late in life. His works include novels; plays; essays on religious, social
and literary topics; some sixty collections of verse; over a hundred short
stories; and more than 2500 songs, including the national anthems of
India and Bangladesh. He died in 1941.
