Sep 15, 2010

Wonder who you are

মোর স্বপন-তরীর কে তুই নেয়ে
mor swapan-torir ke tui neye

Wonder who you are
        Cruiser of my dreams,
My sails, seized with passion,
        How this maddened heart sings away.
Let me take leave, as you rock the boat,
    And sail me off to remote destinies.
Worries all, cast behind
                     Bear me along,
Unveil your face
                  And look me in the eye,
Flooding my soul with your smile.

A brimming wave of tears

ও চাঁদ, চোখের জলের লাগল জোয়ার
o chaand, chokher joler laglo jowar
(audio)

A brimming wave of tears
Surges in my ocean of sorrow
Dear Moon,  do you hear
The secrets whispered
From one brink to another?

I was moored at familiar shores
When the harness suddenly unleashed.
Tugged adrift, I sailed away
To strange destinies.

Seekers have reached their ports,
Yet I am discombobulated
In a darkness
of haunting lights.

In my passionate desire to be lost
Quaint pathways are launched,
And I am nudged on impulsively.
The wild soul who spurs me on
Laughs in the curious dark.



(another version by Rumela Sengupta)

A tidal wave of tears
Swells and brims over
Deluging the shores
Of my sea of woe

My raft unmoored
From the shores of the known
Nudged by winds
Reaches a shore unknown

Wayfarers on the quay
Have all gone their own way
Lost and adrift I am
Directionless in the dark night
Vision of an aurora in my eyes

The path beckons to me
With an impatient tug
Urging me to lose my way
Fogging my sense of direction
That crazed friend of mine
Chuckles in the darkness




- September 1924

Fierce gales speed forth

খরবায়ু বয় বেগে
khawrobayu boy bege

Fierce gales speed forth
Clouds darken all directions
Oarsman! Time to steer the boat

You hold tight the rudder
I will unfurl the sails
Row, row, row your boat
Heave and Ho!

In it’s chains time and again
Echo the clash of cymbals
Doubt-laden cries they are not
The boat can endure the anchors no more
Restlessly it rocks therefore
Row, row, row your boat
Heave and Ho!

In waiting for a propitious time
Fill not your heart with anxiety
Say not “to go or not to go”
Navigate the doubt-seas within
Look outside not with worry.

If dances the black hole of time
Unrestrained is it’s dreadful locks
Storms loot all, tidal waves bear down
Do not recoil, do not step back
Play your tune to that beat
Sing triumphant songs of victory
Row, row, row your boat
Heave and Ho!

Sep 13, 2010

You stay in my realm of ken

আমি চিনি গো চিনি
ami chini go chini tomare (Bangla audio)

You stay in my realm of ken
O foreign maiden
Across oceans you remain
O foreign maiden

On autumn dawn you appear
On spring eves I see you near
In beat of heart you I hear
O foreign maiden

When to skies I lend my ear
It is your sweet tune I hear
To you have I pledged ardour
O foreign maiden

At end of the wandered world
Ahead new shore lies unfurled
A guest am I at your door
O foreign maiden

Another translation meant for English rendition of the song, by Anandamayee Majumdar
(Link to English rendition of this song)

I have seen you
From end of the rainbow
My lady love
Across the distant seashore
My lady love

Your presence in the fall
Aroma of the soul
In spring night
A smell of the rose
My lady love.
.
I listened to the cue,
The sky speak of you
My heart belongs with you
My lady love

I traveled far and wide
Came to late countryside
Awaiting your invite
My lady love

translated: 28 July 2017

You long to hear me sing

তোমায় গান শোনাব
tomay gaan shonabo
Audio: Kabir Suman

You long to hear me sing
Is that why you keep me astir
All night, my sleep-hunter,
You who spark awake my sorrow!

Twilight overcasts,
Birds retire to nest,
Boats row back to shore;
Yet my heart finds no rest,
You who spark awake my sorrow!

You let my tears flow endlessly
Interspersed between my tireless tasks

You touch me, filling my goblet
With unearthly grace
And then, disappear --
I wonder if you remain unseen
Behind my wall of pain,
You who spark awake my sorrow!

Sep 11, 2010

Mighty river, charged with haste

ওগো নদী, আপন বেগে পাগল-পারা
ogo nodi apon bege pagolpara

Mighty river, charged with haste,
        Sleepless with my fragrance
                         This is I, the Magnolia.
   Still is my being, on a secret path,
        A profound travel of sprouting leaves,
                     A journey of blossom springs.
Mighty river, motioned wild,
                          Lost you are
                                  In endless course--
While my stirring soul remains ineffable --
                               Reaching out for light, like life--
A happiness the sky fathoms,
                                As does night's speechless star.
                    

Sep 7, 2010

Today in lush paddy fields

আজ ধানের ক্ষেতে রৌদ্রছায়ায়
aaj dhaner khete (audio)

Today in lush paddy fields
Play sun and shade
Oh! A game of hide and seek
Who set sail rafts of white clouds
In the blue azure
Oh! A game of hide and seek

The bumble bee forgets to sip nectar today
Drunk with light it rambles around

A conference of birds galore
Sits on the riverfront
Who knows why

I will not go home today
Breaking into and beyond blue skies
I will plunder all today

Riding on the waves of tide
As if like foam
Gallops laughter astride the wind

In no work, rhyme or reason
The day will pass by
In sweet melody of the flute

Sep 6, 2010

With unfailing steps I have walked this path

এ পথে আমি যে গেছি বার বার
e pathe ami je gechhi bar bar

With unfailing steps
            I have walked this path
                                 Over and again                  
Its trace now shrouded
                             With wild grass from my view.           
Hopeful yet I am
                   A favourable breeze will blow
In apt moment
           You'll  be revealed to me
                                       As I am to you.
The lamp of my lone quest
                                         Died out since.
But in the sky, I trust
                       In starry phrases
                         The address of my heart persists                     
Blossoms along my way
                       With their fragrance
                            Will let on a secret, gentle cue
                                      To amend all slips.

Sep 5, 2010

I would love to redeem the magical eyes

যা পেয়েছি প্রথম দিনে

I would love to redeem the magical eyes
I received at birth, when I die.

I would love to touch the wide world
With fingertips dipped in childish awe,
Unbounded wonder.

I would love to bow
To the untwisted simplicity of life,
To kiss the transparent beauty in earth
Before I say goodbye.

I would love to peer in the eyes
Of the invisible energy that seeps
Into all creation.

I would love to mingle with the soul
Who is endlessly within my heart.

I would crave to speak to the essence
Which cradles my life in its arms
And whisper,
I am thankful to have loved you
Beyond imagination,
Every sliver of my life

Sep 1, 2010

Who let blossom the lotus of light

আলোর অমল কমলখানি
alor amalo kamalo khani

Who let blossom
                       The lotus of light,
Stirring the blue sky into sleeplessness
And lured my winged thoughts
                                  On this radiant path?
Autumn's message
       Plays like a lute on the lotus, 
Lalit* tunes trickle down
                          Shiuli** trees.
The wind frolics
         In young green shoots of paddy,
Who is it that stirs up the forests,
           Filling their hearts with secret murmurs?

*Lalit is an early morning melody or raaga.
**Shiuli is a white, fragrant autumn flower of Bengal, with orange stalks.