My Reminiscences

In these memory pictures, so lightly, even casually presented by the author there is, nevertheless, revealed a connected history of his inner life together with that of the varying literary forms in which his growing self found successive expression, up to the point at which both his soul and poetry attained maturity.

This lightness of manner and importance of matter form a combination the translation of which into a different language is naturally a matter of considerable difficulty. It was, in any case, a task which the present Translator, not being an original writer in the English language, would hardly have ventured to undertake, had there not been other considerations. The translator's familiarity, however, with the persons, scenes, and events herein depicted made it a temptation difficult for him to resist, as well as a responsibility which he did not care to leave to others not possessing these advantages, and therefore more liable to miss a point, or give a wrong impression.

The Translator, moreover, had the author's permission and advice to make a free translation, a portion of which was completed and approved by the latter before he left India on his recent tour to Japan and America.

In regard to the nature of the freedom taken for the purposes of the translation, it may be mentioned that those suggestions which might not have been as clear to the foreign as to the Bengali reader have been brought out in a slightly more elaborate manner than in the original text; while again, in rare cases, others which depend on allusions entirely unfamiliar to the non-Indian reader, have been omitted rather than spoil by an over-elaboration the simplicity and naturalness which is the great feature of the original.

There are no footnotes in the original. All the footnotes here given have been added by the Translator in the hope that they may be of further assistance to the foreign reader.

CONTENTS

PAGE

Translator's Preface v

PART I

1. 1

2. Teaching Begins 3

3. Within and Without 8

PART II

4. Servocracy 25

5. The Normal School 30

6. Versification 35

7. Various Learning 38

8. My First Outing 44

9. Practising Poetry 48

PART III

10. Srikantha Babu 53

11. Our Bengali Course Ends 57

12. The Professor 60

13. My Father 67

14. A Journey with my Father 76

15. At the Himalayas 89

PART IV

16. My Return 101

17. Home Studies 111

18. My Home Environment 116

19. Literary Companions 125

20. Publishing 133

21. Bhanu Singha 135

22. Patriotism 138

23. The Bharati 147

PART V

24. Ahmedabad 155

25. England 157

26. Loken Palit 175

27. The Broken Heart 177

PART VI

28. European Music 189

29. Valmiki Pratibha 192

30. Evening Songs 199

31. An Essay on Music 203

32. The River-side 207

33. More About the Evening Songs 210

34. Morning Songs 214

PART VII

35. Rajendrahal Mitra 231

36. Karwar 235

37. Nature's Revenge 238

38. Pictures and Songs 241

39. An Intervening Period 244

40. Bankim Chandra 247

PART VIII

41. The Steamer Hulk 255

42. Bereavements 257

43. The Rains and Autumn 264

44. Sharps and Flats 267

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Rabindranath Tagore from the Portrait by S. K. Hesh Frontispiece

Facing Page

Tagore in 1877 6

The Inner Garden Was My Paradise 14

The Ganges 54

Satya 64

Singing to My Father 82

The Himalayas 94

The Servant-Maids in the Verandah 106

My Eldest Brother 120

Moonlight 180

The Ganges Again 208

Karwar Beach 236

My Brother Jyotirindra 256

PART I

MY REMINISCENCES

(1)