Epigrams
By Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, India
into a wealthy family. As a teenager, he attempted
to study law in London, but he decided to return to
India and instead pursue a career as a writer,
philosopher, and educator. He achieved some
success by the age of 51 in his native of Calcutta
through his poetry, songs, and plays. He returned
to England for the first time since leaving in 1878
and decided to begin translating his poetry into
English. He encountered an artist friend who he
had met back in India, Rothenstein, and with much
persuasion shared his poetry. Upon reading his
friend's poetry, Rothenstein talked his friend W.B.
Yeats into reading the works of Tagore in a hand-
written notebook and later that year, Gitanjali was
published in a limited edition by the India Society of
London. He quickly became an instant sensation
among London's literary circles and the world. He
had a strong spiritual presence, his words evoked
beauty, and his poetry was unheard of. The
opportunity to peer into the mysticism of Indian
culture through his words was revealed to the West
for the first time in history. In less than a year, he
would be nominated and would ultimately win the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
I will close my door to shut out all
possible errors.
"But how am I to enter in?" cried Truth.
thelm In the
Select the correct answer.
Which group of words from the selection conveys the author's tone about his topic?
OA. creative, simplistic, optimistic
OB. alarming, dark, pessimistic
O C.
critical, downtrodden, foreboding
OD. alluring, complex, refreshing