Page:Rabindranath Tagore - A Biographical Study.djvu/122

 been said, still fancy they hear in the English medium some echo of that wilder rhythm. Indeed it seems at times as though the poet had imprisoned the very trace of that dual melody in the English words: the two musics are there, as they only exist in true poetry, whether it be verse to be sung or not.

Of the nature of Indian music itself, and the aid it is able to give to Indian verse, it needs an expert to speak. Mr. Fox Strangways has given us, through the Indian Society, a remark- able account of it in his book,, which makes us understand that the difference between it and our own music is as wide almost as that between the languages. The only experience that one can recall in this country which gives any notion of Indian -singing is that to be gained at the Welsh Eisteddfod, when the singer is improvising (or appears to be improvising) stanzas to the given tune. We may say, too, that the only effects in our western music which offer any suggestion of some of those strange Indian tunes with their half-tones, wailing and beseeching phrases, and unexpected sequences is to be had in some of the older Celtic melody such as we