The golden treasury of Indo-Anglian poetry
Vinayak Krishna Gokak (ed.)
Gokak, Vinayak Krishna (ed.);
The golden treasury of Indo-Anglian poetry (1828-1965)
Sahitya Akademi 1970 / 1978 2nd ed. 2006 reprint
ISBN 8126011963
topics: | poetry | india | english | anthology
Review
this is an extensive compilation of early indian english poetry, from its very beginnings till the middle of the 20th century. unfortunately this means that the new powerful voice of indian poetry, starting around the seventies (some decades after independence), is largely excluded. nonetheless, it is an important text, and one that belongs on any poetry lover's shelf.
gokak has done a terrific job of accumulating the strands of Indian English poetry from henry derozio's impassioned exhortations in favour of mother india through the imitative verses of madhusudan dutt and aurobindo and vivekananda to the lilting tunes of toru dutt and sarojini, right up till the post-independence era with ezekiel and kamala das and ramanujan.
the enormous bibliography (in two parts, p. 310-355) shows access to a wide range of material. at least in part, gokak had access to these texts via the library at the Central Institute of English (founded by Nehru in 1958); Gokak was the director of the institute in the period when he was working on this enormous project (1959-66). The librarian, M. R. Riswadkar, is acknowledged in the introduction.
while much of the poetry doesn't excite me, it is a well-edited volume with several excellent indices and an extensive bibliography. however, gokak's introduction seems rather dated, waxing on the "miraculous achievements" of toru dutt, sri aurobindo, manmohan ghose et al (p.29), though he does give many instances where indian attempts at english writing, "capsized on the sea of poetry... being nothing more than paper boats" (p.28).
--indian english poetry since independence-- indian english poetry before the 1960s (about the time of Ezekiel) is nowadays considered ancient. this is the time when english was very much a foreign tongue, and you didn't talk about cooking or laundry in english - you couldn't dream it like kamala das so loudly proclaims in her introduction (included here): I speak three languages, write in Two, dream in one. Don’t write in English, they said, English is not your mother-tongue. Why not leave Me alone, critics, friends, visiting cousins, Every one of you? Why not let me speak in Any language I like? The language I speak Becomes mine, its distortions, its queernessess All mine, mine alone. It is half English, half Indian, funny perhaps, but it is honest, It is as human as I am human, don’t You see? that this anthology has a lot of ancient indian poets can be inferred just by the title word, "Indo-Anglian". this is the word, of which adil jussawalla said: "kill that nonsense term, and kill it quickly." (arvind mehrotra, Twelve Modern Indian Poets, p.1). but are the Sarojini Naidu's and the Toru Dutt's really that dead? Their poems don't appeal much to me, but then neither does much of Wordsworth. did their poetry fail because one didn't have this visceral sense of the language? or was it that there were just too few people who really used the language, so the base from which the poets were drawn was far smaller than today? reading toru dutt, one senses a tremendous ability, and i suspect it is more that there weren't enough connoisseurs around to form a churning cultural milieu that is Indian English poetry today. nonetheless, these compilation of older voices are of great value if you need to look up some poems by some of these forgotten voices. the introduction is effusive about some of the early authors - sarojini naidu's poetry gets a new vitality through the introduction of Indian themes, "even as the Irish Revival replenished the poetry of Yeats." Interestingly, Anglo-Indian poetry was being published even before the notorious Macaulay minute: Five years before the Minute of 1835, the first book of poems in English by an Indian appeared – The Shair and Other Poems by Kasiprasad Ghose. This was followed by Michael Madhusudhan Dutt’s The Captive Ladie in 1849, The Dutt Family Album in 1870 and Toru Dutt’s Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan in 1882. - http://www.boloji.com/poetry/articles/019.htm After bringing out this volume, many a critic must have commented on the often uninspiring quality of the poems. In the preface to the second edition (1978), he mentions some "unfavourable comments" - that tend to see his "golden treasury" as more of a "leaden treasury" Some of this writing may be 'gold' only in the historical manner of speaking. Some of it may be 'essential' gold. p.50 ---editor bio vk gokak: educated at oxford, was a well known professor of english and rose to become an educational administrator and vice-chancellor of various universities. He was also a major kannada author, but his english poetry is definitely in the indo-anglian spirit, more aurobindo than kamala das. see the excerpt from english words, a poem by gokak which, sadly, appears on several indian high school syllabuses.
Excerpts
Toru Dutt (1856–77) : Our Casuarina Tree
Like a huge Python, winding round and round The rugged trunk, indented deep with scars, Up to its very summit near the stars, A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound No other tree could live. But gallantly The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung In crimson clusters all the boughs among, Whereon all day are gathered bird and bee; And oft at nights the garden overflows With one sweet song that seems to have no close, Sung darkling from our tree, while men repose. When first my casement is wide open thrown At dawn, my eyes delighted on it rest; Sometimes, and most in winter,—on its crest A gray baboon sits statue-like alone Watching the sunrise; while on lower boughs His puny offspring leap about and play; And far and near kokilas hail the day; And to their pastures wend our sleepy cows; And in the shadow, on the broad tank cast By that hoar tree, so beautiful and vast, The water-lilies spring, like snow enmassed. But not because of its magnificence Dear is the Casuarina to my soul: Beneath it we have played; though years may roll, O sweet companions, loved with love intense, For your sakes, shall the tree be ever dear. Blent with your images, it shall arise In memory, till the hot tears blind mine eyes! What is that dirge-like murmur that I hear Like the sea breaking on a shingle-beach? It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech, That haply to the unknown land may reach. Unknown, yet well-known to the eye of faith! Ah, I have heard that wail far, far away In distant lands, by many a sheltered bay, When slumbered in his cave the water-wraith And the waves gently kissed the classic shore Of France or Italy, beneath the moon, When earth lay trancèd in a dreamless swoon: And every time the music rose,—before Mine inner vision rose a form sublime, Thy form, O Tree, as in my happy prime I saw thee, in my own loved native clime. Therefore I fain would consecrate a lay Unto thy honor, Tree, beloved of those Who now in blessed sleep for aye repose,— Dearer than life to me, alas, were they! Mayst thou be numbered when my days are done With deathless trees—like those in Borrowdale, Under whose awful branches lingered pale "Fear, trembling Hope, and Death, the skeleton, And Time the shadow;" and though weak the verse That would thy beauty fain, oh, fain rehearse, May Love defend thee from Oblivion’s curse.
Lakshman : Toru Dutt [1856-1877]
poem 37 p.98 "Hark! Lakshman! Hark, again that cry! It is -- it is my husband's voice! Oh hasten, to his succour fly, No more hast thou, dear friend, a choice. He calls on thee, perhaps his foes Environ him on all sides round, That wail, it means death's final throes! Why standest thou, as magic-bound? Is this a time for thought, oh gird Thy bright sword on, and take thy bow! He heeds not, hears not any word, Evil hangs over us, I know! Swift in decision, prompt in deed, Brave unto rashness, can this be, The man to whom all looked at need? Is it my brother that I see! Ah no, and I must run alone, For further here I cannot stay; Art thou transformed to blind dumb stone! Wherefore this impious, strange delay! That cry, - that cry, it seems to ring Still in my ears, I cannot bear Suspense; if help we fail to bring His death at least we both can share." "Oh calm thyself, Videhan Queen, No cause is there for any fear, Hast thou his prowess never seen? Wipe off for shame that dastard tear! [...] The matter is far darker dyed, What makes thee loth to leave this spot? Is there a motive thou wouldst hide? "He perishes well, let him die! His wife henceforth shall be mine own! Can that thought deep imbedded lie Within thy heart's most secret zone! Search well and see! one brother takes His kingdom, one would take his wife! A fair partition! But it makes Me shudder, and abhor my life. [...] "In going hence I disregard The plainest orders of my chief, A deed for me, a soldier, hard And deeply painful, but thy grief And language, wild and wrong, allow No other course. Mine be the crime, And mine alone. but oh, do thou % Think better of me from this time. "Here with an arrow, lo, I trace A magic circle ere I leave, No evil thing within this space May come to harm thee or to grieve. Step not, for aught, across the line, Whatever thou mayst see or hear, So shalt thou balk the bad design Of every enemy I fear. "And now farewell! What thou hast said, Though it has broken quite my heart, So that I wish I were dead [...] He said, and straight his weapons took His bow and arrows pointed keen, Kind, nay, indulgent, was his look, No trace of anger there was seen, Only a sorrow dark, that seemed To deepen his resolve to dare All dangers. Hoarse the vulture screamed, As out he strode with dauntless air.
Manmohan Ghose (1867-1924)
aurobindo's elder brother. he was born to affluence, as the son of the surgeon K.D. Ghose. at the age of 12, he started schooling in england and went on to oxford on a scholarship. there he formed a lasting friendship with laurence binyon, with whom he edited a poetry collection. after returning to india, he served as professor of english at patna college and in presidency college, calcutta. while his brother aurobindo had turned to the nationalist cause and was writing on indian themes, manmohan ghose's poetry is suffused by daffodils and violets and life in london. indeed, all his life, he continuously tried to return to england. in 1924, after he had booked tickets to travel to london with his daughters, he died after a brief illness. link: article by Nishi Pulugurtha open university
Manmohan Ghose : Can it be?
poem 52, p.120 Can it be? I mind me how her smile was sweet And how her look was gay. O, she was laughter, joy complete! And can she now be clay? I see the roses on her grave They make my sad heart bleed. I see the daisies shine like stars. And is she earth indeed? All lovely things with beauty are, And just deeds shine as just. And faith and truth and duty are. And is she only dust? The great sky keeps its solemn blue: Fresh earth is wildly fair. Can all things be, and I and you,-- She nothing, she nowhere?
Humayun Kabir : Trains p.230
[A poem with distinct resonances from Tagore's Shishu] Mother,I sit by my window for hours on end and watch the long trains rumble past. Some are dark and journey tediously, no doors,no windows,no shining lamps. Slowly they move : like huge elephants that move like shadow in shadowy in the dark. Sometimes the train comes flashing past with many windows lit by many lamps that dance and whirl with movement swift a marriage procession with music loud, Shrill whistles that rise above the din Of the rhythmic beat of wheels revolvin fast. [...] Where do all these trains go day and night? you say they bore their way through hills, they roar over bridges across mighty streams, they crash through forests and vast plains, but at the end of their restless journeyings -- where do they go and finally rest?
Kamala Das
The two other poems by Das in this anthology can be read in the excerpts from Summer In Calcutta (1965) - * [das-1965-summer-in-calcutta#eun|The Dance of the Eunuchs]] and * An Introduction
In Love: Kamala Das : p. 271
Of what does the burning mouth Of sun, burning in today's Sky remind me... oh, yes, his Mouth, and... his limbs like pale and Carnivorous plants reaching Out for me, and the sad lie Of my unending lust. Where Is room, excuse or even Need for love, for, isn't each Embrace a complete thing, a Finished jigsaw, when mouth on Mouth, I lie, ignoring my poor Moody mind, while pleasure With deliberate gaiety Trumpets harshly into the Silence of the room... At noon I watch the sleek crows flying Like poison on wings -- and at Night, from behind the Burdwan Road, the corpse-bearer's cry '_Bol Hari Bol_', a strange lacing For moonless nights, while I walk The verandah sleepless, a Million questions awake in Me, and all about him, and This skin-communicated Thing that I dare not yet in His presence call our love.
The Striders: A.K. Ramanujan : p.279
And search for certain thin- stemmed, bubble-eyed water bugs. See them perch on dry capillary legs weightless on the ripple skin of a stream. No, not only prophets walk on water. This bug sits on a landslide of lights and drowns eye- deep into its tiny strip of sky.
Peacock : Harindranath Chattopadhyay p.195
I sit and watch a silver blotch On younder lonely hill The tinkling air grows grey and bare The wind blows wet and chill. The peacock dons his blue and bronze And under the falling shower, Spreads out his plumes and swiftly blooms To an enamelled flower.
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak
V. K. Gokak (1909-1992) wrote in Kannada and English, and edited this volume. A poet and playwright, he was principal of several important institutions and was president of the Sahitya Akademi. After an M.A. in English from Bombay university, he read for his master's from Oxford, graduating with an M.A. in 1938. The Sahitya Akademi has published a biography by Surendranath Minajagi. In 1958, when Nehru formed the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad, Gokak served as its first director (1959-66); the institute is now known as English and Foreign Languages University. links: http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/writers/604.htm http://www.yabaluri.org/TRIVENI/CDWEB/drvinayakkrishnagokakjan92.htm
English Words: Vinayak Krishna Gokak : p. 240
Speech that came like leech-craft And killed us almost, bleeding us white! You bleached our souls soiled with impurities. You bathed our hearts amid tempestuous seas Of a purer, drearier, delight. O tongues of fire! You came devouring Forests of nightshade, creepers that enmesh, Trees that never remembered to grow, And shrubs that were but thornmills in our flesh. You were the dawn, and sunlight filled the spaces Where owls were hovering. O winged seeds! You crossed the furrowed seas To nestle in warm and silent earth. Like a golden swarm of fireflies you came Pining for a new agony, a new birth. [...] You ripened into nectar in fruit-jars That hung like clustered stars. O winged words! Like homing bees you borrow Grown murmurous, the honey of delight Sweetened within our souls for aeons bright: Pollened within our hearts the coming morrow, You kindle in the far corners of the earth The music of an ever-deepening chant: The burthen of a waneless, winterless spring, The gospel of an endless blossoming. Fathomless words, with Indo-Aryan blood Tingling in your veins, The spoils of ages, global merchandise Mingling in your strains! You pose the cosmic riddles: In the beginning was the Word And the Word was God. The Word is in the middle And the Word is Man. In the end will be the Word And the Word will be God in Man.
R. de L. Furtado : Buffaloes 290
luxuriating in the river nonchalant, impassive they survey reality with the eye of a god. black blobs bounce in the water -- muddy water corrugated with circles concentric. a thousand O's a crow caws caws caws and squats on a blob but crow or no crow, they luxuriate still impassively, blobbing.
Contents
Introduction 19
Preface to the Second Edition 49
Henry L. Derozio (1809,Calcutta - 1831)
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 [Bengal Renaissance man, (1809-1873)
first volume of Indo-Anglian poetry, 1830]
To a Young Hindu Widow 57
The Shair's Farewell Song 58
To a Dead Crow (link) 59
Gooroo Churn Dutt
Introductory Lines 60
Rajnarain Dutt (b.1824) banglalibrary.org
Song 61
Michael Madhusudan Dutt (b.1824)
Satan 61
The Captive Ladie 62
King Porus-A Legend of Old 64
Shoshee Chunder Dutt (1825)
Sivajee 68
India 71
Govin Chunder Dutt (1828-1884) banglalibrary.org
[father of Toru and Aru Dutt]
A Farewell to Romance 71
Jotindra Mohun Tagore (bio at archive.org)
An Indian Wreath 74
Hur Chunder Dutt (1831-1901)
Tarra Baee 74
India 76
Greece Chunder Dutt (1833-1892)
Samarsi 76
On An Old Romaunt 77
Sonnet 78
Omesh Chunder Dutt (1836-)
The Chief of Pokunra 79
Ram Sharma (Nobo Kissen Ghose) (1837-1918) banglalibrary.org
Lines Addressed to James Skribblerus 83
Born in a garret, on low rations fed,
Exiled from home to find in Ind his bread,
See Skribblerus come from beyond the main,
With empty pockets and still emptier brain,
[...]
[addressed to the editor of a Calcutta daily; a parody
on a byron poem starting "Born in a garret, in a kitchen bred," ]
(the text has several printing errors; "brass" for "brain";
"comes" for "come" etc.; the latter persists on version on p.28)
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 (1848–1909) [ICS, historian]
Buddha's Death 90
Sita Lost 91
Night of slaughter: Duryodhan's Death 92
Behramji M. Malabari (1853 – 1912) (wikipedia)
A Teacher's Life 94
Aru Dutt [elder sister of Toru Dutt, d. age 20]
Morning Serenade 95
Toru Dutt [1856-1877]
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 (1867-1924) [aurobindo brother,
see this lucid review by Nishi Pulugurtha ]
The Garden Passion 115
Poplar, Beech and Weeping Willow 118
London 119
Can It Be 120
Nizamat Jung (1909-1955)
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 [b. Surendranath Baral, Hooghly, 1881.
infl. by Tagore's english poems bio ]
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 (1881)
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 (1882-1927, sufi guru) life
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 (1897-1980)
Eye of Light 188
Krishna and the Snake 189
S.R. Dongerkery (1898)
The Ivory Tower 193
Harindranath Chattopadhyaya (1898-1990) wiki
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 (1898-1976)
(see article focusing on aurobindo devotion by anurag banerjee)
The Winds of Silence 199
Govinda Krishna Chettur (1898)
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 (1905)
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 (1909)
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 (1936)
Travellers 288
Voices 289
Do you hear me, Yuri Gagarin, do you hear me still?
(And you: Glenn, Titov, Grissom, Tereshkova?)
I was afraid I had lost.
You, or only lost
Your lost, lost voices as they had spiralled
Round my greenfield peace, my oceans' blandness:
My mountains of sixmile-high quiet where
Violet was as dark as my skies could get:
[...]
R. de L. Furtado
Buffaloes 290
The Moment 291
Prithwindra N. Mukherjee
The Eternal Child 292
Index of First Lines 293
Index of Poets 300
Bibliographical Appendices 304
amitabha mukerjee (mukerjee [at-symbol] gmail) 2012 Dec 28