The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972), first met Rabindranath Tagore in London on the 30th June 1912. He was very impressed with Tagore’s talent. When an English translation of the Bengali poet’s book of verse Gitanjali, was published. Pound wrote that Tagore’s works had all the grandeur of Dante. He even said that Tagore is “greater than anyone of us.”
Ezra Pound wrote these words on Tagore in the American magazine Fortnightly Review in March 1913. Just one month later, on April 22, 1913, he wrote a letter to the editor of Poetry magazine, in which he called Tagore “superfluous”. His works are just a repetition of old tales, Pound wrote, and whatever literary relish there was in Bengali original had also been done away with in the English translation.
How did this change come about in Ezra Pound’s opinion of Tagore? The reason for it was that Pound had, with the help of Kali Mohun Ghosh, translated the poetry of Kabir into English. Before being published in book-form, this translation had been serialized in a magazine. Tagore had seen it, and found it to be seriously detective. He strongly criticized the literary standard of the translation. This criticism infuriated Pound, and instead of the lavish admirations with which he had previously extolled Tagore, he started to abuse him. (Times of India; March 8, 1979)
The thing that most people hate above all is criticism of themselves. The reason for this is that by and large people’s worship is centred on their own beings, and by nature man cannot tolerate criticism of the object that he worships.
One person’s praise of another is itself usually a form of self-praise. When a political leader stands on the rostrum, and treats his packed audience to a speech full of generous words then he is in fact repaying them for adding to his prestige by coming to listen to him. When someone sings an eulogy to one who is not his rival, it is really just a harmless way of publicising his own open-heartedness and courtesy. When one writer writes in flowery terms of another, then he is either thanking him indirectly for some previous laudatory piece, or he is saying to him:
“Give me the same publicity as I have given you.” Sometimes one expresses admiration in order to repair one’s image, damaged by some previous criticism. True admiration is that which is expressed out of true benevolence towards one’s fellow. But this is the very thing that is found least in the world. To say a truly well-meaning word to another is an act of such enormous generosity that few indeed are fortunate enough to perform it. □
Spiritual states can be brought about
only if conditions are conducive
The Prophet was visited by an angel. “Mohammad,” he said, “the Lord greets you. He says that, if you wish, he will turn the rocky terrain of Makkah into gold.” The Prophet lifted up his eyes to heaven. “Lord,” he said. “Please, no. I prefer to be full one day and hungry the next. When I go hungry, I humble myself before you and seek your help, and when I eat my fill, I give thanks to you and praise you.”
Prosperity is a more severe test
The Prophet once said: “I fear more for you the test of prosperity than the test of adversity, for when you were afflicted by adversity, you were patient; but if the world becomes green and pleasant, you will fall a prey to temptation.” The following words were also spoken by the Prophet: “You will be given so much worldly abundance that this is what will make you go astray after me.”
