{"id":3019,"date":"2013-07-13T01:45:24","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=3019"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:45:24","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:45:24","slug":"57-note-on-the-texts-contd-vol-02-collected-poems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/03-cwsa\/02-collected-poems\/57-note-on-the-texts-contd-vol-02-collected-poems","title":{"rendered":"-57_Note on the Texts – Contd.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n

<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tPART<\/font> SEVEN<\/font>: PONDICHERRY<\/font>,
\nCIRCA<\/font> 1927 \u00ad 1947 <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo
\n\t\t\tpublished three short volumes of poetry, and a volume on poetics
\n\t\t\tthat included poems as illustrations, between 1934and 1946. One of
\n\t\t\tthe volumes of poems,
\nPoems Past and Present<\/i>, comprises Part Six of the present volume. The
\n\t\t\tother volumes are included in this part, which also contains complete
\n\t\t\tand incomplete poems from his manuscripts of the same period.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSix
\n\t\t\tPoems<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThese poems were written in 1932, 1933 and 1934. In 1934 a
\n\t\t\tbook was planned that would include the six poems along with
\n\t\t\ttranslations of them into Bengali by disciples of Sri Aurobindo. This
\n\t\t\tbook was<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tpublished by Rameshwar & Co., Chandernagore, before the end of the<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tyear. Shown a proposed publicity blurb for the book, Sri
\n\t\t\tAurobindo wrote: “One can’t blow one’s own trumpet in this monstrous way,
\n\t\t\tnor do I want it to be indicated that I am publishing this book. It is
\n\t\t\tNolini’s publication, not mine. Why can’t a decent notice be given instead
\n\t\t\tof these terrible blurbs?” He also wrote his own descriptive
\n\t\t\tparagraph stating that the six poems were in “novel English metres” and that
\n\t\t\tthe book included “notes on the metres of the poems and their
\n\t\t\tsignificance drawn from the letters of Sri Aurobindo”. The texts as well as the
\n\t\t\tnotes were reprinted in
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems
\nand Plays
\n<\/i>(1942).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Bird of Fire<\/b>. 17 October 1933. No handwritten manuscripts
\n\t\t\tof this poem survive. There are three typed manuscripts, two of
\n\t\t\twhich are dated 17 October 1933. In a letter written shortly afterwards,
\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo said that “Bird of Fire” was “written on two
\n\t\t\tconsecutive days 
\n\t\t\t\u2014  and afterwards revised”. He also wrote that this poem and
\n\t\t\t"Trance” (see below) were completed the same day.2<\/font><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tTrance<\/b>. 16 October 1933. There are two handwritten manuscripts
\n\t\t\tand one typed manuscript, which is dated “16.10.33”. In the same
\n\t\t\tletter in which Sri Aurobindo wrote about the composition of “The Bird
\n\t\t\tof Fire” (see above), he noted that “Trance” was written “at one sitting<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t2 Sri Aurobindo,
\nLetters on Poetry and Art<\/i>, volume 27 of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SRI AUROBINDO, p. 244.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 712<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\u2014  it took only a few minutes”. In Six Poems <\/i>“Trance” was
\n\t\t\tplaced after “The Bird of Fire”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tShiva<\/b>. 6 November 1933. There are two handwritten manuscripts
\n\t\t\tand one typed manuscript, which is dated “6.11.33”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Life Heavens<\/b>. 15 November 1933. There are four handwritten
\n\t\t\tand three typed manuscripts. The typed manuscripts are dated “15.11.33”.Jivanmukta. 13 April 1934. There are four handwritten and two
\n\t\t\ttyped manuscripts. The typed manuscripts are dated “13.4.34”. The
\n\t\t\tpoem was published in the Calcutta Review <\/i>in June 1934.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn Horis Aeternum<\/b>. 19 April 1932. Sri Aurobindo began this
\n\t\t\tpoem while corresponding with Arjava (J. A. Chadwick, a British
\n\t\t\tdisciple) about English prosody. He wrote the first stanza in a letter to
\n\t\t\tArjava and the full poem in a subsequent letter (Letters on
\n\t\t\tPoetry and Art<\/i>, pp. 231 \u00ad 34). There are two handwritten and two typed
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts. One of the typed manuscripts is dated “19.4.32”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tNotes<\/b>. These notes were compiled from Sri Aurobindo’s letters
\n\t\t\tand revised by him for publication while Six Poems <\/i>was under production.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tPoems<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThese six poems were written during the early 1930s and published
\n\t\t\tas a booklet by the Government Central Press, Hyderabad, in 1941.
\n\t\t\tThe next year they were reprinted in
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems
\nand Plays
\n<\/i>under the heading “Transformation and Other Poems”. Sometime in the 1940sa small edition of the book was published by the India Library
\n\t\t\tSociety, New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tTransformation<\/b>. Circa 1933. This sonnet was published in the
\n\t\t\tCalcutta Review <\/i>in October 1934. Two months earlier, Sri Aurobindo
\n\t\t\tasked his secretary to type copies of this poem and three others (“The
\n\t\t\tOther Earths”, “The World Game” and “Symbol Moon”) from the notebook
\n\t\t\tin which they and others had been written. When “Transformation" and “The Other Earths” were published in 1934, Sri Aurobindo in-formed a disciple that they were “some years old already” (Letters
\n\t\t\ton Poetry and Art<\/i>, p. 211), but it is unlikely that they were more
\n\t\t\tthan a year old at that time. The first draft of “Transformation” occurs
\n\t\t\tin a notebook just after the first draft of “Trance”, which is dated 16<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 713<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tOctober 1933; it is probable that “Transformation” was written
\n\t\t\tthe same year. There are two handwritten and two typed manuscripts
\n\t\t\tof this poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIn a note written after “Transformation” and the next two
\n\t\t\tsonnets were typed for publication, Sri Aurobindo said that he wanted
\n\t\t\tthe sestets of Miltonic sonnets to be set as they have been set in the
\n\t\t\tpresent book, irrespective of rhyme scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tNirvana<\/b>. August 1934. This sonnet was written while the texts
\n\t\t\tof "Transformation” and “The Other Earths” were being prepared for
\n\t\t\tpublication in the
\nCalcutta Review<\/i>. It was published along with them in that journal in October 1934. There are two handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts and one typed manuscript of this poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Other Earths<\/b>. Circa 1933. This sonnet was published in the Calcutta Review
\n<\/i>in October 1934. Its first draft occurs just after the first draft of “Transformation”, which is dated 16 October 1933; thus
\n\t\t\tit belongs, in all probability, to the year 1933. See the note to “Trans-formation” for more details. Writing to a disciple who was trying
\n\t\t\tto translate it into Bengali, Sri Aurobindo wrote that the line “Fire
\n\t\t\timportunities of scarlet bloom” meant “an abundance of scarlet
\n\t\t\tblossoms importuning (constantly insisting, besieging) with the fire of their
\n\t\t\tvivid hues”. There are two handwritten and two typed manuscripts of
\n\t\t\tthis poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThought the Paraclete<\/b>. 31 December 1934 (this is the date on a
\n\t\t\ttyped manuscript; the handwritten manuscripts were probably written
\n\t\t\tin June 1934). This poem originated as a metrical experiment, in
\n\t\t\twhich Sri Aurobindo tried to match a Bengali metrical model submitted
\n\t\t\tto him by his disciple Dilip Kumar Roy.3<\/font><\/sup> There are at least three hand-written and two typed manuscripts of this poem. A printed text
\n\t\t\twas produced sometime before 1941, but apparently was never
\n\t\t\tpublished. Moon of Two Hemispheres. July 1934. Like “Thought the
\n\t\t\tParaclete", this poem originated in an attempt to duplicate a Bengali metre pro-posed by Dilip Kumar Roy. Replying to Dilip, Sri Aurobindo
\n\t\t\tbegan: "After two days of wrestling I have to admit that I am beaten
\n\t\t\tby your last metre. I have written something, but it is a fake.” He
\n\t\t\tthen wrote out the first stanza of the poem, pointing out where he had<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t3 Dilip Kumar Roy,
\nSri Aurobindo Came to Me <\/i>(Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram,1952), p. 237.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 6<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tfailed to meet Dilip’s specifications. He closed by saying: “I have
\n\t\t\tsome idea of adding a second stanza”, though “it may never take birth
\n\t\t\tat all” (Letters on Poetry and Art<\/i>, pp. 235 \u00ad 36). He did write a
\n\t\t\tsecond stanza later. The poem was published in the “Sri Aurobindo
\n\t\t\tNumber" (volume 2, number 5) of the Calcutta fortnightly journal Onward <\/i>
\n\t\t\tin August 1934. There are four handwritten and two typed manuscripts
\n\t\t\tof this poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tRose of God<\/b>. 29 \u00ad 30 December 1934. There is one handwritten
\n\t\t\tand one typed manuscript of this poem. The typed manuscript is dated 31December 1934; however Sri Aurobindo wrote in a letter to a
\n\t\t\tdisciple that “Rose of God” was ready “on the 30th having been written
\n\t\t\ton that and the previous day”. On 31 December, he wrote to his
\n\t\t\tsecretary that the just-typed “Rose of God” could be “circulated first as a
\n\t\t\tsort of New Year invocation”. On 2 March 1935, his secretary wrote
\n\t\t\tto him saying that the editor of a quarterly journal had asked for a
\n\t\t\tpoem to be published, and asking whether “Rose of God” could be
\n\t\t\tsent. Sri Aurobindo replied: “I feel squeamish about publishing the
\n\t\t\tRose of God’ in a magazine or newspaper. It seems to me the wrong
\n\t\t\tplace altogether.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tNote<\/b>. This note did not form part of Poems <\/i>(1941); it was
\n\t\t\tfirst published in 1942 in
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems and Plays<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tPoems Published in On Quantitative Metre<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWith two exceptions, these poems were written in
\n\t\t\t1942 for publication in
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems and Plays<\/i>. Sri Aurobindo later commented that he
\n\t\t\twrote them “very rapidly  \u2014  in the course of a week, I think”. In
\n\t\t\tregard to “Flame-Wind” and “Trance of Waiting”, this would refer not to
\n\t\t\tthe composition but the revision, since the first drafts of these pieces
\n\t\t\twere written during the mid 1930s. The fourteen poems, along with the first371 lines of Ilion<\/i>, first appeared as an appendix to
\n\t\t\tOn Quantitative Metre<\/i>. This text was published as part of
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems and Plays<\/i>, and also as a separate book, in 1942. Each of the poems was
\n\t\t\tfollowed by a footnote written by the author giving details of the metre
\n\t\t\tused. These notes have not been included in the present volume, but maybe seen in the text of
\nOn Quantitative Metre<\/i>, published in The Future Poetry with On Quantitative Metre<\/i>, volume 26 of THE<\/font> COMPLETE<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 715<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWORKS OF<\/font> SRI<\/font> AUROBINDO<\/font>. The first 371 lines of Ilion <\/i>appear in
\n\t\t\tPart Five of the present volume as part of the full text of the poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tOcean Oneness<\/b>. 1942. Two handwritten manuscripts, both
\n\t\t\tentitled "Brahman”, precede the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tTrance of Waiting<\/b>. Circa 1934. The first draft of this poem was
\n\t\t\twritten around the same time as “Jivanmukta”, which is dated 1934.
\n\t\t\tTwo handwritten manuscripts precede the On Quantitative Metre <\/i>
\n\t\t\trevision work in 1942.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tFlame-Wind<\/b>. 1937. A handwritten draft of this poem is dated 1937.This draft is entitled “Dream Symbols”. Three other
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts precede the On Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work in 1942.The River. 1942. Three handwritten manuscripts precede the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tJourney’s End<\/b>. 1942. Two handwritten manuscripts precede the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Dream Boat<\/b>. 1942. A single handwritten manuscript
\n\t\t\tprecedes the On Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSoul in the Ignorance<\/b>. 1942. A single handwritten manuscript
\n\t\t\tprecedes the On Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Witness and the Wheel<\/b>. 1942. A single handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscript precedes the On Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tDescent<\/b>. 1942. A single handwritten manuscript precedes the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Lost Boat<\/b>. 1942. Two handwritten manuscripts precede the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tRenewal<\/b>. 1942. A single handwritten manuscript precedes the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSoul’s Scene<\/b>. 1942. Three handwritten manuscripts precede the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tAscent<\/b>. 1942. Two handwritten manuscripts precede the
\nOn Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Tiger and the Deer<\/b>. 1942. A single handwritten manuscript pre-cedes the On Quantitative Metre <\/i>revision work.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 716<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/i>
\n\t\t\tSonnets<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote a total of seventy-five sonnets between 1933 and1947. Only three of them were published in a book during his
\n\t\t\tlifetime (see above under
\nPoems<\/i>). The other seventy-two are reproduced in the present section. See the note to “Transformation” for
\n\t\t\ttypographical conventions. Sri Aurobindo wrote in 1934 that he intended his
\n\t\t\tsonnets to "be published in a separate book of sonnets". This was
\n\t\t\tdone in the book Sonnets<\/i>, first published in 1980.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThree Sonnets<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tOne of these sonnets was written around 1934, the other two in 1939.Sri Aurobindo selected them from among his completed sonnets
\n\t\t\tfor publication in the
\nSri Aurobindo Circle<\/i>, Bombay, in 1948. They were published under the heading “Three Sonnets”.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tMan the Enigma.<\/b> 17 September 1939. Three handwritten and two
\n\t\t\ttyped manuscripts precede the Circle <\/i>publication in 1948.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Infinitesimal Infinite<\/b>. Circa 1934. Three handwritten and
\n\t\t\tfour typed manuscripts precede the Circle <\/i>publication in 1948.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Cosmic Dance<\/b>. 15 September 1939. Four handwritten and two
\n\t\t\ttyped manuscripts precede the Circle <\/i>publication in 1948.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSonnets from Manuscripts, circa 1934 \u00ad 1947<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tOn 31 December 1934, Nolini Kanta Gupta wrote in a note to
\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo: “Sometime ago I typed
\nSeven Sonnets <\/i> \u2014  Are they not in their final form?” Sri Aurobindo replied: “No. I have had no
\n\t\t\ttime to see them 
\n\t\t\t\u2014  and I am still a little doubtful about their quality.” The
\n\t\t\tseven sonnets were (in the order of Nolini’s typed copies): “Contrasts",
\n\t\t\t"Man the Thinking Animal”, “Evolution [1]”, “Evolution [2]”, “The
\n\t\t\tCall of the Impossible”, “Man the Mediator”, and “The Infinitesimal
\n\t\t\tInfinite”. Sri Aurobindo later revised most of the seven, along with
\n\t\t\tan eighth, “The Silver Call”, which is related to “The Infinitesimal
\n\t\t\tInfinite”. After further revision he published “The Infinitesimal
\n\t\t\tInfinite" as part of “Three Sonnets” in 1948 (see above).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 717<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tMan the Thinking Animal<\/b>. Circa 1934. Five handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts and one typed manuscript, the earliest contemporaneous with close-to-final drafts of “Transformation” and “The Other Earths”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tContrasts<\/b>. Circa 1934. Five handwritten manuscripts and one
\n\t\t\ttyped manuscript, the earliest contemporaneous with close-to-final drafts
\n\t\t\tof "Transformation” and “The Other Earths”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Silver Call<\/b>. Written on or before 25 April 1934 (when Sri Aurobindo quoted five lines in a letter to Dilip Kumar Roy); revised 1944.Five handwritten manuscripts and one typed manuscript; the
\n\t\t\tfirst handwritten manuscript was written shortly after those of the
\n\t\t\ttwo preceding sonnets. The original poem went through several
\n\t\t\tversions, eventually becoming two, “The Silver Call” and “The Call of
\n\t\t\tthe Impossible”. The final version of “The Silver Call” is dated “193 \u00ad (?)\/ 23.3.44”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tEvolution [1]<\/b>. Circa 1934, revised 1944. Five handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts and one typed manuscript, that is dated “193 \u00ad (?) \/ 22.3.44”.
\n\t\t\tThis poem and the one above were often worked on together, as were
\n\t\t\tthe two that follow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Call of the Impossible<\/b>. 1934; revised subsequently. Four hand-written manuscripts and one typed manuscript. This poem began as
\n\t\t\ta variant of “The Silver Call”: the first lines of the two poems were
\n\t\t\tonce identical 
\n\t\t\t\u2014  “There is a godhead in unrealised things”  \u2014  and the
\n\t\t\tfirst rhyming words remain the same even in the final versions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tEvolution [2]<\/b>. Circa 1934. Two handwritten manuscripts and
\n\t\t\tone typed manuscript. The handwritten drafts were written around the
\n\t\t\tsame time as early drafts of “The Call of the Impossible”; the final
\n\t\t\ttyped versions of the two poems are also contemporaneous. The
\n\t\t\tpresent sonnet has the same title as the one which forms a pair with
\n\t\t\t"A Silver Call” (see “Evolution [1]” above). There is no textual
\n\t\t\trelation between it and its namesake, but there is some between it
\n\t\t\tand “The Silver Call”: its closing couplet was first used as the
\n\t\t\tclose of “The Silver Call” and its second and fourth lines are similar to
\n\t\t\tthe tenth and twelfth lines of “The Silver Call”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tMan the Mediator<\/b>. Circa 1934. Four handwritten manuscripts
\n\t\t\tand one typed manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next five sonnets in 1934 or 1935, at around<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 718<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/i>the same time. He did not ask his secretary to make typed
\n\t\t\tcopies of any of the five, and gave titles to only three of them. The
\n\t\t\tother two (one of which began as a variant of one of the first three)
\n\t\t\twere found recently among the manuscripts of this group and recognised
\n\t\t\tas separate poems.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tDiscoveries of Science<\/b>. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35. Three handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tAll here is Spirit.<\/b> No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35.
\n\t\t\tOne handwritten manuscript. Published here for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Ways of the Spirit [1]<\/b>. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35. Four handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Ways of the Spirit [2]<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35.Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tScience and the Unknowable<\/b>. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35. Three
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next two sonnets in the early part of 1936.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Yogi on the Whirlpool<\/b>. 1936. Two handwritten manuscripts,
\n\t\t\tneither of them dated, but certainly written just before “The
\n\t\t\tKingdom Within”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Kingdom Within<\/b>. 14 March 1936. Two handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next three sonnets in the early part of 1938.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tNow I have borne<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. 2 February 1938.
\n\t\t\tTwo handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tElectron<\/b>. 15 July 1938. Two handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Indwelling Universal<\/b>. 15 July 1938. Two handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next nine sonnets in July and August 1938and revised them in March 1944.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBliss of Identity<\/b>. 25 July 1938, revised 21 March 1944. Two handwritten manuscripts, the first entitled “Identity”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Witness Spirit<\/b>. 26 July 1938, revised 21 March 1944. Two hand-written manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Hidden Plan<\/b>. 26 July 1938, revised 18 and 21 March 1944. Two<\/span>720<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

\n
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\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Pilgrim of the Night.<\/b> 26 July 1938, revised 18 March 1944.
\n\t\t\tThree handwritten manuscripts, the first entitled “In the Night”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tCosmic Consciousness<\/b>. 26 July 1938, revised apparently on 21 March1944. Two handwritten manuscripts, the first entitled “The
\n\t\t\tCosmic Man”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tLiberation [1].<\/b> 27 July 1938, revised 22 March 1944. Two
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Inconscient<\/b>. 27 July 1938, revised 21 March 1944. Two hand-written manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tLife-Unity<\/b>. 8 August 1938, revised 22 March 1944. Two
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Golden Light.<\/b> 8 August 1938, revised 22 March 1944. Two
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next thirty-nine sonnets between 11
\n\t\t\tSeptember and 16 November 1939. He wrote two other sonnets, “Man the
\n\t\t\tEnigma” and “The Cosmic Dance” during the same period (see above
\n\t\t\tunder “Three Sonnets”).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Infinite Adventure<\/b>. 11 September 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Greater Plan<\/b>. 12 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Universal Incarnation<\/b>. 13 September 1939. Four
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Godhead<\/b>. 13 September 1939. Three handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts. This sonnet is about an experience Sri Aurobindo had during the
\n\t\t\tfirst year of his stay in Baroda (1893).<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Stone Goddess<\/b>. 13 September 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts. This sonnet is about an experience Sri Aurobindo had at
\n\t\t\ta temple in Karnali, on the banks of the Narmada, near the end of
\n\t\t\this stay in Baroda (c. 1904 \u00ad 6).<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tKrishna<\/b>. 15 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tShiva<\/b>. 16 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Word of the Silence<\/b>. 18 \u00ad 19 September 1939. Three
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Self’s Infinity<\/b>. 18 \u00ad 19 September 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts, the second entitled “Self-Infinity”.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t<\/i>
\n\t\t\tThe Dual Being<\/b>. 19 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tLila<\/b>. 20 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts, the
\n\t\t\tsecond entitled “The Thousandfold One”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSurrender<\/b>. 20 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Divine Worker<\/b>. 20 September 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Guest<\/b>. 21 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts,
\n\t\t\tthe first entitled “The Guest of Nature”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Inner Sovereign<\/b>. 22 September 1939, revised 27 September.
\n\t\t\tThree handwritten manuscripts, the first entitled “The Sovereign Tenant”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tCreation<\/b>. 24 September 1939, revised 28 September. Three handwritten manuscripts, the first entitled “The Conscious Inconscient”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tA Dream of Surreal Science<\/b>. 25 September 1939. Three
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn the Battle<\/b>. 25 September 1939. Two handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Little Ego<\/b>. 26 September 1939, revised 29 September. Two hand-written manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Miracle of Birth<\/b>. 27 September 1939, revised 29 September.
\n\t\t\tSix handwritten manuscripts, the second entitled “The Divine
\n\t\t\tMystery", the third “The Divine Miracle-Play”, and the fourth and fifth “The
\n\t\t\tMiracle-Play”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Bliss of Brahman.<\/b> 29 September 1939, revised 21 October.
\n\t\t\tFive handwritten manuscripts; the first has the epigraph: “He who
\n\t\t\thas found the bliss of Brahman, has no fear from any quarter. \/
\n\t\t\tUpanishad [Taittiriya Upanishad 2.4]”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tMoments<\/b>. 29 September 1939, revised 2 October. Two
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Body<\/b>. 2 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tLiberation [2].<\/b> 2 \u00ad 3 October 1939, revised 5 November. Three hand-written manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tLight<\/b>. 3 \u00ad 4 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Unseen Infinite<\/b>. 4 October 1939. Three handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts, the first entitled “The Omnipresent”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t“I”<\/b>. 15 October 1939, revised 5 November. Two handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Cosmic Spirit<\/b>. 15 October 1939, revised 5 November. Two hand-written manuscripts, the first entitled “Cosmic Consciousness”, revised<\/span>722<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n

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\n\t\t\tto “Cosmic Self”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSelf<\/b>. 15 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts, the first
\n\t\t\tentitled “Liberty”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tOmnipresence<\/b>. 17 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts,
\n\t\t\tthe first two entitled “The Omnipresent”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Inconscient Foundation<\/b>. 18 October 1939, revised 7 February1940. Two handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tAdwaita<\/b>. 19 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts. This son-net was written about an experience Sri Aurobindo had while
\n\t\t\twalking on the Takht-i-Sulaiman (“Seat of Solomon”), near Srinagar,
\n\t\t\tKashmir, in 1903.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Hill-top Temple<\/b>. 21 October 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts, the first two entitled “The Temple on the Hill-Top”.
\n\t\t\tThis sonnet is about an experience Sri Aurobindo had at a shrine in
\n\t\t\tthe temple-complex on Parvati Hill, near Poona, probably in 1902.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Divine Hearing<\/b>. 24 October 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts, one of which is entitled “Sounds”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBecause Thou art.<\/b> 25 October 1939. Three handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts, all untitled.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tDivine Sight<\/b>. 26 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tDivine Sense<\/b>. 1 November 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Iron Dictators<\/b>. 14 November 1939. Two handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tForm<\/b>. 16 November 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next two sonnets in 1940.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tImmortality<\/b>. 8 February 1940. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tMan, the Despot of Contraries<\/b>. 29 July 1940. Two handwritten manu-scripts, the first entitled “The Spirit of Man”.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the next two sonnets during the middle to late1940s.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe One Self<\/b>. Circa 1945 \u00ad 47. One handwritten manuscript,
\n\t\t\tundated, but in the almost illegible handwriting of the late 1940s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Inner Fields<\/b>. 14 March 1947. One handwritten manuscript,
\n\t\t\tlegible only with difficulty, and another in the handwriting of Nirodbaran,
\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo’s scribe.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
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\n\t\t\t<\/i>Lyrical Poems from Manuscripts, circa 1934 \u00ad 1947Sri Aurobindo once wrote that he wanted his short poems
\n\t\t\tpublished in two separate books, one of sonnets and one of “(mainly)
\n\t\t\tlyrical poems”. In the present section are published all complete short
\n\t\t\tpoems, sonnets excluded, that he wrote between 1934 and 1947.
\n\t\t\tParodies written as amusements, poems written primarily as metrical
\n\t\t\texperiments, and incomplete poems have been placed in the sections
\n\t\t\tthat follow. It sometimes is difficult to determine whether Sri
\n\t\t\tAurobindo considered a given poem to be complete when he stopped work on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSymbol Moon.<\/b> Circa 1934. Three handwritten and two typed manu-scripts. On 7 August 1934, Sri Aurobindo asked his secretary to
\n\t\t\ttype the first drafts of “Symbol Moon”, “The World Game”, “Transformation” and “The Other Earths” from the notebook in which he
\n\t\t\twrote these and other poems.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe World Game<\/b>. Circa 1934. Three handwritten and two typed
\n\t\t\tmanuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tWho art thou that camest.<\/b> No title in the manuscript. Circa
\n\t\t\t1934 \u00ad 36.One handwritten manuscript, written in a notebook used
\n\t\t\totherwise for Savitri<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tOne<\/b>. 14 March 1936. One handwritten manuscript, written on a
\n\t\t\tsheet of a small “Bloc-Memo” pad.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn a mounting as of sea-tides<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936 \u00ad37. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tKrishna<\/b>. Circa 1936 \u00ad 37. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Cosmic Man.<\/b> 15 September 1938. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Island Sun<\/b>. 13 October 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tDespair on the Staircase<\/b>. October 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Dwarf Napoleon<\/b>. 16 October 1939. Three handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Children of Wotan<\/b>. 30 August 1940. Two handwritten manu-scripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Mother of God<\/b>. One handwritten manuscript, undated, but in
\n\t\t\tthe handwriting of the mid 1940s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe End?<\/b> 3 June 1945. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tSilence is all. No title in the manuscript. 14 January 1947. (The manu-script is dated “January 14, 1946”, but this is probably a slip, as
\n\t\t\tthe rest of the contents of the notebook in which the poem is written
\n\t\t\tare from 1947.) One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tPoems Written as Metrical Experiments<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote most of these pieces in a somewhat playful
\n\t\t\teffort to match metrical models submitted to him by his disciple Dilip
\n\t\t\tKumar Roy. As Dilip writes in
\nSri Aurobindo Came to Me<\/i>, p. 233: “At the time I was transposing some English modulations into our
\n\t\t\tBengali verse which he [Sri Aurobindo] greatly appreciated in so much
\n\t\t\tthat, to encourage me, he composed short poems now and then as
\n\t\t\tEnglish counterparts to my Bengali bases.” One such experiment resulted in
\n\t\t\tthe poem “Thought the Paraclete”, which Sri Aurobindo later revised
\n\t\t\tand included in the book
\nPoems <\/i>(see above). All but one of the others existing one or more drafts in Sri Aurobindo’s notebooks of the period.
\n\t\t\tThe exception, “In some faint dawn”, is known only by the text
\n\t\t\tpublished by Dilip in Sri Aurobindo Came to Me<\/i>. The nine poems
\n\t\t\tpublished in that book are reproduced here in the same order. Another
\n\t\t\tpoem written in response to a letter from Dilip is placed before the
\n\t\t\trest, while two others, also metrical experiments, have been placed at
\n\t\t\tthe end of Dilip’s set. All the poems except the last seem to have
\n\t\t\tbeen written in 1934. All but one are untitled in the manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tO pall of black Night<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934.
\n\t\t\tThree handwritten manuscripts. See
\nLetters on Poetry and Art<\/i>, pp. 236 \u00ad 37,for a letter that shows the genesis of this poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tTo the hill-tops of silence.<\/b> No title in the manuscript. 1934.
\n\t\t\tOne handwritten transcript in Nolini Kanta Gupta’s hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tOh, but fair was her face<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. 1934.
\n\t\t\tOne handwritten transcript in Nolini Kanta Gupta’s hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn the ending of time<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. 1934. One handwritten transcript in Nolini Kanta Gupta’s
\n\t\t\thand. In some faint dawn. No title in the printed text in
\nSri Aurobindo Came to Me<\/i>. 1934.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn a flaming as of spaces<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. 1934. One<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\n

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\n\t\t\t<\/i>handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tO Life, thy breath is but a cry<\/b>. 1934. Early typed copies of this
\n\t\t\tpoem are dated 21 June 1934 and are entitled “Life and the
\n\t\t\tImmortal". Sri Aurobindo took up this poem in 1942 while preparing poems
\n\t\t\tto be published in On Quantitative Metre<\/i>. He gave the revised
\n\t\t\tdraft the title “Life” and indicated the rhyme scheme as follows: “Iambics;
\n\t\t\tmodulations, spondee, anapaest, pyrrhic, long monosyllable”. Eventually, however, he decided not to include the revised poem in
\nOn Quantitative Metre<\/i>. The editors have incorporated his final revisions
\n\t\t\tin the text, but used the first line as title as with the other poems
\n\t\t\tin this subsection. Two handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tVast-winged the wind ran<\/b>. No title in
\nSri Aurobindo Came to Me<\/i>.1934. No manuscripts. An early typed copy of this piece is dated 25June 1934. Note that in
\nSri Aurobindo Came to Me <\/i>this piece and the two that follow are placed after the mention of “Thought
\n\t\t\tthe Paraclete”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tWinged with dangerous deity<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. 20 June 1934.See Letters on Poetry and Art<\/i>, pp. 234 \u00ad 35 for a letter that shows
\n\t\t\tthe genesis of this poem. Two handwritten and two typed manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tOutspread a Wave burst<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. 26 June 1934.Two handwritten manuscripts, one in Nolini Kanta Gupta’s
\n\t\t\thand. On the grey street. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934. One hand-written manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tCry of the ocean’s surges<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1940 \u00ad 41.One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tNonsense and “Surrealist” Verse<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the first of these poems in isolation during the late1920s or early 1930s. He wrote the other items as an amusement
\n\t\t\tafter some of his disciples tried to interest him in the subject of
\n\t\t\tsurrealistic poetry. See also the more serious sonnet “A Dream of Surreal
\n\t\t\tScience" in the section “Lyrical Poems”.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tA Ballad of Doom.<\/b> Late 1920s or early 1930s. There is one hand-written manuscript of this piece, the writing of which has
\n\t\t\tcompletely faded away. A transcription made years ago was published in the<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tjournal Mother India <\/i>in April 1974. The editors have verified
\n\t\t\tand corrected this transcription using images made by means of
\n\t\t\tinfrared photography, scanning and imaging software. Several words in the
\n\t\t\ttext remain somewhat doubtful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSurrealist<\/b>. Circa 1936. One handwritten manuscript, written before28 December 1936, when Sri Aurobindo mentioned it in a letter to
\n\t\t\ta disciple.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSurrealist Poems<\/b>. Circa 1943. (The Moro River, mentioned in the second poem, is a river in Italy that was the site of a battle
\n\t\t\tbetween Canadian and German forces in December 1943; the notebook in
\n\t\t\twhich the poem is written was in use during the early 1940s.) One
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscript, consisting of two pages of a “Bloc-Memo" pad. Sri Aurobindo first wrote, in the upper left hand corner, “Parody",
\n\t\t\tthen, as title, “Surrealist Poems”. Beneath the first poem, he wrote
\n\t\t\ta tongue-in-cheek explanation within his own square brackets, then,
\n\t\t\tafter “2”, the title and text of the second poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIncomplete Poems from Manuscripts, circa 1927 \u00ad 1947<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThou art myself. No title in the manuscript. 1927 \u00ad 29. One handwritten manuscript, jotted down in a notebook used otherwise for
\n\t\t\tdiary entries, essays, etc. In the manuscript, the word “Or”, presumably
\n\t\t\tthe beginning of an unwritten second stanza, comes after the fourth
\n\t\t\tline. Vain, they have said. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1927.
\n\t\t\tAlthough written, like “Ahana”, in rhymed dactylic hexameter couplets,
\n\t\t\tthese lines do not seem to have been intended for inclusion in that poem. (The
\n\t\t\tphrase “to infinity calling” does occur both here and in “The
\n\t\t\tDescent of Ahana”, but in different contexts.) One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tPururavus<\/b>. Circa 1933. Several handwritten drafts in a single note-book. It would appear from the manuscript that Sri Aurobindo
\n\t\t\tbegan this passage as a proposed revision to the opening of the
\n\t\t\tnarrative poem “Urvasie”. The passage developed on different lines,
\n\t\t\thowever, and Sri Aurobindo soon stopped work on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Death of a God [1]<\/b>. Circa 1933. Two handwritten manuscripts;
\n\t\t\ta third manuscript is published as “The Death of a God [2]”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Death of a God [2]<\/b>. Circa 1933. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Inconscient and the Traveller Fire<\/b>. Circa 1934. Two handwritten<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 726<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

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\n\t\t\t<\/i>manuscripts, the first entitled “Death and the Traveller Fire”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tI walked beside the waters.<\/b> No title in the manuscript. April 1934.
\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo wrote the first part of this poem (down to “gloried
\n\t\t\tfields of trance”) on 25 April 1934 after Dilip Kumar Roy asked him
\n\t\t\tfor some lines in alexandrines (Sri Aurobindo Came to Me<\/i>, pp. 226 \u00ad 29).In an accompanying letter, he explained how the caesura dividing
\n\t\t\tthe lines into two parts could come after different syllables. Dilip,
\n\t\t\tnoting that in Sri Aurobindo’s passage there were examples of the
\n\t\t\tcaesura falling after the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth
\n\t\t\tand tenth syllables, asked for an example of a line with the caesura
\n\t\t\tcoming after the third syllable. Sri Aurobindo obliged by sending him
\n\t\t\tthe couplet:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tAnd in the silence of the mind life knows itself<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tImmortal, and immaculately grows divine.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tOn 28 April 1934, three days after Sri Aurobindo sent the first
\n\t\t\tpassage, his secretary asked him: “Can your last poem (in Alexandrines, sent
\n\t\t\tto Dilip) be put into circulation?” Sri Aurobindo replied: “No. It is
\n\t\t\tnot even half finished.” He wrote two more passages but never wove
\n\t\t\tthe three together into a completed poem. The editors have
\n\t\t\treproduced the passages as they are found in Sri Aurobindo’s notebooks and
\n\t\t\tloose sheets, separating the three passages by blank lines.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tA strong son of lightning<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934.
\n\t\t\tThree handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tI made danger my helper<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934.Two handwritten manuscripts. Sri Aurobindo wrote these four
\n\t\t\tlines on the back of a typed manuscript of “The World Game”. They do
\n\t\t\tnot, however, appear to have been intended for inclusion in that
\n\t\t\tpoem. The metre is not the same as, though possibly related to, the metre
\n\t\t\tof "The World Game”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Inconscient<\/b>. Circa 1934. Four handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn gleam Konarak<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35.
\n\t\t\tA single handwritten manuscript on the back of a sheet used for a
\n\t\t\tdraft of “Thought the Paraclete”, which is dated 31 December 1934.
\n\t\t\tThe fragment consists of three stanzas, the second of which is incomplete.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tBugles of Light.<\/b> Circa 1934 \u00ad 35. A single handwritten manuscript
\n\t\t\ton the back of a note written to Sri Aurobindo on 31 December 1934.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

\n
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\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Fire King and the Messenger<\/b>. Circa 1934 \u00ad 35. A single manu-script, written in a notebook near a draft of “Thought the
\n\t\t\tParaclete". God to thy greatness. No title in the manuscript. March 1936. A
\n\t\t\tsingle manuscript, written between drafts of “The Yogi on the
\n\t\t\tWhirlpool" and “The Kingdom Within”, both of which are dated 14 March 1936.Silver foam. No title in the manuscript. March 1936. One
\n\t\t\thandwritten manuscript, written on a sheet of a “Bloc-Memo” pad between “The
\n\t\t\tKingdom Within” and “One”, both of which are dated 14 March1936. In the manuscript, there is no full stop at the end,
\n\t\t\tsuggesting that the piece is incomplete.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tTorn are the walls<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936.
\n\t\t\tTwo handwritten manuscripts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tO ye Powers<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936. Three hand-written manuscripts. In the final manuscript, the last line ends in
\n\t\t\ta comma, indicating that the piece is incomplete.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tHail to the fallen.<\/b> No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936. Italy
\n\t\t\tinvaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in October 1935. Britain and France
\n\t\t\tstopped trying to broker a peace in December, and in May 1936, after a
\n\t\t\theroic resistance, Emperor Haile Selassie fled the country. “Lion of
\n\t\t\tJudah" was a title borne by the Emperors of Ethiopia. The star towards
\n\t\t\tthe end was written by Sri Aurobindo. One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSeer deep-hearted<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936 \u00ad 37.
\n\t\t\tOne handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSoul, my soul [1]<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936 \u00ad 37.
\n\t\t\tTwo handwritten manuscripts; a third is published as “Soul, my soul [2]”.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSoul, my soul [2]<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1936 \u00ad 37. This
\n\t\t\tis the most completely revised, but shortest, manuscript of this poem.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tI am filled with the crash of war<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1938.Compare the third and fourth line of this poem with the third line
\n\t\t\tof "The Cosmic Man” (see above); the two poems seem to be related.
\n\t\t\t"The Cosmic Man” is dated 15 September 1938. One handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tIn the silence of the midnight.<\/b> No title in the manuscript. Circa 1938.One handwritten manuscript.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tHere in the green of the forest<\/b>. No title in the manuscript. Circa 1939.One handwritten manuscript. The star before the last four lines
\n\t\t\twas written by Sri Aurobindo.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
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\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t<\/i>Voice of the Summits<\/b>. Circa 1946 \u00ad 47. One handwritten
\n\t\t\tmanuscript. The poem was probably written after “The Inner Fields”, which
\n\t\t\tis dated 14 March 1947.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tAPPENDIX<\/font>: POEMS IN<\/font> GREEK
\n\t\t\tAND IN<\/font> FRENCH<\/font>
\n\t\t\t<\/b><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tAs a student in England Sri Aurobindo wrote many poems in
\n\t\t\tGreek and in Latin as school or college assignments. A typical
\n\t\t\tassignment would be to render an English poem into Greek or Latin verse of
\n\t\t\ta given metre. The Greek epigram below appears to be an example of
\n\t\t\tsuch an assignment. Sri Aurobindo also learned French in England,
\n\t\t\tand in later years wrote two poems in that language.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tGreek Epigram<\/b>. January 1892. Sri Aurobindo wrote this epigram in
\n\t\t\ta notebook he used at Cambridge. At the end he wrote “Jan. 1892 (Porson Schol)”. This refers to the Porson Scholarship examination,
\n\t\t\twhich was held at Cambridge that month. In order to win this
\n\t\t\tscholarship, candidates had to take twelve papers over the course of a week.
\n\t\t\tOne of the papers required contestants to provide a Greek translation
\n\t\t\tof the following poem by Richard Carlton (born circa 1558), an
\n\t\t\tEnglish madrigal composer:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe witless boy that blind is to behold<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tYet blinded sees what in our fancy lies<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWith smiling looks and hairs of curled gold<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tHath oft entrapped and oft deceived the wise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tNo wit can serve his fancy to remove,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tFor finest wits are soonest thralled to love.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSir Edmund Leach, late provost of King’s College, Cambridge,
\n\t\t\twho provided the information on the scholarship examination, went on
\n\t\t\tto add:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIt is possible that [Sri Aurobindo] Ghose was a
\n\t\t\tcandidate for the Porson Scholarship; alternatively it is possible
\n\t\t\tthat his King’s College supervisor set him the Porson Scholarship
\n\t\t\tpaper as an exercise to provide practice for the Classical Tripos
\n\t\t\texamination which he was due to take in June 1892.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/i><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 729<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo’s epigram is not a literal translation of the English
\n\t\t\tpoem, but an adaptation of it in Greek verse. Transliterated into the
\n\t\t\tLatin alphabet, the Greek text reads as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMōros Erōs alaos th’; ho d’homōs ha g’eni phresi keitai<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tHēmōn, ophthalmous<\/p>\n

\t\t\tōn alaos kathora.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPai, su gar hēdu gelōn iobostrukhe kalliprosōpe,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tDiktuō andra kalō kai sophon exapatas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tOude sophos per anēr se, doloploke, phuximos oudeis;<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tKai proteros pantōn doulos erōti sophos.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tLorsque rien n’existait<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>
\n\t\t\tNo title in the manuscript. Circa 1914 \u00ad 20. Sri Aurobindo seems to have written this prose poem during a fairly
\n\t\t\tearly period of his stay in Pondicherry. Published here for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSur les grands sommets blancs<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>
\n\t\t\tNo title in the manuscript. Circa 1927.Sri Aurobindo wrote this incomplete poem in a notebook he
\n\t\t\tused otherwise for the
\nRecord of Yoga <\/i>of 1927.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tPUBLICATION<\/font> HISTORY<\/font><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tDuring his lifetime, Sri Aurobindo published poetry in a number
\n\t\t\tof periodicals: Fox’s Weekly <\/i>(1883), Bande Mataram <\/i>(1907),
\n\t\t\tThe Modern Review <\/i>(1909, 1910), Karmayogin <\/i>(1909, 1910), Shama’a <\/i>(1921),The Calcutta Review <\/i>(1934), Sri Aurobindo Circle <\/i>(1948, 1949),
\n\t\t\tand others. He also published poetry in twelve books:
\n\t\t\tSongs to Myrtilla and Other Poems <\/i>(c. 1898), Urvasie <\/i>(c. 1899),
\n\t\t\tAhana and Other Poems <\/i>(1915), Love and Death <\/i>(1921), Baji Prabhou <\/i>(1922), Six Poems<\/i>(1934), Poems <\/i>(1941),
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems and Plays <\/i>(1942), On Quantitative Metre <\/i>(1942), Poems Past and Present <\/i>(1946), Chitrangada<\/i>(1949) and Savitri <\/i>(1950 \u00ad 51). Details on the first editions of all
\n\t\t\tthese books except the last two may be found in the above notes. Four
\n\t\t\tof the books had further editions during Sri Aurobindo’s lifetime:
\n\t\t\tSongs to Myrtilla <\/i>(1923), Urvasie <\/i>(c. 1905), Love and Death <\/i>(1924, 1948),and Baji Prabhou <\/i>(1949).<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems <\/font>and Plays <\/i>was the first attempt to bring out
\n\t\t\ta comprehensive edition of Sri Aurobindo’s known poetic output. It
\n\t\t\twas planned by Nolini Kanta Gupta for release on 15 August 1942, Sri<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 730<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/i>Aurobindo’s seventieth birthday. Following Sri Aurobindo’s
\n\t\t\tinstructions that “only poems already published should be included in
\n\t\t\tthis collection”, Nolini collected all poems, poetic translations and
\n\t\t\tplays that had been published until then, typed them and sent them to
\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo for revision. The book was published by the Sri
\n\t\t\tAurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, and printed at the Government Central
\n\t\t\tPress, Hyderabad. Work on the book extended from around February to
\n\t\t\tAugust 1942.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tBetween 1950 and 1971 a number of poems that had
\n\t\t\tremained unpublished at the time of Sri Aurobindo’s passing were printed
\n\t\t\tin various journals connected with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and in
\n\t\t\tthree books:
\nLast Poems <\/i>(1952), More Poems <\/i>(1957) and Ilion <\/i>(1957).In 1971, all of Sri Aurobindo’s known poetical works were
\n\t\t\tpublished in
\n\t\t\tCollected Poems : The Complete Poetical Works<\/i>, volume 5 of the
\n\t\t\tSri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library. A few other poems were
\n\t\t\tincluded in the Supplement
\n<\/i>(volume 27) to the Centenary Library in 1973.About a dozen poems discovered
\n\t\t\tbetween then and 1985 were published in the journal
\nSri Aurobindo: Archives and Research<\/i>. The first almost complete collection of Sri Aurobindo’s Sonnets <\/i>was
\n\t\t\tpublished in 1980.
\nLyrical Poems 1930 \u00ad 1950 <\/i>came out in 2002.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIn the present volume are collected all previously published
\n\t\t\tpoems and at least three that appear here for the first time in print: “Thou
\n\t\t\tbright choregus”, “All here is Spirit” and “<\/span>Lorsque rien n’existait”.<\/span>The poems have been arranged chronologically. As far as
\n\t\t\tpossible, books published during Sri Aurobindo’s lifetime have been
\n\t\t\tpresented in their original form. The texts of all the poems have been
\n\t\t\tchecked against the author’s manuscripts and printed editions.
\n\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\nPage \u2013 731<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART SEVEN: PONDICHERRY, CIRCA 1927 \u00ad 1947   Sri Aurobindo published three short volumes of poetry, and a volume on poetics that included poems as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-02-collected-poems","wpcat-57-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3019\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}