Gitanjali, or Song Offerings, is a collection of prose poems by Rabindranath Tagore, translated by himself from Bengali and published in English in 1912. These devotional and lyrical poems speak of love, nature, death and the presence of the divine in everyday life. The book led to Tagore becoming the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913.
From Bengali to English
The English Gitanjali contains 103 poems, chosen by Tagore from several of his Bengali collections and rendered into rhythmic English prose.
Tagore made the translations himself during a stay in England in 1912, partly during the sea voyage.
A song of devotion
The poems address a divine beloved, sometimes as lord, friend or guest, with great tenderness and humility.
They also celebrate the simple things of life in Bengal: rain, flowers, children, the river and the sky.
Yeats's introduction
The first edition, published by the India Society in London, carried an enthusiastic introduction by W. B. Yeats.
Yeats wrote that he had carried the manuscript with him for days, reading it in trains and buses.
Anecdotes
The Nobel Prize
In 1913 Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature, largely because of Gitanjali. He was the first non-European writer to be awarded it.
Two national anthems
Tagore wrote the songs that became the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh.
Frequently asked questions
What does Gitanjali mean?
Song offerings.
Who translated the poems into English?
Tagore himself.
Which prize did the book help him win?
The Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913.