Pointed, witty, lucid and profound, Rabindranath Tagore’s brief poems have not till now been given the prominence they deserve. Inspired by Martin Kampchen’s German translations of some of the poems, William Radice’s lyrical new translations aim to give a complete impression in English of the poet’s achievement in this genre.Three collections are translated: Kaneka (Particles, 1899), Lekhan (Jottings, 1927) and Sphulinga (Sparks, posthumously published in 1945). Whether in the fable-like epigrams and ironic quatrains of Kanika, or in fleeting, endlessly varied verses jotted down during travels abroad, Tagore’s voice in these poems is always friendly and accessible, and will win him new admirers. The book includes a full introduction, a selection of relevant prose writings in the Appendices, and two short texts that have not – even in Bengali – been published before.
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