Most of the poems in this collection are taken from several volumes published during the 1930’s. The translator, Aurobindo Bose, has divided them into ‘Poems of Hope and Defiance’ and ‘Poem of Wonder.’ According to him, "these poems…. dispel forever the false idea that Tagore was a poet of the ‘Ivory Tower.’ They show….’what man has made of man’." The book also includes a selection of Tagore’s songs—poems set to music by the poet himself. For each poem the name of the original volume and the page or poem number is given in the sources section. A glossary of common Indian terms appears at the end of the volume. The volume also carries an assessment of Tagore by Herman Hesse and a foreword by Yehudi Menuhin. The latter said, "I pray that this book will gather into our ranks the anonymous reader, who will find the same inspiration, beauty and comfort that I have found in these verses." Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Noble Prize for Literature in 1913, enjoyed immense esteem in the years following the First World War. Although his popularity declined somewhat in the decades that followed, he established himself securely as one of the great figures of this century. Today, renewed interest in the rich heritage of ancient Indian philosophy is encouraging fresh generations to seek inspiration in his writing. Aurobindo Bose, a former pupil at Tagore’s innovatory school at Santiniketan and a personal friend, devoted much of his life to introducing the poet’s work to English readers, bringing a rare combination of understanding and skill to his task. His previous translations include A Flight of Swans, The Herald of Spring, Wings of Death and Lipika.
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