Release date is 2026-01-25

Laurent Vogel (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica))

La fugitive by Rabindranath Tagore is a collection of lyric poetry written in the early 20th century. Blending romantic and devotional voices, it explores the pursuit of an elusive beloved, the pull of nature and music, and a spiritual longing that moves between the human and the divine.

The book opens with addresses to a “Fugitive” whose passing kindles desire, surrender, and song; love appears as intimacy, reserve, loss, and reunion across images of night, sea, and wind. Mythic interludes portray love’s cosmic force and beauty, while a broad middle section, inspired by folk mystics and the Indian landscape, turns to rivers, ferries, seasons, and mountains, mixing love lyrics with reflections on art, faith, and change. A patriotic hymn calls a diverse India to unity and renewal; a visionary return from heaven prefers mortal tenderness to celestial calm; and the final sequence distills parting, memory, and grief into quiet acceptance and prayer, seeking courage, service, and union with a higher Beloved. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Paris: Gallimard, 1922