Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s2.t1.9

v2.c10.s2.t1.9

From the choice and the translation, it is clear that Chen Duxiu has an unusual mastery of Chinese and poetry. He gave an explanatory note on Tagore: “A modern Indian poet and an advocate for oriental civilisation, and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (it should be Nobel Prize for Literature). He is reputed in Europe and revered by the Indian youth as a sage, and his poems are filled with religious and philosophical ideals. Gitanjali are composed to praise Brahma”. In the translation, he made adept use of Buddhist terms, and this indicates that he had a good knowledge of Buddhism. His style of translation was similar to that of Su Manshu. It is a kind of recreation, though not necessarily in full agreement with, yet on the whole could reproduce the basic spirit of the original text.