IJCAES Special Issue on
Basic, Applied & Social Sciences, Volume II, October 2012
[ISSN: 2231-4946]
Use of Literature Method to give an account of
an Analysis of English and Assamese Romantic
Poetry
Paresh Ch. Roy
Research Scholar, Singhania University
Abstract— The Romantic Age is emphatically an age of poetry. The chief glory of the age lies in the
great poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley Keats Byron and Scott. Romanticism is a literary
conception. It implies certain trains in a literary creation and its distinctivencess lies therein. Poetry
constitutes the essence of the Romantic spirit in the liberation of poetic inspirations and impulses.
Freedom from classical conventions and yearning for beauty and novelty run through every page of
kind of poetry.
Keywords— Romantic, Poetry, Wordswoth, Assamese, Nature
I.
INTRODUCTION
Romantic poetry is powerful and artistic expression of the spontaneous feeling in men .It is concerned not with
man in his artificial vein, glorious social life but with man in his primitive simplicities and innocence, unaffected by
social vices and follies.Instead of human life, they took hillside, green valleys, rivers and tributes as their source of
themes or plots. Nature‟s beauty became the theme of poetry. Even intolerance was clear in word- structures and
poetic style of the past.
The chief feature of romantic poetry is found in its dealing with Nature. Poetry comes closer nature and
visualizes every- thing in the Natural world. The world of Nature is both real and visionary. Nature is treated by
them with an extraordinary acuteness as well as sensibility. The common objects of Nature- the rushing stream, the
blooming flower and the deep blue sky are not merely the objects of wonder and pleasurebto them. Nature becomes
a living soul- mighty and gigantic that does not live like ordinary men. To Wordswoth and Shelley, nature seems to
have been pervaded with a spirit that touches all objects and phenomena and gives the same a life and a motion
II.
ANALYSIS
The role of Nature in human life is further emphasized by Wordsworth in his address to Dorothy, in the
concluding portion of Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth finds deepest thoughts in the humblest objects of Nature in his
celebrated Immortality ode.
The supernatural in romantic poetry is a part of the outlook of the romantic imagination. The romantic poets,
especially, Coleridge are found to be interested in the mysterious unknown world that lives on the other side of life.
In his Christabel, The Rime of Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan Coleridge makes a fascinating treatment of the
supernatural world.
Romanticism in assamese literature started in 1889 through the publication of the magazine Jonaki from
Calcutta. Some of the Assamese students reading in the colleges of Calcutta were influenced by the romantic
attitudes of English Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley and Keats.
In Assam, the eastern region of India, this new mental activity spread out in touch with the foreign civilization.
Western Id ealism inspired the people of Assam to break up the chain of dependence to the Britishers.
Kamalakanta Bhattacharya inspired by Western thought and culture, enlivented the glorious history of Assam in his
poetry. His Paharani is a celebrated poem in which he wanted to awaken the sence of national feelings. In the
followings lines he wanted to inspire confidence in the hearts of his Assamese brethren to live with honour and
dignity.
“Utha ulahere bray Asomiya
Pohare pubat bhyagar beli
Kenerange mone Anya gati gane
Sadhiche unnati sowa chaku meli”
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Paresh Ch. Roy
(oh my Assamese brethren !rise up. The sun has come out –come of the age of „Jonakiyuga. To develop Assamese
language and literature the students reading in Calcutta established a society called “Assamese Language
Development Committee.”
In 1889 the first edition of the magazine Jonaki was published and the first romantic poem Banakuwari came to
light and since them, a new chapter came into existence in the history of Assamese culture and literature. Love of
beauty, yearing for glorious past and extra – ordinary creative imagination began to characterize the poems. Sence
of human bondage seems to have been broken to pieces through this romantic spirit.
At the time of „Jonakiyuga‟ the others who advocated romanticism in literature were Chandra Kumar Agarwala
and Lakshmi Nath Bezbaruah.
This new kind of poetry seems to have got its basic inspiration from the rising wave of Indian national
consciousness though artistically and technically it was indebted to western poetry. Some of the poets distinctly
tuned the activities of the sence organs and spiritually in their poetry. A broad current of self discovery is blowing in
Assamese romantic poetry. Assamese Romantic literature is not a reformed western one but an independent and
wide minded characteristic of its own kind.
Indian philosophical thoughts inherent in pantheism, in immorality, in the theory of transmigration,
consequence of action especially of previous birth were echoedin the ballods of Chandra Kumar Agarwala, Devi
Durgeswar sarma and Ratnakanta Barkakati.
The beauty of the blooming daffodils that were fluttering and dancing in the breeze attracted Wordsworth at the
time of solitude. Likewise Chandra Kumar Agarwalas mind becomes alive of the memory of blooming a mustered
oils plot of land that was seen in his childhood. He has ruminated the scenary of flowery plot as“Diya Mok Ari chaogoi ghuri
Phula sariyah dara
J aye Aziloike Thoishe Mok Muhi
Pakhila pakhila ura
Tahanir sei sapon dinar
Larali kalar para”.
Humanism is a characteristics of romanticism that touches the hearts of the poets for invidual peril and only Nature
can bring peace to such deserted soul. So Chandra kumar Agarwala sent Tejimala from the world to the lap of
Nature. Lakshminath Bezbaruah has given full freedom to imagination.
Among the veteran romantic poets of Assamese literature,one is lakshminath Bezbaruah . The main things of
his romantic poems were of love and imagination. His sense of beautification is well published through imagination.
In the poem Bhram (an error) the poet has shown immense freedom of imagination when hd thee describes the
beauty of his beloved one. To him love to the dear one extracts unlimited energy like Shelly. Love is the main
leading force of the universe as he depicted in his poem Renuka.
Among the three veteran romantic Assamese poets one was Hemchandra Goswami . In his poem Puwa (The
dawn) the romantic spirit and flavor are discernible. Mystic description is a characteristics quality in his poems like
Sahitya, Chandangiri and Milan Mahatta. He is also a successful composer of sonnets. The poets of Jonakiyuga
were stuck to the description of beauty and consciousness to society with national integrity. Surjya Kumar Bhuyan,
Ratna Kanta Barkakati, Jatindra nath Dowerah and Ganesh Gogoi were the worshippers of beauty.
Romantic love of beauty, love of nature, love to dear one and mystic note are the salient features of the poetry
of Ratna Kanta Barkakati. He has connected the theory of feelings in his poem Prakiti like Shelleys love
philosophy. For him the beauty of all the earthly things are damped in his dear one. The pang of separation is the
glory of love.
Jatindra Nath Dowerahas poems are full of pain for separation from the beloved one and he desires to meet the dear
one after his death for mental satisfaction. Raghunath Choudhury is in unique writing poems of birds and flowers.
Bahagir Biya, Golap, Girimallika, Keteki And Dahikatara are his Nature poems of brilliance. Natural beauty in his
description has become more and more beautiful.
The main tune of Nalinibala Devis poems is of their mystic note. Sesha Argha, Param Trishna, Janambhumi,
Putuli etc. are sacred and self submissive poems in romantic style.
In the beauty of nature, in the sweet tune of the birds, in all the limbs of nature, the poetess seen the endless life
span of the soul which is indestructible.
Prasannalal Choudhurys poems give the message of freedom for the deserving class of the society. The weaves
of human freedom that arose in the various countries of the world stroke in that heart of the poet and that led him to
punish Durar Sur (Distance tune). The poet Devakanta Baruah through love and beauty had brightened his being
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Use of Literature Method to give an account of an Analysis of English and Assamese Romantic Poetry
and national consciousness and Sense of reformation is well forced his poem Lachit Barphukan. He has depicted
here how superstition and quarrel between one another has made the life of the Assamese people miserable .But the
poet is not pessimistic and has the power to arise if Lachit calls for.
Western Romantic poetry is full of desire for human freedom. The outcomes of these are Revolt of Islam,
Prometheus Unbound and West Wind, having revolutionary attitude. In Assamese romantic poetry too that very
desire is well expressed. That is why attraction to the romantic poetry of Assamese literature is far-reading.
III.
CONCLUSION
Jyotiprasad Agarwala was also one of the greatest romantic poets of Assamese literature. He was aware of the
great agony of British rule over India and endeavored to create national consciousness to free India. Through his
poetic writings he tried to divert the sense of feelings of Assamese nationality to greater Indian nationality. He sang
wholeheartedly the song of humanity taking all human race of the universe in the bosom of love and humanism.
The poet, Binanda Chandra Baruah, took the help of past tradition to strengthen Assamese national consciousness
with the help of past chain of heroic activities; he tried to change the mindset of the young people. Nazana birar
Mur,Dhainya Saraighat are the poems to immortalize the power of bravery of the Assamese youths.
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Long, William J.English Literature: Its History and Its Significance, 5 th ed. New Delhi: Kalyani Publishers, 1993.
Sen, Dr. S William Wordsworth: Selected Poems, 12th ed. New delhi: Unique Publishers, 1994.
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