But the victory was with that little house in Sudder Street. When, after ascending the mountains, I looked around, I was at once aware I had lost my new vision. My sin must have been in imagining that I could get still more of truth from the outside. However sky-piercing the king of mountains may be, he can have nothing in his gift for me; while He who is the Giver can vouchsafe a vision of the eternal universe in the dingiest of lanes, and in a moment of time.
"""."
Note that the two lines quoted above in Tagore's own words (and interpreted differently by this translator) are actually from the lesser known Prabhat Utsav which is the poem of interest here. It needs to be stressed that on the heels of these two epiphanic experiences there appeared Tagore's second book of verse, Prabhat Sangeet (Morning Songs), which followed shortly after the first verse collection, Sandhya Sangeet (Evening Songs). These appeared in quick succession along with his first novel, Bouthakuranir Haat. All three appeared within the time period 1881-1882. An interesting anecdote associated with the publication of Sandhya Sangeet is today part of the legends of Bengali literature. It turns out that not long after Sandhya Sangeet appeared, both Rabindranath and the reigning sovereign of the emergent modern age of Bengali literature, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, were both present one evening at the marriage ceremony of the daughter of author/socialite Ramesh Chandra Dutta. At one point, when the sahitya samrat was garlanded as the guest of honor, Bankim took the garland off his neck and placed it around the much younger Rabindranath's neck, addressing his host with the immortal words, "This garland is far more deserved by him. Ramesh- have you read Sandhya Sangeet?" Indeed, the senior and distinguished author had presciently recognized the newly-arrived genius at the doorstep of Bengal's literature.
For the present translator, the first glimpse into this life-altering awakening (for which epiphany is probably a reasonably appropriate descriptor) on the part of Rabindranath occurred during his school years (probably the 8th or 9th grade) when Hridoy Aji Mor was included in his (MRC's) school Bengali reading list. The ethereal joy of realizing one's living experience in relation with all creation in the highest sense of the Upanishadic Madhuvata Writayate was expressed ecstatically in the poem, and in perspective many years later, it appears clear when and how the poetic and visionary genius of Tagore began to flower thereafter. The only other comparable epiphanic poem would of course be Tagore's even more famous Nirjharer Swapnabhanga which too had the 10 Sudder Street connection as discussed earlier. That the living experience is akin to a joyous festival with multiple stimuli is made clear literally stanza by stanza in this poem, and requires little elaboration or exposition.
Ode to Dawn
(Prabhat Utsav)
Rabindranath Tagore
From Prabhat Sangeet (1883)
(Translated by -Monish R. Chatterjee)
The doorway to my heart, O how it opened this morn!
The great wide world, lo, is assembled there in an embrace.
The people of this earth, numberless hundreds for sure
Joyfully enter my being, sparkling with laughter.
Lovers have arrived there, in pairs gazing upon each other
Children, too, frolic and dance as they exchange smiles.
Siblings have arrived, their minds with thrills filled-
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
