Critical Appreciation:
Ans : After Michael Madhusudan Dutta, Rabindranath was the best composer of Bengali sonnets. He did not follow the principles of sonnets strictly. His sonnets are exceptional in their varied thoughts and subject matter. Rabindranath Tagore thinks that a sonnet is a poem first and then it is an art, while others think that a sonnet is a first an art and then it is a poem.
He convinced this idea after his long experiment and thinking over sonnets. The thought elements of his sonnets is superb. This adds to it a rich human interest. As a poet, Rabindranath was deeply concerned with man and nature. He had a philosophic mind and a deep spiritual realisation combined with the consciousness of humanity and human sufferings.
‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ is an excellent poem of ‘Naivedya’ a collection of poems. It is a free English translation of Rabindranath’s Bengali poem, ‘Chitta Jetha Bhayshunya’. The translation was done by the poet himself.
In this poem the poet breathes a prayer that comes out from the depth of his heart. The poet is a preacher of freedom of every sort. He pleads for spiritual emancipation of his own motherland. He prays for the uplift of his countrymen, wants them to reside in heaven where the mind is free from all sorts of narrowness, the head is held high with full dignity achieved through pure knowledge and relentless strivings for perfection.
The poet does not pray for his own personal gains. His prayer is sincere and imbubed with lyrical emotion chanted with full-throated ease.
Rabindranath composed this sonnet only in one sentence. The structure of the Sonnet is suitable for expressing the theme of the poem. The poem has been divided into three parts (8+4+2). In the first eight lines, the poet speaks of the fearless minds, free pursuit of knowledge and attainment of truth. In the next four lines, he lays stress on the power of reasoning and tireless striving for achieving success and perfection in all spheres of thought and activity. The last two lines are the inference or conclusion of the poets thought.
In images, felicitous phrases, perfection of vision and his personal feelings the Sonnet is really beautiful. The poet’s message in the poem has a universal appeal.
Thank you..
God bless you all..
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