One Hundred Poems of Kabir
London: Macmillan and Co., 1915. Item #84238
First edition. Good condition. Uncommon in the original edition.
# **One Hundred Poems of Kabir**
*Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, assisted by Evelyn Underhill (Macmillan, 1915)*
This is one of the most influential English-language gateways into the poetry of **Kabir**, the 15th‑century North Indian mystic whose verses cut straight to the bone of spiritual experience. Kabir’s poems are spare, direct, and often startling — dismantling religious dogma, mocking empty ritual, and pointing toward an interior, experiential truth.
This 1915 edition is historically important because it represents the **first major English translation** of Kabir’s work to reach a global audience.
## ✨ **Why this edition matters**
### **1. Tagore’s role**
Rabindranath Tagore — Nobel laureate, poet, philosopher — translated Kabir from Bengali sources and oral traditions. His rendering is poetic rather than literal, shaped by his own spiritual sensibility. Tagore’s voice gives Kabir a lyrical, almost psalm-like cadence.
### **2. Evelyn Underhill’s involvement**
Underhill was one of the great Western scholars of mysticism. Her introduction and editorial guidance frame Kabir within a broader mystical lineage — Sufism, Bhakti, Christian mysticism — making the book a bridge between East and West.
### **3. Macmillan 1915**
A first edition from Macmillan is collectible. Early printings are valued for:
- their association with Tagore’s Nobel-era influence
- the quality of the binding (blue cloth with gilt is classic Macmillan)
- the cultural moment: a surge of Western interest in Eastern spirituality during WWI.
Price: $250.00