Fruit-Gathering

Tagore, Rabindranath, 1861-1941Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 55K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Fruit-Gathering by Rabindranath TagoreAuthor: Tagore, Rabindranath, 1861-1941,Language: English, Class: PK: Language and Literatures: Indo-Iranian literatures, Release Date: Sep 1, 2004

Editor's review

Fruit-Gathering is a prose-poetry collection Tagore wrote in English, a representative work alongside Gitanjali in conveying his philosophical thought and poetic sensibility to the English-speaking world. The book is brief, with poems mostly revolving around offering, waiting, love, and the cycle of life; the language is clear and carries a religious contemplative quality, suited to slow reading piece by piece in a quiet setting. This Project Gutenberg edition is the public-domain English original, without translator's preface or notes, allowing readers direct contact with Tagore's own English rewriting and its unique rhythm between poetry and prose. Its value lies not in narrative or plot but in the recurring images and spiritual questioning of the short pieces; it suits meditative daily reading and also serves as a reference for English prose-poetry writing. Those expecting systematic thought or complete stories should adjust their expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Tagore's poetry and prose poetry and want the English original
Those needing short meditative texts for daily or bedtime quiet reading
Intermediate and advanced English learners wanting to accumulate literary expression through poetry
Introductory readers interested in Indian literature and religious philosophy

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting complete plots or systematic philosophical argument
Beginners with weak English who need sentence-by-sentence annotation
Readers who prefer long narratives or strong logical argumentation

Reading tips

Read three to five pieces a day; do not chase progress, but leave room for aftertaste and pause.
Keep a notebook to record recurring images and your associations, forming a personal reading method.
Read against a Chinese translation to compare Tagore's English self-translation with Chinese retranslation.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between this collection and Gitanjali?

Both are prose-poetry collections Tagore wrote or self-translated in English, similar in style and both carrying an offertory, contemplative quality. Fruit-Gathering is more concentrated in length and theme on offering, waiting, and life experience; it can be seen as one of the representative English poems of the same period, but it is not a sequel to Gitanjali.

Is the English original difficult to read?

Tagore's English syntax is relatively clear and the vocabulary not forbidding, but the lines often hint at religious and philosophical background. Readers with intermediate to advanced English reading ability can finish it smoothly; consult references as needed for cultural allusions.

Does this electronic edition include translator's notes?

Project Gutenberg public-domain texts usually provide only the work's main text and basic publication information, generally without scholarly introductions or translator's annotations. For background, use a print edition with an introduction or research materials alongside it.

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About the author

Tagore, Rabindranath, 1861-1941 Author

Tagore, Rabindranath (1861-1941) was a renowned Indian poet and writer whose work spans poetry, fiction, drama, and essays. The library holds thirty-three of his works, including the poetry collections Gitanjali, The Gardener, and Stray Birds, the novel The Home and the World, as well as Sadhana: The Realisation of Life and My Reminiscences. His poetry is known for its clear, melodious language and often explores nature, love, and the divine, combining philosophical reflection with lyricism; his fiction attends to social realities and inner lives, portraying the clash between tradition and modernity. Public information is limited and his full biography remains unclear, yet these works reveal a concise and moving style that has had a profound influence on later literature, inviting readers to encounter Eastern philosophical thought and humanistic care through his verse and prose.