Bengali poetry is a rich tradition of poetry in the
Bengali language
Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
and has many different forms. Originating in the
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
region of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
, the history of Bengali poetry underwent three successive stages of development: poetry of the early age (like ''
Charyapad''), the
Medieval period
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and the
age of modern poetry. All ages have seen different forms of poetry and poetical tradition. It reached the pinnacle during the
Bengali Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance (Bengali: বাংলার নবজাগরণ — ''Banglar Navajagaran''), also known as the Bengali Renaissance, was a cultural, social, intellectual, and artistic movement that took place in the Bengal region of ...
period although it has a rich tradition and has grown independent of the movement. Major Bengali Poets throughout the ages are
Chandidas
Chandidas (born 1408) was a medieval poet of Bengal, or possibly more than one. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the ''bhanita'' of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, ...
,
Alaol
Syed Alaol ( bn, সৈয়দ আলাওল; 1607 – 1680) was a 17th century poet of Bengal. His most well known work is ''Padmavati'', which depicts the story of Padmavati, the Sinhalese princess. He is considered to be one of the most pro ...
,
Ramprasad Sen
( bn, রামপ্রসাদ সেন; c. 1718 or c. 1723 – c. 1775) was a Hindu Shakta poet and saint of eighteenth century Bengal. His '' bhakti'' poems, known as Ramprasadi, are still popular in Bengal—they are usually ad ...
,
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt ((Bengali: মাইকেল মধুসূদন দত্ত); (25 January 1824 – 29 June 1873) was a Bengali poet and playwright. He is considered one of the pioneers of Bengali literature.
Early life
Dutt ...
,
Nabinchandra Sen
Nabinchandra Sen ( bn, নবীনচন্দ্র সেন; 10 February 1847 – 23 January 1909) was a Bengali poet and writer, often considered one of the greatest poets prior to the arrival of Rabindranath Tagore. He commented on the batt ...
,
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
,
Dwijendralal Ray
Dwijendralal Ray (19 July 1863 – 17 May 1913), also known as D. L. Ray, was an Indian poet, playwright, and musician. He was known for his Hindu mythological and nationalist historical plays and songs known as ''Dwijendrageeti'' or the ''So ...
,
Satyendranath Dutta
Satyendranath Dutta (also spelt Satyendranath Datta or Satyendra Nath Dutta; bn, সত্যেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত) (1882 – 25 June 1922), a Bengali poet, is considered the "wizard of rhymes" (or 'ছন্দের জা ...
,
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam ( bn, কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, Bengali literature, writer, Bangladeshi music, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul is regarded as one ...
,
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das () (17 February 1899 – 22 October 1954) was an Indian poet, writer, novelist and essayist in the Bengali language. Popularly called "Rupashi Banglar Kabi'' ('Poet of Beautiful Bengal'), Das is the most read poet after Rabindr ...
,
Jasimuddin
Jasimuddin ( bn, জসীম উদ্দীন; 1 January 1903 – 13 March 1976), popularly called Palli Kabi (), was a Bengali poet, lyricist, composer and writer widely celebrated for his modern ballad sagas in the pastoral mode. Althoug ...
,
Sukanta Battacharya,
Al Mahmud.
Introduction
![BankimRabindranath](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/BankimRabindranath.jpg)
Poetry in the colloquial dialect of Bengal first originated from
Prakrit
The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...
, and based upon local socio-cultural traditions. It was antagonistic towards
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
rituals and laws as opposed to the
sahaja
Sahaja ( pra, সহজ sa, सहज ) means spontaneous enlightenment in Indian and Tibetan Buddhist spirituality. Sahaja practices first arose in Bengal during the 8th century among yogis called Sahajiya siddhas.
Ananda Coomaraswamy describe ...
ya traditions of the poets themselves - who were mainly
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
sages.
The medieval period marked the introduction of
puthi
A Puthi ( bn, পুঁথি, Nagari: , Perso-Arab: پوتھی), is a book or writing of poetic fairy tales and religious stories of Bengal and present-day East India, which were read by a senior "educated" person while others would listen. This ...
s, which played an important role in
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
life and brought much
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and
Arabi Arabi may refer to:
*Ibn Arabi (1165–1240), early medieval Muslim mystic and philosopher
*Arabi (sheep)
*Arabi, Iran (disambiguation), villages in Iran
*Arabi, Ethiopia
* Arabi, Georgia, United States
*Ahmed ‘Urabi, a 19th-century Egyptian rebe ...
c influence to the poetic lexicon. Shah Gharibullah was said to have initiated this ''puthi'' trend with his epic "Amir Hamza". Many
jongonamas, puthis based on battles, were written during this time. Jongonamas were generally elegiac in tone. Works relating to
Karbala
Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...
were called marsiya (meaning 'grief' in
Arabi Arabi may refer to:
*Ibn Arabi (1165–1240), early medieval Muslim mystic and philosopher
*Arabi (sheep)
*Arabi, Iran (disambiguation), villages in Iran
*Arabi, Ethiopia
* Arabi, Georgia, United States
*Ahmed ‘Urabi, a 19th-century Egyptian rebe ...
c) literature. Both janganama and marsiya literature first developed in
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
and later
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Muslim Sufis and soldiers introduced this form of poetry in the
Bengali language
Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second m ...
to the masses in
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and
Arakan
Arakan ( or ) is a historic coastal region in Southeast Asia. Its borders faced the Bay of Bengal to its west, the Indian subcontinent to its north and Burma proper to its east. The Arakan Mountains isolated the region and made it accessi ...
. Well-known poems of include Zainab's Chautisha by Sheikh Faizullah, Maqtul Husayn by Mohammad Khan and Qasim-er Lodai O Fatima-r Surotnama by Sherbaz. The works mixed Bengali folk poetry with Perso-Arabian stories and themes, and are considered an important part of the Muslim culture of Bengal.
Ancient and Medieval Era
Charyapad is the oldest poetry and literary specimen of Bengali language. It is also the oldest work in the neo-Indian Aryan language. The composers of these hymns, composed between the tenth and twelfth centuries AD, were easily Buddhist Siddhacharyas. The 24 major Charyapadas were by Lui Pa, Kukkuripa, Biruapa, Gundaripa, Chatilpa, Bhusuk Pa, Kahnpa, Kambalambarpa, Dombipa, Shantipa, Mahittapa, Veenapa, Sarhapa, Shabar Pa, Azdebpa, Dhenpana, Dankapa, Darikpa Dhampa, Tantripa, Laridombipa.
1200-1350 AD of Bengali literature has been marked as the "dark age of Bengali Literature." During this time Srikrishnakirtan was composed by
Baduchandidas.The other remarkable poets of Vaishnava literature of this era were
Vidyapati
Vidyapati ( – 1460), also known by the sobriquet ''Maithil Kavi Kokil'' (the poet cuckoo of Maithili), was a Maithili and Sanskrit polymath-poet-saint, playwright, composer, biographer, philosopher, law-theorist, writer, courtier ...
, Jnandas, Govindadas, Yashoraj Khan, Chandkaji, Ramchandra Basu, Balram Das, Narhari Das, Vrindavan Das, Basudavas, Bansibad. Syed Sultan, Harhari Sarkar, Fateh Paramananda, Ghanshyam Das, Gayas Khan, Alaol, Deen Chandidas, Chandrashekhar, Haridas, Shivram, Karam Ali, Pir Muhammad, Hiramani, Bhavananda. Famous poets of Mangal Kavya are Kanahari Dutt, Narayan Dev, Vijaygupta, Bipradas Piplai, Madhav Acharya, Mukundaram Chakraborty, Ghanram Chakraborty, Srishyam Pandit, Bharat Chandra Roy Gunakar, Khemananda, Ketka Das Khemananda, Dwij Madhav, Adi Rupram, Manik Ram, Mayur Bhatt, Khelaram, Rupram, Sitaram Das, Shyamj.
The 18th-century two brilliant
Shakta
Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...
bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
court poets were
Bharatchandra Ray
Bharatchandra Ray Gunakor ( bn, ভারতচন্দ্র রায় গুণাকর; 1712–1760) was an 18th-century Bengali and Sanskrit Sakta court poet and song composer. He is mostly known for his poetic work, '' Annadamangal'' or ...
and
Ramprasad Sen
( bn, রামপ্রসাদ সেন; c. 1718 or c. 1723 – c. 1775) was a Hindu Shakta poet and saint of eighteenth century Bengal. His '' bhakti'' poems, known as Ramprasadi, are still popular in Bengal—they are usually ad ...
.
Modern Poets (1800–present)
The poets who built the bridge between the Middle and Modern Ages is the poet of the Ages:
Ishwar Chandra Gupta
Ishwar Chandra Gupta ( bn, ঈশ্বরচন্দ্র গুপ্ত; 6 March 1812 – 23 January 1859) was a famous Indian Bengali poet and writer. Gupta was born in Kanchrapara, in Bengal.
Early life
Ishwar Chandra Gupta was born in ...
(1812–1859), he is also regarded as the Father of the Modern Bengali Language.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt
Michael Madhusudan Dutt ((Bengali: মাইকেল মধুসূদন দত্ত); (25 January 1824 – 29 June 1873) was a Bengali poet and playwright. He is considered one of the pioneers of Bengali literature.
Early life
Dutt ...
(1824–1873) broke the medieval paradigm and Bengali poetry entered free verse - he is especially popular for his Bengali sonnets.
Biharilal Chakraborty (1835–1894) who was a romantic and lyric poet of European style also contributed to the shift.
Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was arguably the most revolutionary poets of Bengali Literature. He contributed to every branch of Bengali Literature including poetry. He broke down the old custom of writing in "Sadhu" language in poetry and introduced an aspect of poetry which had more freedom to the poet. He composed over two-thousand songs - which are known as "Rabindra Sangeet" and they are popular in West Bengal and Bangladesh even today. His songs "Jana Gana Mana" and "Amar Sonar Bangla" are the National Anthems of India and Bangladesh respectively. His impact on Bengali Literature is so immense that all Bengali Literature during his lifetime is known as the "Rabindric Era", after his name. The contemporary poets of the Rabindric era were
Satyendranath Dutta
Satyendranath Dutta (also spelt Satyendranath Datta or Satyendra Nath Dutta; bn, সত্যেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত) (1882 – 25 June 1922), a Bengali poet, is considered the "wizard of rhymes" (or 'ছন্দের জা ...
,
Kamini Ray,
Updendrakishore Raychowdhury,
Sukumar Ray
Sukumar Ray (; 30 October 1887 – 10 September 1923) was a Bengali writer and poet from the Indian subcontinent. He is remembered mainly for his writings for children. He was the son of children's story writer Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury and ...
,
Jatindra Mohan Bagchi among others. The death of Rabindranath Tagore is often considered to be the end of Classical Poetry and the start of Modern Poetry.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a new change in Bengali style of poetry, with poets adopting an even liberal style of poetry, bringing an end to Bengali Romanticism. Poets such as
Mohitlal Majumder,
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam ( bn, কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, Bengali literature, writer, Bangladeshi music, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul is regarded as one ...
and
Jatindranath Sengupta beginning contributed to this period. "Bidrohi Kavi" Kazi Nazrul Islam is considered to be the bridge between the Anti-Romantic Period and the Modern Period of Poetry. He had composed a vast oeuvre of poetry and songs – the latter of which are known as "Nazrul Geeti" which are sung even today. Nazrul is also the National Poet of Bangladesh. His poem "
Bidrohi" had a big impact on the
Indian Freedom Movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
.
The death of Tagore led to the beginning of the Golden Age of Modern Poetry, which lasted from the 1940s to the 60s. Numerous poets left their profound impact on poetry in this era, such as:
Amiya Chakraborty (1901–1966),
Jibanananda Das
Jibanananda Das () (17 February 1899 – 22 October 1954) was an Indian poet, writer, novelist and essayist in the Bengali language. Popularly called "Rupashi Banglar Kabi'' ('Poet of Beautiful Bengal'), Das is the most read poet after Rabindr ...
(1899–1954),
Buddhadeb Basu
Buddhadeva Bose (; 1908–1974), also spelt Buddhadeb Bosu, was an Indian Bengali writer of the 20th century. Frequently referred to as a poet, he was a versatile writer who wrote novels, short stories, plays and essays in addition to poetry. ...
(1906–1964),
Bishnu Dey
Bishnu Dey ( bn, বিষ্ণু দে; 18 July 1909 – 3 December 1982) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, writer and academician in the era of modernism, post-modernism. Starting off as a symbologist, he won recognition for the musical quality ...
(1909–1962),
Sudhindranath Dutta
Sudhindranath Dutta (30 October 1901 – 25 June 1960) was an Indian poet, essayist, journalist and critic. Sudhindranath is one of the most notable poets after the Tagore-era in Bengali literature.
Education
Sudhindranath Dutt went to the Theo ...
(1901–1960),
Sablu Shahabuddin (1957–1999).They were followed by the generation of
Shakti Chattopadhyay
Shakti Chattopadhyay (25 November 1933 – 23 March 1995) was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Bengali. He is known for his realistic depictions of rural life. He was a green poet, many of his poems raised the issue of nature in crisis. T ...
(1933–1995),
Sankha Ghosh
Sankha Ghosh (born Chittapriya Ghosh; 5 February 1932 – 21 April 2021) was an Indian poet and literary critic. He was born in Chandpur District of the then Bengal Presidency, present day Bangladesh. His ancestral home was at Banaripara Upazila ...
(1932–2021),Tarapada Ray (1936–2007)
Sunil Gangopadhyay
Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (7 September 1934 – 23 October 2012) was an Indian poet, historian and novelist in the Bengali language based in the city of Kolkata. He is a former Sheriff of Calcutta. Gangopadhyay obtained his ma ...
(1935–2012) – known as Krittibas group of poets.
Jasimuddin
Jasimuddin ( bn, জসীম উদ্দীন; 1 January 1903 – 13 March 1976), popularly called Palli Kabi (), was a Bengali poet, lyricist, composer and writer widely celebrated for his modern ballad sagas in the pastoral mode. Althoug ...
's work of Pastoral mood led him to be known as Palli Kabi. He was one of the major poets.
"Hungryalist movement" also emerged in Bengal that was consisted with new bunch of poets in Bengal, inducing
Malay Roy Choudhury
Malay Roy Choudhury (born 29 October 1939) is an Indian Bengali poet, playwright, short story writer, essayist and novelist who founded the Hungryalist movement in the 1960s.
Early life and education
Malay Roy Choudhury was born in Patna, ...
.
Poets of West Bengal and Bangladesh
Following the
Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, Bengali poets were divided along nationalistic lines of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
still had a great literary culture around it. Many Poets like
Shakti Chattopadhyay
Shakti Chattopadhyay (25 November 1933 – 23 March 1995) was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Bengali. He is known for his realistic depictions of rural life. He was a green poet, many of his poems raised the issue of nature in crisis. T ...
,
Binoy Majumdar
Binoy Majumdar ( bn, বিনয় মজুমদার) (17 September 1934 – 11 December 2006) was a Bengali poet. Binoy received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2005.
Biography
Binoy Majumdar was born in Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) on 17 Sept ...
,
Samir Roychoudhury
Samir Roychowdhury (Bengali: সমীর রায়চৌধুরী) (1 November 1933 – 22 June 2016), one of the founding fathers of the Hungry Generation (also known as Hungryalism or Hungrealism (1961–1965)), was born at Panihati, ...
,
Malay Roy Choudhury
Malay Roy Choudhury (born 29 October 1939) is an Indian Bengali poet, playwright, short story writer, essayist and novelist who founded the Hungryalist movement in the 1960s.
Early life and education
Malay Roy Choudhury was born in Patna, ...
,
Subimal Basak,
Pranabkumar Chattopadhyay,
Subodh Sarkar emerged.
The poets of
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
took different yet similar path, many taking inspiration from
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam ( bn, কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, Bengali literature, writer, Bangladeshi music, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul is regarded as one ...
and other major poets. Some of the popular
Bengali Muslim
Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
poets of this period included
Farrukh Ahmad
Syed Farrukh Ahmad ( bn, সৈয়দ ফররুখ আহমদ; 10 June 1918 – 19 October 1974), later simply known as Farrukh Ahmad, was a Bangladeshi poet and author. He is commonly known as the ''poet of the Muslim renaissance'', as ...
,
Talim Hossain
Talim Hossain (29 October 1918 – 21 February 1999) was a Bangladeshi poet. He was the founder of Nazrul Academy in Dhaka. He was the editor of the literary magazine '' Mahe Nao'' in the 1960s. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 1982 by the Govern ...
,
Golam Mostofa and
Raushan Yazdani. The
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
and struggle for freedom became a popular theme in the years that followed.
Al Mahmud is considered one of the greatest
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
poets to have emerged in the 20th century.
See also
*
List of Bengali poets
This List of Bengali poets includes poets who write in Bengali language who produce Bengali poetry. This list classifies poets into three groups based on geographical location. These are poets from Bangladesh, poets from West Bengal of India a ...
*
List of national poetries
This is a list of articles about poetry in a single language or produced by a single nation.
World languages will tend to have a large body of poetry contributed to by several nations (Anglosphere, Francophonie, Latin America, German-speaking Eur ...
*
List of Bangladeshi poets
Following is a list of Bangladeshi poets, either born in Bangladesh or who published much of their writing while living in the country.
A
*Ahsan Habib
* Abul Hussain
*Abu Zafar Obaidullah
*Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal
*Al Mahmud
*Abul Hasan
* Arunabh ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bengali Poetry
Bengali culture
Bengali poetry in English translation
+
Bangladeshi poetry
Poetry by language