Why Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature: Commemorating the 110th anniversary of Tagore's Nobel Prize in Literature

Tagore and his Kitanjali. (Infographic/Figure)

On November 13, 1913, the Swedish Academy announced that the Nobel Prize in Literature for that year would be awarded to the Indian poet Tagore.

Tagore heard the news of the award on the 15th, and was happy and surprised.

Speaking at a celebration at Santinico's mango orchard on November 23, Tagore said: "A few days ago, I still don't quite understand why I received the honor from abroad. I sat on the east shore of the sea and offered a sacrifice to him, and he stretched out his right hand on the west shore of the sea and accepted my offering. This is something I didn't expect. ”

accidentally

A year earlier, on March 19, 1912, Tagore had visited Britain, the main purpose of which was to meet famous writers in the field of English literature, introduce them to his literary creations, understand the opportunities and channels for publishing works, and hope to obtain part of the funding of the international university he founded by publishing English translations.

That morning, his luggage had been delivered to the passenger ship, and many relatives and friends had seen him off at the Kolkata pier. Unexpectedly, Tagore suddenly fainted due to heat stroke due to the hot weather and had to cancel his trip to the UK.

If Tagore had not been ill on this day and visited Britain empty-handed as planned, it would be difficult to predict when he would have won the Nobel Prize in Literature. And this accidental illness, in fact, provided him with the opportunity to take the first step towards the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Tagore failed to make the trip as scheduled, and he was really frustrated. He returned to the secluded village of Hiraidaha to recuperate and sat on the ship Padma to translate poetry.

In just two months, he translated more than 60 poems, carefully copied in a notebook.

painters William Rosenstein (left) and Tagore. (Infographic/Figure)

Visit

On May 24, 1912, Tagore resumed his journey and translated a number of poems on board the passenger ship, adding up to a total of 83 poems. He compiled these 83 poems into a new book called Kitanjali, a transliteration of the Bengali word for "dedication."

As soon as he arrived in London on June 16, he visited his old friend, the painter William Rosenstein, and showed him the 83 translated poems in his living room.

Rosenstein read them and felt that the poems were comparable to Western masterpieces, so he printed a few copies and sent them to the poet Yeats and several other writers to see their reactions.

On the evening of July 7, Rosenstein held a family banquet for Tagore. Yeats, Ernest Reese, May Singleh, Robert Trevelin, Fox Strandez, young poet Ezra Pound and others were invited to attend. Yeats read several poems by Tagore.

At the family banquet, Thomas Stutch Moore told Yeats that these poems would bring great prospects for Tagore.

Rosenstein did not realize at the time that his distribution of Tagore's translations and the invitation of literati to attend a family banquet to admire Tagore's translations were actually opening the way for Tagore to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Poet Yeats. (Infographic/Figure)

On 12 July, the Indian Society hosted a reception for Tagore at the Troquedar Hotel. Almost all of Britain's famous writers attended. Poet Yeats gave a welcome speech:

Over the past decade, Tagore has produced about a hundred prose translations of lyric poems, and I wonder if anyone else today has written a similar work in English that can match them. ...... I found that both their technique and poetry were incomparable. ...... In his poetry, the delicate depiction of the beauty of human nature reflects his sharp observation and deep love.

Yeats was a lyric poet and writer who was influential in the English literary scene.

Tagore was never complacent about his English-language work. He frankly asked Yeats to revise his translation, but Yeats felt that Kitangali was perfect.

On September 7, Yeats wrote to Rosenstein from Ireland that he had written the preface to Kitanjali. The preamble says:

I carried these translated manuscripts with me for days, reading them on trains, buses, restaurants, and I often had to close them so that strangers wouldn't see how moved I was to read them. This translation not only expresses our parting feelings, but also provides insight into all things in the world. ...... Mr. Tagore, like Indian civilization itself, was content to discover the soul and admire its natural nature.

Yeats praised Tagore, polished Tagore's poems, and wrote the foreword to Kitanjali at the reception at the Trockedal Hotel, inadvertently sending Tagore on a journey to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

In early November 1912, Kitanjali was published in London, and almost all newspapers and periodicals published opinion articles and praise.

Selection

Kitanjali was widely welcomed in the Western world, thanks to a selection of works adapted to the aesthetic needs of Western readers.

The first verse of the Kitanjali begins with a clear statement of faith in God. From the 2nd to the 7th, the poet's eagerness to persistently seek God and offer himself as a small flower to God, is written; Express the determination to eliminate all hypocrisy from thought, expel all ugliness from the heart, and urge love flowers.

Rosenstein's portrait of Tagore. (Infographic/Figure)

From Psalms 8 to 35, the poet poetically describes God as "among the poorest and lowliest who are destitute, the peasants who hoe the barren fields, and the workers who knock stones to build roads." The psalmist thanks God for saving Himself from the abyss of excessive desire; Firmly believe that "the darkness will dissipate and the dawn will come". Confession: "Money is the chain that binds people. "In the song, he shows his heart to God: He opposes idolatry, wants to find love, surrenders himself to love, and is a man without selfishness. In the presence of God, he vividly depicted the "free paradise" that everyone yearns for with his flowing poetic pen.

From Psalms 36 to 51, the psalmist senses God "coming on a rumbling cloud" and the air is filled with a faint fragrance of His body. He immediately said to God that he would never become a hermit in the forest, and asked God to sprinkle the sweetness of love into the fields of his scorched heart; Give him the strength to eradicate poverty from the depths of the heart.

In poems 52, 54, 64 and so on, the poet reveals the subtle and complex inner world of rural girls with delicate brushstrokes; Praising the courage of modern women who no longer succumb to fate and obey men, but can break through the shackles of the old marriage system, shining with humanitarian light.

Songs 60, 61 and 62 are children's poems. With beautiful language and rich associations, the poet presents a magical fairy tale world, showing the beautiful childhood that adults will never forget, the innocence of children and the deep affection with their parents.

From songs 65 to 85, he expresses his vision of artistic beauty to God: the "color, fragrance, and song" of all things are derived from "beauty." "Beauty" is like the cloud robe of God, constantly changing colors, which can only be understood, not spoken. The psalmist tells God that his way of worshiping God is to enter the world, to transmit God's love with love for the layman, and to oppose "closing the door of the human senses" and retreating into the empty door of penance.

From Psalms 86 to 100, the poet speaks calmly about his attitude towards death. He described death as a messenger sent by God, and on the day that death knocked on the door, he put all the gains and treasures of his life in front of death, and his words revealed the joy of not wasting his life. He was convinced that when he returned to God, he "died in immortality" and lived forever.

In the last 3 poems, the psalmist summarizes the fellowship with God. He composed various songs in which God was expressed, and the songs were his "secret passage" to God. Like his songs, they converge into a torrent of tranquil seas and embark on a journey back to their permanent homeland.

In front of the imaginary God, the poet expounds the relationship between man and God, religious and philosophical thoughts, pours out joy, anger and sorrow, depicts the ideal kingdom, and expresses the common desire of human beings to pursue truth, goodness and beauty, which arouses strong resonance in the hearts of countless readers. This is one of the important reasons why "Kitangali" is favored by readers from all over the world.

Translation

It is undeniable that Tagore's translation skills are the reason why Kitanjali was widely circulated in the Western world.

Comparing the poems of Kitanjali with the original, it is not difficult to find that the poet did not translate word by word, but rewrote it drastically, and compared with the original, the length was reduced.

Tagore's choice to include in Kitanjali's work takes into account the aesthetic habits of Western readers.

Tagore practiced Hinduism, and the Hindu texts were classical Upanishads, which enshrined the creation god Brahma as the only true god. Hinduism and Christianity practiced by Westerners are completely different religious systems, and "Brahma" and "God" are also very different religious concepts. The "Brahma" in the original Bengali work, if the literal translation should be brahma, must be annotated, otherwise, the average Western reader cannot read it, and if you want to read it, you have to read Indian religious books. For ease of acceptance by Western readers, the poet translated "brahma" as God, meaning God. In this way, the reader feels that he is not reading a translation, but a work based on their religion, and naturally accepts the emotions expressed in the poem. At the same time, in their senses, the identity of the translator is not a Hindu Indian, but a Western poet who has converted to Christianity, which makes them feel very close.

Compared with the original Bengali works, it can be found that the translation of the "Kitangali" tries to hide the national character and highlight the cosmopolitan character.

For example, the 35th song of the Kitanjali:

There, the heart is fearless, and the head is raised high;

There, knowledge is free;

There, the world is not cut by the courtyard walls of the tiny inner house;

There, words are spoken from the depths of truth;

There, tireless struggle stretches out its arms towards perfection.

There, the fountain of reason does not dry up in the desert of dead habits;

There, the soul is led by you to the ever-expanding mind and action—step into that free paradise, Father, let my country awaken!

The Bengali original of the poem is the 72nd poem of the Collection of Sacrifices:

Heavenly Father, please slap India hard,

Let it awaken in such an earthly paradise -

There, the heart is carefree, the head is raised,

complete freedom of knowledge; Thousands of people's

The strong high walls and deep courtyard will not be day and night

Divide the vast land without scruples;

Words poured out from the source of the heart;

The unstoppable turbulence of the river of business

Rushing to the ends of the earth in all the states,

Run to the goal of uncountable victories;

The desert of obscene rituals will not be swallowed up

The trickling spring of impartial arbitration,

will not crush the ambition of a man;

You rule over all joyful thoughts and actions!                                                     

In this poem, the poet originally prayed to the great god Brahma to slam the colonial "India" and turn it into a beautiful "paradise on earth". In the English translation, "India" was changed to "my motherland", showing the "paradise of freedom" that Western readers yearned for. This change makes the poem jump beyond borders and give it a cosmopolitan character, allowing foreign readers to read it and feel that the poet has expressed their aspirations.

British writer Thomas Stucci Moore (left) and Swedish writer Weilner Haydnstein. (Infographic/Figure)

Bole

The objective reason why Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature was that he met two talented and broad-minded Western Bole.

Thomas Stucci Moore, who attended the Rosenstein family dinner, was a member of the Royal Society of Literature and was eligible to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature alone. He has a unique insight into the literary value of Kitanjali. On his own behalf, he volunteered to recommend Tagore to the Swedish Academy as a candidate for the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. Without a doubt, he was the first Boleth Tagore met.

The 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature was extremely competitive. In addition to Tagore, 27 writers from other countries were nominated.

The French writer Émile Fokker (1848-1916) was the first candidate. He was nearly 15 years older than Tagore and was a professor of French poetry at the Sorbonne in France.

Tagore was the second candidate. He was able to come to the top thanks to the Swedish writer Weerner Haydnstein (1859-1940). Remarkably, in 1909, 1911 and 1912, Haydnstein was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and in 1913, he was also a candidate. However, he read the English translation of "Kitanjali", determined that "Kitanjali" had high literary value, and was ashamed of himself, wrote and published an article commenting on "Kitanjali", and resolutely wrote a letter of recommendation for Tagore. He was Tagore's second Bole.

On November 13, 1913, Haydnstein's letter of recommendation was read at a meeting of the Nobel Prize in Literature jury: "When I read the poems of Kitanjali, I was deeply moved. I don't remember if I've read lyric poetry comparable in the last twenty years. They give me hours of joy, as if I were drinking cool, fresh spring water. This fiery devotion, the purity of his heart, and his elegant and natural solemn style, all blended together to form a rare and profound spiritual beauty. There is no element of controversy, tiresome or vanity, worldliness, and humility in his work. If there is a poet who has the qualities of a Nobel Prize, it is him... We have finally found a poet whose ideals are indeed noble, for the first time, and perhaps for the last time for a long time to come, to give us the privilege of discovering a noble name before it appears in all newspapers. However, if that is to happen, we must not wait another year to delay and miss this opportunity. ”

Then, the academicians of the Swedish Academy voted, and as a result, Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The second candidate, Rabindranath Tagore, won the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first non-white Nobel Prize winner in Asia, breaking the previous pattern that the prize was only awarded to European and American writers.

It has been 110 years since Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and no second writer in India has yet won the award. Tagore's unexpected award shows that winning the Nobel Prize in Literature depends on personal learning and many objective factors. In fact, there are many writers whose literary level is higher than that of Nobel Prize winners. I am afraid that I did not win the prize because there was no chance. Tagore said it well in the twentieth song of The Birds: "I can't choose the best, but the best chooses me." This short poem is a highly concise summary of his award.

Bai Kaiyuan

Responsible editor: Liu Xiaolei