Gitanjali - Rabindranath Tagore

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As a reader of mystical poetry, I was eager to finally experience Nobelist Rabindranath Tagore's famed "Gitanjali" (Song Offerings). This cherished volume collects over 100 of his delicate, spiritual poems originally written in Bengali before being translated to English by Tagore himself. 

I found myself thoroughly transported by the gentle beauty and wisdom captured in short verses like songs. Tagore expresses his spiritual connection with the divine through nature, finding the infinite in landscapes, birdsongs and sunsets. The sincere devotion and longing in plain words like "My Lord, let my tears drop at Thy feet and make the dust sacred" moved me deeply through their tranquil intimacy.

The vast majority of the poems awed me with their spare profundity. Though Tagore repeats words like "light" and "life", each poem still feels distinct in its luminous, prayer-like praise. Occasionally one blend into the next too seamlessly for its singular essence to emerge. But overall, Gitanjali’s themes of eternal love, inner peace and unity with God left me feeling soothed and uplifted. 

Tagore’s sublime miniatures exemplify how less can be more in spiritual poetry that seeks the universal. For any reader wishing to be elevated by devotional verse distilled beautifully to elemental language and insight, “Gitanjali” offers a stirring glimpse of divine truth and harmony with the infinite. Its peace and radiance touched my soul. I’ll be returning to Tagore again and again when in need of a comforting spiritual balm expressed through poetry of the highest order.

1995