Toru Dutt was a 19th century Indian poet and translator who made significant contributions to Indian literature and cultural exchange between India and the West.
Born in 1856 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Toru was the daughter of a French mother and an Indian father. She received a well-rounded education that included both Western and Indian literature, as well as classical music and languages such as French, Latin, and Greek.
Toru began writing poetry at a young age and published her first book of poetry, "Leaves from the Back of my Book," in 1874 at the age of 18. This collection was notable for its blend of Western and Eastern influences, as well as its focus on themes of loss, nostalgia, and the passage of time.
In addition to her poetry, Toru also translated works from French and Sanskrit into English, including a translation of the ancient Indian epic "The Mahabharata." This translation helped introduce the epic to a wider audience and played a key role in promoting cultural exchange between India and the West.
Despite her talent and contributions to literature, Toru's life was marked by tragedy. She lost both her parents at a young age and suffered from poor health throughout her life. She died at the age of 21 in 1877, leaving behind a small but significant body of work that continues to be celebrated today.
Toru Dutt's legacy as a poet and translator is an important part of India's literary history, and her work continues to inspire readers and writers around the world.
Toru Dutt: Poetry Themes
Foreowrd by Arthur Symons. In such awfully hot weather the eunuchs dance in great excitement. As the few drops of urine of the lizards and mice are enough to produce smell, in the same way meagre rain produced a sort of smell. On one occasion, Love approached Flora The Roman Goddess of flowers and spring and asked for a flower that would have the magnetic seductiveness of the rose, and the majesty, grace and freshness of the lily. The colour combination presented by her is very attractive. The rose—red in color and actually native to Asia—is being used here as a symbol of the ideals of Asian beauty, while the lily—white in color and present in much European imagery such as coats of arms—is used as a symbol of Europe and the West in general. In other poems, like "The Lotus," Dutt explores what it means for beauty itself to be liminal and relish its status as in between two cultures and traditions.
Baugmaree (By Toru Dutt)
This garden has different kinds of trees and these are sufficient to charm us. Variety of colours in the garden makes it very attractive. Her poetry appears in A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields, consisting of translations into English of French poetry and Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan, composed of translations and adaptations from Sanskrit. This prevailing interest in transitional figures in Dutt's works also extends to the poet, who through the power of poetry is able to figuratively travel among various historical periods as in "Our Casuarina Tree" and "The Broken Bell" , or perhaps mixes their own words with those of others to create something new as in " Ars Poetica Many of Dutt's poems also involve a speaker who mentions explicitly that they write poetry, sing, or speak in celebration of or in reaction to a moving encounter or experience. In woe and weal To be a helpmate swears the bride. . But by the time the Dutts were back in Calcutta, Toru and Aru had already embarked upon what would become a project ambitious enough to draw on all their recent learning: a series of translations of French poetry for an English-speaking public.
Dutt, Toru
Both girls honed their English and French during a four-year residence in England and France, starting in 1869 at the French School at Nice, then in London in 1870, where The Dutt Family Album was published, and last in Cambridge in 1871, where the sisters attended the "Higher Lectures for Women. But as Toru was finally beginning to focus on doing what she loved, another tragedy struck the family. A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields was published in 1876 without a preface or introduction. Loss As someone who experienced the loss of both her siblings at a young age, much of Toru Dutt's poetry focuses on the experience of loss or the experience of being surrounded by death. In such an extreme weather of summer when the scorching heat of sun was unendurable for every creature, they showed great excitement in their dance.
Kamala Das' Poem
The last two lines end with a rhyming couplet similar to the penultimate couplets. They were barefooted and they danced on the rough ground covered with small pebbles. It means she is actually talking about herself. After listening to the story, they became so sad that they could not stop crying. Youth In many of Toru Dutt's poems, youth is paradoxical—it is a time of great loss and sadness as in "The Broken Bell" and "The Young Captive" , yet also a place of fond memory and nostalgia as in "Sita" and "Our Casuarina Tree". Her book of poetry named Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan, a collection of translations and adaptations from Sanskrit literature, was published posthumously in 1882. In 1921 he published his biography, Life And Letters Of Toru Dutt.
The Lotus by Toru Dutt
It is an old, old story, and the lay Which has evoked sad Sîta from the past Is by a mother sung. She does not provide a direct answer here. It means, in each line, there are five iambs unstressed-stressed. Around her, there are tall trees and a lucid lake where white swans glide. Her Untimely Death: She was ill but by 1877, her health decayed never to recover. Back in India, at age 17, Toru found it challenging to adjust to a culture that now seemed foreign to her. No more, no more, Was seen the Angel's face.
