Product Description

This reprint of the 1914 classic translation includes an historical introduction by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya. This is a poetic tribute from Tagore to Kabir, whom he looked upon as one of the builder's of India's civilizational unity in the midst of diversity of religious faiths. It is a rare classic which reveals to us the philosophical affinity between two great Indian poets seperated by centuries.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2524676 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Original language: Bengali
• Binding: Hardcover
• 162 pages

Customer Reviews

Appearances can be deceptive!
Please do not buy this product!

Don't get me wrong: it is a wonderful book, and I, personally, prefer this translation by Tagore over the more modern one by Robert Bly. I also checked out some other translations in the library before I bought this one. So I shopped around quite a bit before choosing this one. I have read Tagore's translation through many times, having borrowed the book from the library, and having also found a plain text version online.

Therefore, I definitely knew -- or thought I knew -- what I was buying.

Now for the big surprise. The product is listed as hardcover and 'unknown binding'. From the photos, I thought it might be something made to look like leather. In fact, it is library binding, which makes it look, in fact, like a children's book.

My real complaint, though, is that the text is a very cheap photostatic copy. It is worse than I could have made myself. Furthermore, they used a very bad text -- a reader's copy, with notations, underlines, squiggles, doodles, comments, and so on ... ON PRACTICALLY EVERY PAGE!

When I called to complain, Amazon's rep suggested that maybe those reader's marks were 'in the original text'!... as if I didn't know any better. Since I have seen the first edition copy that is in our public library here, I am quite familiar with the text; and might I add, that their copy, from the year 1915, is unmarked.

Amazon said that they 'might' refund my money, but would charge me about 10% for the return, because the purchase was my choice. Neither have I got any response from the reprint publisher, Hesperides Press. Either way, I spent nearly forty bucks for what looks like a homemade photocopy. This is bad business at its worst: nothing like one ought to expect of a 'new' book.

Over the years, I have spent many hundreds of dollars at Amazon. But with this, they have lost ALL my future business. A book like this ought to be listed as 'used', and I would have expected to pay maybe $5 in a local shop. To be charged $38.95 (on my original invoice) is obscene. I note, by the way, that the price has dropped about $3 since the week before Christmas.

From now on, I'm taking my business to Barnes & Noble.

delicate journey
These poems take you for a break to a beautiful mystical realm. It is One of the books that you should keep next to you.