Rabindranath Tagore's Case

The ideas expressed in Rabindranath Tagore's Song Offerings are similar to the ideas of Gitanjali, but the former one cannot be called a mere translation of the latter. Like post- colonial critics Tagore has also criticized the ideas of the original and creates something that can be called a collection of poems in its own right. Tagore has not remained faithful to the original; rather he has interpreted his Gitanjali in a way fit for the English speaking readers. If we compare some of the poems of Song Offerings with Father James' translation of Gitanjali, then we would be able to understand how Tagore's own interpretation of the verses is an independent one. Here it is important to mention that James' translation of Gitanjali is quite a verbatim one and he has tried to maintain the qualities of the original. So, the comparison will show how one version is totally dependent on Gitanjali, and how the other one has the status of being an independent work. The first poem of discussion is ‘I know not how thou singest'. Tagore has not maintained the qualities of the original Bengali poem. He changes the whole structure of the poem and renders the verses into prose. He condenses the idea and to give a poetic flavor. He also curtails the original refrain which is a known quality of his Bengali poems. But in his version Brother James maintains the popular refrain, "Enchanted I listen/ just listen." (James 1983: 24) Again, Tagore totally omits the elaborate rhyme scheme of the original. But James tries to reproduce some of the rhymes which make the poem quite identifiable with its Bengali version.