First published in 1916, Stray Birds is a collection of over 300 epigrammatic poems by Rabindranath Tagore. While some of the poems in this collection are the poet’s translation of the verses in Kanika, some others were written during his visit to Japan. It is possible that this visit had an effect on the style of the verses, with the Japanese Haiku being cited as a strong influence on the collection of poems.
Stray Birds contains ideas of nature, man, and his environment, and embodies Tagore’s love of nature and simplicity. The brevity and economy of these verses, along with the wit and wisdom they contain truly make this a remarkable collection.