Rabindranath Tagore’s translation of his Gitanjali into English won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and since then, his works have been made available in several English translations. Some of his translators include names like Ketaki Kushari Dyson, Sukanta Chaudhuri, William Radice and Ananda Lal, who translated three plays by Tagore in Rabindranath Tagore: Three Plays (2001). Songs of Tagore: Poetry and Melody, edited and translated by Lal, is an addition to the field of Tagore translations, making available in the English language the songs from Tagore’s dance dramas.

Songs of Tagore is divided into two parts. Part One comprises the introduction by Ananda Lal and the translation of Satyajit’s Ray’s essay “Thoughts on Rabindrasangit”. Part Two consists of the Notes on Music Score by Lal and the translations of “The Songs of Rakta-karabi (Red Oleander),” “The Songs of Tapati” and “The Songs of Arup Ratan (Formless Jewel)”. Tagore’s oeuvre is wide and expansive and includes poems, short stories, essays, plays, travelogues, memoirs, dance dramas, letters, treatises, translations, and, of course, songs. Over 2000 songs that are now known as Rabindrasangit (this is the spelling Lal uses in the book explaining why he does so) and performed regularly are what Lal discusses from the perspective of other songs composed globally in the Introduction. Lal describes them as being “characterized by a unique metaphysical strain akin to that of his verse and drama, a yearning spiritual quest set against the beauty and elemental force of the natural landscape of Bengal”. Lal offers his reasons for such a volume and discusses the themes, music and theatre of Tagore in the context of the songs. The essay written by Satyajit Ray included in the volume in English translation is Lal notes, one of the best commentaries on Rabindrasangit. The editor/translator has in mind a global audience that is unfamiliar with the language of the songs, its cultural nuances, and the notation in this work, a point he makes clear in the introduction.

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While discussing the themes, music and theatre of Rabindrasangit, Lal gives examples from the songs in English translations, making it clear in several instances that his focus is on the lyrics and not so much the rhyme. While Tagore prioritised the music over the written word, he did not provide notations of the songs that were done much later by several others. It is music and song that predominate in the dance dramas as well. The introduction also gives the rationale for Lal’s choice of the songs from the three dance dramas that he chooses and is an important essay for anyone interested in studying and understanding Tagore’s songs and music.

Ray’s essay on Rabindrasangit that Lal translates for the volume follows the introduction and makes important points about the nature of the songs, the music and the singing of them as well: “Rabindranath’s overwhelmingly individualistic creation in songs cannot be assigned a genre by prevailing rules because Rabindranath never thought about genres. He aimed at a distinctive speciality, at presenting certain specific feelings in specific words and specific melodies and rhythms.” One of the common ideas prevalent in the sphere of Rabindrasangit is the idea of purity of the tune, the idea of being true to the music, and the notation, with any kind of experimentation being frowned upon. As Ray notes, “This idea of a song having an unalterable form is not of this country.” Ray’s essay has several notations that he uses to substantiate his points throughout.

The second part of the volume begins with a note by the translator, a note on the music scores that he uses in the translations that follow. Lal presents the original song in Bengali in Roman script, followed by the notation, and finally the English translation. He uses footnotes for Bengali words that he retains in his translations.

Paush is calling for you—oh, come along.

Her basket’s full with ripe harvest today.

These are the first two lines of the first song from Rakta Karabi that Lal translates. The taal/tala, the rhythmic pattern, of each song is mentioned at the end of the original song.

Songs of Tagore: Poetry and Melody is a volume of translations of Tagore that brings together scholarship, music and lyrics. The masterful translations of the songs from the dance dramas read lucidly while translating the nuances of the Bengali source texts, revealing a great scholar at home with his subject. In the prelude to the book, Ananda Lal refers to the fact that the book is aimed predominantly at a lay readership and not an academic one. While lay readers will definitely enjoy reading the book, scholars and critics will find the book of great use as well.

The reviewer is associate professor in English, Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College, Kolkata and is secretary, Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library, Kolkata. 

Songs Of Tagore: Poetry And Melody

Authored by Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray

Edited and translated by Ananda Lal

Routledge, London and New York, 2023