Thursday, February 23, 2012

Rabindranath constructed "Haiku" in Japan

Rabindranath wanted to construct a new type of poems following Haiku of Japan.Though he was well acquainted with it previously.He started this type of poems in English and some times  in Bengali to write short message or his sayings . The "Swakshmar" poem was written by him for this purpose only. Pearson  wrote to Rathindranath on 26th June, 1916;
" Gurudev has been in to us once or twice with some aphorisms which he has been writing on golden cards which have been given to him by our host for Gurudev to write something on ."
Later on when he published "Lekhan" in 1927, he wrote'
" When I have gone to China or Japan, I have to fulfill the demand of Swakshar Lipi everyday. In paper, in Silken Cloth, on stone I have to write small poems of two to four lines.In this way it became my habit of writing poems of two to four ines here and there, on roads and lanes  and everywhere. It became my pleasure to write such poems......"
These poems had been compiled in the form "Stray Birds" published by Macmillan & Co. The Director of Macmillan & Co., George Bratewrote on 7th Oct;
" I am sending you under separate  cover by Registered post the manuscript of a collection of short sayings and maxims in poetic form, which every one who has seen them feels should be published before Christmas while I am still in this country. The title of the volume will be "Stray Birds and Withered leaves" and it should be published ."