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Primary sourceBook1894

Sonar Tori

Rabindranath Tagore · 1894

An 1894 Bengali poetry collection by Rabindranath Tagore, including his famous and much-debated title poem 'The Golden Boat'.

This collection, written during his years at Shilaidaha, shows Tagore's poetic voice at its most celebrated.

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Title page of the Bengali book Sonar Tori, in Bengali script. Title at top reads 'সোনার তরী', followed by 'শ্রীরবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর প্রণীত' (written by Rabindranath Tagore), then 'কলিকাতা' (Calcutta) and publisher and printing details, with the date 1300 at the bottom.
Title page, Sonar Tori, by Rabindranath Tagore, 1894.

About this source

What it is

Sonar Tori (sometimes spelled Sonar Tari) is a collection of more than forty Bengali poems by Rabindranath Tagore, first published in 1894. Many of the poems were written between 1892 and 1893 while Tagore lived at a house in Shilaidaha.

Why it matters

This collection is considered one of Tagore's most celebrated works. In it, he explores a longing for beauty and a sense of distance from ordinary human life. The title poem, 'The Golden Boat', has been discussed and debated by readers and scholars for its meaning ever since. The book reflects a period when Tagore lived close to the Padma river, which influenced his imagery and themes.

Look closer

  • What mood or feeling does the title 'The Golden Boat' suggest to you?
  • Why might living by a river have shaped the poems in this collection?
  • What questions would you want to ask Tagore about this collection if you could?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rabindranath Tagore on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the book Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats, published by Macmillan and Co., London, 1913.Book

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Song Offerings

Rabindranath Tagore · 1912

Black and white photograph of Rabindranath Tagore leaving a building, Sigtuna, May 1921.Photograph

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Tagore Leaves the Sigtuna Foundation

Bertil Waldén · May 1921

Title page of Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats. Macmillan and Co., Limited, London, 1913.Book

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Gitanjali

Rabindranath Tagore · 1910

Black and white photograph of Rabindranath Tagore standing with K.B. Westman and M. Björkqvist, Sigtuna, May 1921.Photograph

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Tagore with K.B. Westman and M. Björkqvist

Bertil Waldén · May 1921

Piano sheet music score titled 'Jana Gana Mana' by Rabindranath Tagore, in D minor/F major key with 4/4 time, tempo 96, two staves (treble clef) with dynamics like f, p, ff and a fermata at the end.Document

Primary source

Jana Gana Mana

Rabindranath Tagore · 11 December 1911

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