Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1934 — 1935

Letter ID: 456

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

June 1934 (?)

(About Nishikanta’s translation of Sri Aurobindo’s poem “Nirvana”.)

(...) Nishikanta’s version.

I think you will find the translation fairly good, but I am far from satisfied myself. Not that it isn’t Bengali or poetical, but it has no resilience, it has no force, sounds too much like a string of words aesthetically built up without any real vivid urge.

Your “Nirvana” breathes an atmosphere so wonderful of calm and peace and realisation. But [who?] can expect that of course de n’importe qui [from just anybody]?

I fear it is not successful – your criticism is quite correct – it is the life that is absent. The octet can pass; but the sextet fails completely.