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The Golden Treasury Of Indo-Anglian Poetry

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Item Code: IDH253
Publisher: SAHITYA AKADEMI, DELHI
Author: Vinayak Krishna Gokak
Language: English
Edition: 2014
ISBN: 9788126046454
Pages: 360
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.4" X 5.3"
Weight 560 gm
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Book Description

About the Book

 

The Golden Treasury of Indo-Anglian Poetry is the first comprehensive anthology of English verse written by Indians, compiled and edited by one who is himself a poet and a critic of distinction. Such a volume is of considerable historical value and contemporary interest, for English has been for more than 150 years, and continues to be, a vehicle creative expression for many of out poets and writers, and is to that extent as much a language. As the Editor has aptly put It, 'Indo-Anglian poetry, like the rest of modern Indian poetry, is Indian first and everything else afterwards. It has voiced the aspirations, the joys and sorrows of the Indian people.

This anthology includes selections form 108 poets, from Derozio and Toru Dutt of the last century to A. K. Ramanujan and Kamala Das of today. In his conscientious exploration of authentic material, specially from the works of earlier poets, the editor visited and consulted the India Office Library and the British Museum in London for rare books and Periodicals.

The bibliographies add to the value of the book as a useful source of related information.

 

About the Author

 

V.K. Gokak (1909-1995) the editor of this volume, is an eminent poet, playwright, novelist, critics and educationist. He is considered to be the pioneer of modern Kannada poetry. He was the President of the Sahitya Akademi.

Introduction

Indo- Anglian Poetry is now nearly a hundred and fifty years old. British Indian poetry-i.e., poetry written by the British serving in India, and on Indian themes-started on its career during the eighties of the 18th century and is active up-to-date. But we are not concerned with this phase which also is an interesting chapter in the history of modern Indian poetry. We are concerned in this anthology with the poetry written by Indian poets in English.

The history of Indo-Anglian poetry began with Derozio, who was half Indian, half Portuguese. As a teacher of English in the Hindu College, Calcutta from 1826* onwards, he inspired a number of young Indians with a love of the English language and English literature. The first quarter of the 19th century was the period of incubation for Indo-Anglian poetry and Derozio was the moving spine then. He died prematurely in 1831. The publication of Indo-Anglian poems by Indian poets like Kashiprasad Ghose, Gooroo Churn Dutt, Raj Narain Dutt, Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Shoshee Chunder Dutt assumed prominence during the second quarter of the century. The famous Minute of Macaulay on Indian education further helped to promote these 'hours of idleness' in the field of Indo-Anglian poetry. Indo-Anglian poetry was born under a Romantic star. It learned to lisp in the manner of Byron and Scott in the verse of Derozio, M. M. Dutt and others. It began with verse- romances and lyrics written in the Romantic vein.

The deeper tone and accents of Romanticism were caught by poets who came later, during the third quarter of the 19th century. Govin Dutt, the father of Toru Dutt, was the first to introduce the introspective vein in poems like Romance and Words-worth. The process of assimilating Romanticism in all its aspects continued well on into the century and even later. Shelley, for example, found his earliest and best disciple in Tagore, during the last quarter of the 19th century. At the same time, the impact of Victorian poetry was being felt on the Indo-Anglian scene. The Dutt Family Album was' published in 1870. Ram Sharma published his Willow Drops in 1873-74. His was a long literary career. His best work belongs' to the early part of the twentieth century. The longer poetical romance continued to be cultivated. But there were also ballads or 'lays' in the manner of Macaulay on legendary or historical themes. This became the favourite word, later, with Toru Dutt and R.C. Dutt. The glorification of heroic deeds and of domestic virtues, the latter of which was, particularly, a Victorian trait, appealed to the imagination of these poets.

Genuine lyric poetry and lyrical narrative poetry, both of the Romantic and Victorian type, came fully into their own in the last quarter of the 19th century with the generation of Toru Dutt. A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields, by Aru and Toru Dutt, was published in 1875. Toru Dutt's Ancient Ballads came out in 1882. R.C. Dutt's Lays of Ancient India and his renderings of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were published in 1894 and 1898-99. Manmohan Ghose's Love Songs and Elegies was published in 1898 and Sri Aurobindo's Songs to Myrtilla in 1895. Sarojini Naidu's The Golden Threshold was published in 1905 . But she had returned to India from England in ,1898 and was 'busy writing towards the closing years of the century. Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekanand were also active during this period. Other poets active during this period were Malabari, J.M. Tagore, A.M. Kunte, Brajendranath Seal and D.L. Roy. While the other poets of this quarter continued the Romantic or Victorian manner or even harked back to the reflective manner of Gray and Goldsmith, even the satirical tradition of Dryden and Pope, Manmohan Ghose, Sri Aurobindo and Sarojini Naidu, who spent their impressionable years in England when the 'Decadent' poets dominated the scene, reveal the influence of this trend in their early poems. 'Decadence' became the main feature of Manmohan Ghose's poetry. Sarojini Naidu's poetic style was modelled on these lines to her very last days and her poems are full of jewelled phrases. But the introduction of Indian themes gave a new vitality to her poetry, even as the Irish Revival replenished the poetry of Yeats. Sri Aurobindo very soon outgrew the manner of his Songs to Myrtilla and blazed a new trail in poetry which many were to follow. The last quarter of the nineteenth century is, on the whole, the golden period of Indo-Anglian poetry.

The first quarter of the 20th century produced a number of poets who continued to write in the Romantic and Victorian manner of the Indo-Anglian poets. Meherjee, A.F. Khabardar, N.V. Thadani, Nizamat Jung, Harindranath Chattopadhyaya and Ananda Acharya exploited India or oriental thought and legend and wrote in the typical Indian manner. N.W. Pai produced a romance in blank verse, The Angel of Misfortune in 1905. Ananda Acharya was, in particular, considerably influenced by Tagore's English renderings of his own poetry, for Acharya wrote several prose-poems in the manner of Tagore. But there were other Indo-Anglian poets who responded to the new trend that was now perceptible in English poetry-Georgianism; Robi Dutt, Joseph Furtado, P. Sheshadri, J. Vakil, G.K. Chettur, S.K. Chettur and Kabraji reveal a Georgian love of the- colloquial idiom and of a simple and forthright handling of poetical themes.

The second quarter of the 20th century may be said to yield a richer harvest. V.N. Bhushan, S.R. Dongerkery, T.P. Kailasam, M. Krishnamurti and A. Menezes continue the humanistic trend. Nolini Kanta Gupta, Dilip Kumar Roy, E.L. Vaswani, J. Krishnamurthi, Nirodbaran, K.D. Sethna, Nishikanto and Themis carry forward the tradition of mystical poetry. A third group, consisting of poets like Manjeri Iswaran and P.R. Kaikini, who used to write in the Romantic tradition, have now changed over to modernistic techniques and others like Nilima Devi, B. Rajan,R.R. Shreshta, and B. Dhingra, who show a love of compact expression and new techniques from the very beginning, reveal new developments in this field. The 'progressive' manner of the thirties is seen in some of the poems of Saklatvala, Appal Swamy and Humayun Kabir. Nirodbaran has produced a few surrealist lyrics.

The third quarter of the 20th century has seen the further strengthening of modernist as well as nee-symbolist trends. Poets like B.B. Paymaster and Adi K. Sett continue to write in the well-established Indo-Anglian tradition. But the Calcutta Writers Workshop has published the work of poets like P. Lal, Kamala Das, V.D. Trivadi, Mary Erulkar, A.K. Ramanujan and others which reveals significant developments on modernist lines in Indo-Anglian poetry. Nissim Ezekiel and S. Mokashi- Punekar also belong here. The trend towards nee-symbolism is seen in the work of poets like Nahar, Themis and Prithvindra.

Preface

I am glad a second edition of the anthology has been called for. I should like to take this opportunity to clarify a few points. The poems included in this anthology have been selected from poets whose collection or collections were published during the period 1828-1965.

There has been some unfavourable comment on the title of the anthology. I have called it a 'golden treasury' following Palgrave. I possibly remembered, in this connection, the 'golden treasury' series of selections published from English poets by some famous publishing firms. It cannot be maintained that, in these publications, the only 'gold' that is present is found in their 'gilt edges' and in the 'gold' embossment on the cover. It is, of course, possible that there is a great deal of 'lead' in Indo- Anglian verse, which is, mostly verse written in a second language. In fact, this is one of the major topics discussed in the introduction to the anthology. There may be foreign as well as native critics who tend to regard all Indo-Anglian verse as a 'leaden treasury'. A few others may think that their own choice is golden and that of others rubbish. A critical consensus is slowly but clearly emerging about poets like Toru Dutt, Sarojini- Naidu and Sri Aurobindo. Time, the sovereign critic, is sure to apply this process of rejection or acceptance to others too in good time. As a matter of fact, an anthology is nothing more than a 'case' presented to collective man and to Time, the 'old gipsy man', for dispassionate consideration. I have tried to make this presentation as objective as possible in this anthology.

There is, undoubtedly, a great deal of 'leaden' verse in Indo- Anglian. But some of it is 'golden' too, at least for Indian readers. It is not for nothing that many distinguished Indian writers, spread over a century and a half, have thrown them- 'selves whole-heartedly into this 'strange adventure'. As Indian readers, many of us would like to be proud of them. Some of their writing may be 'gold' only in an historical manner of speaking Some of it may be 'essential' gold.

CONTENTS

.

Introduction 19
Preface to the Second Edition 49
Henry L. Derozio  
To the Pupils of the Hindu College 53
The Harp of India 53
Chorus of Brahmins 54
Song of the Hindustanee Minstrel 55
KASIPRASAD GHOSE  
To a Young Hindu Widow 57
The Shair's Farewell Song 58
To a Dead Crow 59
GOOROO CHURN DUTT  
Introductory Lines 60
RAJNARAIN DUTT  
Song 61
MICHAEL MADHUSUDAN DUTT  
Satan 61
The Captive Ladie 62
King Porus-A Legend of Old 64
SHOSHEE CHUNDER DUTT  
Sivajee 68
India 71
GOVIN CHUNDER DUTT  
A Farewell to Romance 71
JOTINDRA MOHUN TAGORE  
An Indian Wreath 74
HUR CHUNDER DUTT  
Tarra Baee 74
India 76
GREECE CHUNDER DUTT  
Samarsi 76
On An Old Romaunt 77
Sonnet 78
OMESH CHUNDER DUTT  
The Chief of Pokunra 79
RAM SHARMA (NOBO KISSEN GHOSE)  
Lines Addressed to James Skribblerus 83
In Memory of Swami Vivekananda 84
Music and Vision of the Anabhat Chakram 84
Bhagobati Gita 85
A HINDU STUDENT (PSEUD.)  
On the Banks of the Indus 87
A.M. KUNTE  
A Hymn to Surya 87
COWASJI NOWROSI VESUVALA  
From Malabar Hill-Bombay 89
ROMESH CHUNDER DUTT  
Buddha's Death 90
Sita Lost 91
Night of slaughter: Duryodhan's Death 92
B. M. MALABARI  
A Teacher's Life 94
ARU DUTT  
Morning Serenade 95
TORU DUTT  
The Lotus 96
Our Casuarina Tree 97
Lakshman 98
RABINDRANATH TAGORE  
Heaven of Freedom 103
The Child 103
Breezy April 105
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA  
The Cup 106
Kali the Mother 106
Peace 107
D.L. ROY  
An Apology 108
A Universal Prayer 109
BRAJENRANATH SEAL  
An Ancient Hymn 110
The Rime of the Wizard Night 111
Nature Unveiled 113
MANMOHAN GHOSE  
The Garden Passion 115
Poplar, Beech and Weeping Willow 118
London 119
Can It Be? 120
NIZAMAT JUNG  
Prologue 121
Spirit Of Light 121
Golconda at Sunset 122
Soul-Weariness 124
SRI AUROBINDO  
Revelation 124
Transformation 125
Thought the Paraclete 125
Rose of God 126
Trance of Waiting 127
The Tiger and the Deer 128
A Dream of Surreal Science 129
The Trojan War 129
The Vision and the Boon 132
N. W. PAI  
The Angel of Misfortune 138
PEROZE P. MEHERJEE  
In Fair Iran 140
ARDSHIR M. MODI  
That Too Will Pass Away 144
EZEKIEL COHEN  
The Devil 145
SAROJNI NAIDU  
The Queen's Rival 146
To My Fairy Fancies 149
The Pardah Nashin 149
Village Song 150
Awake 151
Summer Woods 152
If You Call Me 152
Caprice 153
The Soul's Prayer 153
Songs of Radha-Kanhaya 154
Songs of Radha-The Quest 155
The Bird Sanctuary 156
T. L. VASWANI  
Forget Me Not 157
SRI ANANDA ACHARYA  
True Immensity 158
The Youthful Prophet 158
On Reading an Arabic Inscription 160
A Tear 161
Hail, Norway 162
Bind, Deaf Fish 163
JOSEPH FURTADO  
Long Time Ago 164
My Native Land 165
The Old Irani 165
R. VASUDEVA RAO  
The Swan Message to Damayanti 166
PROFULLA RANJAN DAS  
Youth and Age 167
PURAN SINGH  
A Glimpse of Him 168
ROBY DUTTA  
Paradise Lost 168
S. P. Y. SURENDRANATH VOEGELI-ARYA  
In the Beginning There was Light 169
SWAMI RAMA TIRTHA  
Love's Consecration 170
ANNAJI  
What Care I for Lajpat Rai 171
N. M. CHATTERJEE  
Pravati 172
P. SESHADRI  
Raksha Bandhan 172
The Teacher 173
INAYAT KHAN  
Tansen 174
T. P. KAILASAM  
Krishna 175
A. F. KHABARDAR  
Sita-Rama 176
NOLINI KANTA GUPTA  
There is No Darkness 177
The Burning Truth 177
A. CHRISTINA ALBERS  
Sunrise on the Kunchinjunga 178
Sita's Desire To Go With Rama 179
NANIKRAM VASANMAL THADANI  
The Gopi's Song 182
Peace 184
J. KRISHNAMURTI  
The Immortal Friend 185
S. L. CHORDIA  
Chitor 187
M. SANYAL  
The Music of Earth 188
DILIP KUMAR ROY  
Eye of Light 188
Krishna and the Snake 189
S.R. DONGERKERY  
The Ivory Tower 193
HARINDRANATH CHATTOPADHYAYA  
Noon 194
The Earthen Goblet 194
Peacock 195
Time 195
Fire 196
Mystery 196
Creator 196
Beside a Death Bed 197
Sorrow 197
Shaper Shaped 198
Futurity 199
PRITHWI SINGH NAHAR  
The Winds of Silence 199
GOVINDA KRISHNA CHETTUR  
Aspiration 200
Beloved 201
Chochee 202
Gumataraya 203
The Temple Tank 203
Mysore 204
Lord of Unnumbered Hopes 204
KAIKHUSHRU M. COOPER  
When I was Young 205
J. J. VAKIL  
Pride 205
ANILBARAN  
My Beloved 206
ARMANDO MENEZES  
Play 206
The Train 207
To-Night 208
Chairs 209
LOTIKA GHOSE  
A white Dawn of Awakening 201
My Abode 210
VICTOR KIERNAN  
Castanets 211
NIRODBARAN  
Resurrection 212
Primal Source 213
The Unknown Creeper 213
K. D. SETHNA  
Tree of Time 214
Pool of Lonelinesses 214
Mystic Mountains 215
What is Truth? 216
ADI K. SETT  
Manjalika 217
The Wayside Shrine 218
BERAM SAKLATVALA  
He Bids Her Take Heart 220
Business-man and Poet 222
SANKAR KRISHNA CHETTUR  
Red Lotus 225
FREDOON KABRAJI  
A Pianoforte Recital 225
Time, The Monster Dragon-Fly 227
This Dream was You 229
HUMAYUN KABIR  
Trains 230
NILIMA DEVI  
The Lady of the Night 231
V. C. DUTT  
The Orchestra Conductor 232
The Jet Age 233
Savitri 234
V. N. BHUSHAN  
The New Year 234
The Promise 238
Ninth August 1942 238
R. R. SHRESHTA  
Love-Knot 239
Coconut-Palms: Juhu Beach 239
V.K. GOKAK  
English Words 240
Space-Time Continuum 242
The Song of India 243
M. KRISHNAMURTHI  
Guru Govind 244
L. SEVAK CHAND RAMSAMUJ  
Old Age 266
NISHIKANTO  
Three-fold Flower 246
BALDOON DHINGRA  
Mountains 247
Factories are Eyesores 249
MADAN LAL OBROI  
Milky Rondo 250
MANJERI S. ISVARAN  
Again 251
Practical 252
The Neem is a Lady 253
H. D. SETHNA  
Waterfalls 254
The Dead Student 255
P. R. KAIKINI  
Song 255
Workshop 256
Snake in the Moon 257
BHARATI SARABHAI  
Haridwara 258
SUBHO TAGORE  
If 259
B. RAJAN  
Damayanti 260
THEMIS  
Renewal 261
F.R. STANLEY  
Poem 262
LEO FREDRICKS  
The Rain and the Rainbow 263
ROMEN  
The Tree of God 264
MARY V. ERULKAR  
For a Child in Time of Famine 265
Street Song 266
NISSIM EZEKIEL  
Enterprise 267
Marriage 268
Night of the Scorpion 268
LAWRENCE BANTLEMAN  
Joan 270
KAMALA DAS  
The Dance of the Eunuchs 270
In Love 271
An Introduction 272
PRADIP SEN  
The Lilac Hour 274
My Love 274
SHANKAR MOKASHI-PUNEKAR  
Aristaeus 275
The Captive 276
LESLIE DE NORONHA  
Loneliness 277
A. K. RAMANUJAN  
The Striders 279
Another View of Grace 279
SOM PARKASH RANCHAN  
Swan Song 280
P. LAL  
Because Her Speech is Excellent 281
A Song for Beauty 281
KARAN SINGH  
The Adventurer 282
The Seminar 283
P. K. SAHA  
Picnic 284
The Lady Who Sang For Me 284
IRA DE  
The Hunt 285
LEELA DHARMARAJ  
Slum Silhouette 286
NARENDRA K. SETHI  
The Me 287
The Moon Shines 287
DEB KUMAR DAS  
Travellers 288
Voices 289
Buffaloes 290
The Moment 291
PRITHWINDRA N. MUKHERJEE  
The Eternal Child 292
Index of First Lines 293
Index of Poets 300
Bibliographical Appendices 304

 

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