The Gardener

Rabindranath Tagore / 苇欢Qinghai People's Publishing House · ChinaNov 2023

Rating 4.3
Word count
22K words
Chapters
88
ISBN
9787225063119

Tags

Literature Nobel LaureatePhilosophical VerseSpiritual ComfortSlow ReadingRomanticismTender SentimentMusical Rhythm

Summary

This book is one of the volumes in the Selected Poems of Tagore series. It is a lyrical collection "about love and life," written in prose poetry. It contains 85 poems and was first published in 1913.

Most of the poems were translated by the poet himself from his earlier Bengali collections of the 1890s, including The Golden Boat, The Gardener, and others. They belong to Tagore's early period and form a collection rich in philosophical reflection.

Through deeply suggestive allegorical poems and concise philosophical verses, the poet clearly expresses his attitude toward society and life, and offers an artistic answer to the great questions of why one should live and how one should live.

Editor's review

The Gardener is another lyrical masterpiece by Tagore after Gitanjali, containing 85 untitled poems. Unlike the intense religious reflection of the latter, this collection focuses more on vivid love and life in the earthly world. The poet presents himself as a "gardener," cultivating emotion into a garden of blossoming flowers. The lines capture with delicate sensitivity the longing, tremor, sweetness, and sorrow of love, while also extending to a general celebration of nature, childhood innocence, and life. The verses are polished and beautiful, with fresh and lively imagery, such as "My heart, the bird of the wilderness, has found its sky in your eyes," containing deep tenderness and philosophy within simple directness. This edition by Qinghai People's Publishing House has a fluent translation that conveys the spirit of the original well. Reading The Gardener is like stepping into a garden of emotion dappled with light and shadow; it awakens resonance with and longing for beautiful feelings deep within us and is an indispensable part of appreciating Tagore's poetic charm.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read alone in the quiet early morning or at night, letting the rhythm of the verses flow naturally into the mind
  2. No need to finish in one sitting; read a few poems each day and savor their imagery and emotion repeatedly
  3. While reading, mark the lines that move you, converse with them, and record passing thoughts

About the publisher

Qinghai People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1954

Qinghai People's Publishing House is a comprehensive local publisher based in Xining, with publishing areas covering local histories and gazetteers, ethnic history and culture, literature and art, and textbooks and supplementary teaching materials. Judging from the 124 titles in the database, the press has a presence in foreign literature, social culture, history, literature, medicine, and biography. Representative books include Chinese translations of Tagore's poetry collections Gitanjali, Stray Birds, and The Crescent Moon, as well as works on history, culture, and medicine such as The History of Changes in the Yellow River, An Intellectual History of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Pillar Testament: The Legacy of Songtsen Gampo, and Essentials of the Kalachakra Calendar. Its authors include Rabindranath Tagore, Wei Huan, Cen Zhongmian, Li Jingwei, Zhang Zhibin, Huang Mingxin, Chen Jiujin, and Shangzhuot Sangre, reflecting a publishing profile that combines the translation of foreign literature with the compilation of local historical and cultural works and traditional medical texts.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 倾注心灵的深沉与高尚（译序）
  3. 前言
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85

FAQ

What are the main differences between The Gardener and Stray Birds? Stray Birds consists mostly of short, pithy aphorisms full of philosophical insight; The Gardener consists of complete lyrical poems, more focused on love and life experience, with longer and more delicate emotional expression.
How is the translation quality of this edition? This edition by Qinghai People's Publishing House uses a relatively classic translation, with beautiful poetic language and a good balance between faithfulness and elegance, suitable for general readers.
Can I understand it without a background in reading poetry? Absolutely. Tagore's poetry is known for its simplicity and sincerity, and its emotions are universally human. Directly feeling the beauty of the language and the flow of emotion is the best way to read it.

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About the author

Rabindranath Tagore Author · Indian · 1861–1941

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was an Indian Bengali poet, writer and philosopher, born into an aristocratic family in Calcutta. In 1913 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry collection Gitanjali, becoming the first Asian to receive the award. His work spans poetry, fiction and drama, with representative works including the poetry collections Stray Birds, The Crescent Moon and The Gardener, as well as the novel Gora. His verse is fresh and lyrical, blending philosophical reflection with emotion, and has had a profound influence on Indian and world literature. He also wrote India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. This library holds 89 of his works, commonly classified under classics, literature and foreign literature.

苇欢 Author

Wei Huan is an author about whom limited public information is available; eight titles are currently known under this name. Judging from the representative works, Wei Huan's output centers on two areas. One is the classic poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, including Gitanjali, Stray Birds, The Crescent Moon, The Gardener and Fireflies, translations that bring the Indian poet's philosophical reflection, natural imagery and lyrical short pieces to Chinese readers. The other consists of fiction and poetry anthologies, such as Fish Have No Feet and its second volume, along with 100 Classic Love Poems of Lovers and the World, whose subjects touch on emotion, life and foreign literature. These works are generally classified under foreign literature and literature, indicating that Wei Huan's writing or editorial work mainly serves the translation and dissemination of foreign literary works. The available materials do not record nationality, dates of birth and death, or specific biography, so no speculation is made here; readers may come to know this poetic sensibility and cross-linguistic literary interest through the works listed above.