May 30, 2011

Much I had to say to him

কত কথা তারে ছিল বলিতে
Koto kotha taarey chhilo bolitey

Much I had to say to him
When our eyes locked on the way

Alone I sit night and day
Weaving my words together
Gently to many a tune
Of Raag Puravi or Lalit

Those words of mine span the skies
They bloom in groves and gardens

I play with those words of mine
I hold them within myself
I spread them in the open
I sing those words to myself
As if to entice that someone

May 29, 2011

We pounce at each and every task

সব কাজে হাত লাগাই মোরা
Shob kaajey haath lagai mora

We pounce at each and every task
No rule there is to hold us back
No chore beneath our dignity

We see, we seek, we understand
We create only to destroy
Thus we struggle so full of joy
We roam around in every land
In every guise in every form

Whether or not we can, we try
We care not if we win or lose
To surrender without a fight
Embarasses us to no end

We give shape with our very hands
We breathe into our homes our own spirit
And within it we live in bliss

As is our play so is our work

মোদের যেমন খেলা তেমনি যে কাজ
moder jemon khela

As is our play so is our work
So fear we not our chores, no way!

A battle is for us but play
Game it is to survive each day
Nothing there is, no place on earth
Filled not with this joyful play

Flowers bloom in playful delight
Fruits ripen in delightful play
Throughout this world, on land and seas
Ripples and rolls this joyful play

The weak and worn burn to cinders
When flares a flame so furious  
Leaping about in joyful play

Who is that crazed one who goes

সে কোন্ পাগল যায়
shey kon pagol jaay

Who is that crazed one who goes
Goes alone into the dark night
Do not call out to him I say
Do not summon him to your door

Strumming his lute of a lone string
What does he play, what does he say
Words of a land so far away

Why lay a mat for him in vain
When the morn will see him no more

Celebrations of breaking free
Await him and his melody
In salutation of a new dawn
Glorious songs he will have to sing

May 27, 2011

Prayers I once began

জীবনে যত পূজা হল না সারা
Jeebone joto puja holo na shara
(Audio by Santosh Sengupta)

Prayers I once began
and lost some in hiatus
are not all gone, I am sure.

The buds that lulled too soon
springs that got slowed down
shall not go to waste, I am sure.

Memories gone by
aren't sheer untruth
the unborn tune
shall find a song, I am sure.

May 22, 2011

O ascetic earth

তপস্বিনী হে ধরণী
tawposhwini hey dhawroni

O ascetic earth,
Here comes a spell of intense heat
Your seat of austere penance
Spreads across the silent azure

Let the play of your inner one
Be even more inward bound
Let the bounteousness of youth
Be shorn in breath of sacrificial fire

Varied tunes that cascaded forth
Bursting out in many a song
Let it dissolve into silence
Quiet chant of meditation

May restrained be the curling vines
Be curbed the restlessness of bloom
May the beauteous mother earth don
The humble garb of dusty gray

You leave your trace in a tapestry of buds

কুসুমে কুসুমে চরণচিহ্ন দিয়ে যাও
Kushume kushume choron chinho (audio: Debabrata Biswas)

You leave your trace,
In a tapestry of buds,
A florid remembrance
You will easily erase.

I wonder why you fly
Even before the playful fever is over
I ponder your instinctive haste

Your tearful, aching gaze softens,
Transforms your trail,
For a startling moment
Before you shift,
Before you walk down an endless road
To an inconceivable remoteness

Your music arouses blossoms
From their winter trance,
But before they unfold
You are gone.

I wonder how your magic
Comes to an end,
Why my wreathes
Created of longing, lonesomeness,
Are never delivered.

My eyes thirst for your presence,
My spirit aches to keep you.

If you are so sure to leave,
Why not comfort my heart
With a momentary treasure,
A blooming gift?

Friend, my dear friend from afar

কী বেদনা মোর জানো সে কি 
Kee bedona mor jano she ki (audio)

Friend, my dear friend from afar,
Do you sense the root of my pain?
Lightning startles 
The sheer deep darkness tonight.
My heart trembles ever so often
         With the flurry of rains,
                            Can you tell? 
  Will my eager wakefulness,
     Full of longing, go in vain?

Friend, my dear friend from afar,
The Maloti you had once sown
                          Outside my gates,
Was tended by a moist breeze
And has burst into bloom;
                             Can you tell? 

Your lute that you had tuned for me,
Is now at play in my hands,
Ringing out in mournful lament,
             Have you forgotten it?

I bow to you, one so stoic

নমো নমো, হে বৈরাগী
nawmo nawmo hey boiragi

I bow to you, one so stoic
Kindle a flame of austerity
A light inextinguisable
Let it glow within evermore

Here it is, your summer tempest

হৃদয় আমার, ওই বুঝি তোর
Hridoy amar oi bujhi tor

Oh heart of mine!
Here it is, your summer tempest
Crashing through all barricades
With a joyous wild abandon

Awe-inspiring your Prince Charming
Screens the skies, his locks aflutter
So treasured your beloved One
Comes in raging calamity

Bereft of melody your breeze
Simmered in a sultry silence
Arid and athirst mother earth
Hungered for a cool sip of rain

Arouse now from your deep despair
Shake off your languor, come hither
Your companion, mate of your road
Comes in so raucous a laughter

A flower you are, of which garden

তুমি কোন্‌ কাননের ফুল
Tumi kon kanoner phool
(Audio by Srikanta Acharya)


(another version on youtube, music composition: Iftekhar Anwar,
 vocal: Anandamayee Majumdar)

A flower you are, of which garden!

A star you are, of which sky!
A memory you are to me, 
                       That I can not place,
A dream you are, as if from far away.
When was it that you sang to me,
When was it that you gazed at me,
Those moments have as if, drifted by.
But those eyes of yours remain forever
Emphatic, awake in my heart.
Do not speak, as you leave,
Simply rest your eyes on mine.
Simply dissolve into moonlight
                             With a smile.
Half awake, I gaze at the moon,
My heart wells up with sweetness,
Let the twin stars, such are your eyes
      Pour out their hearts to me.

May 21, 2011

A quiet afternoon

মধ্যদিনের বিজন বাতায়নে
moddhodiner bijon batayone

A quiet afternoon
Beside a secluded window
A twinge of an old ache
Flits into my thoughts like a dream

Afloat a sultry breeze
Today in deep woods resonate
Bashful whispers of youth
Eager to hear first love’s first words

Disappointment
That had sunk into oblivion
Beneath the deluge of my tears
Why does it softly sigh today
Stirred by the scent of wild jasmine
Why does it resonate all day
In gentle shades of the Champak

Arrows of red hot fire sear me

দারুণ অগ্নিবাণে রে
darun ogni baaney re

Arrows of red hot fire sear me
Athirst is my heart in such heat
Sleepless is night, scorched is the day
Rest and comfort elude my ken

A weary dove coos on a dry branch
Crying out its heart in distress

I fear not, I fear not
I hang on gazing at the skies
In garb of a fiery tempest
I know you will appear one day
And pour down on my parched soul

A monsoon evening draws near

আষাঢ়সন্ধ্যা ঘনিয়ে এল
ashadh shondhya ghoniye elo

A monsoon evening draws near
Comes to end yet another day
The rains pour down unabated

Sitting at home in solitude
I wander lost in my own thoughts
Drifting through jasmine scented woods
I wonder what the wind whispers

My heart is in deluge
Flooding over from shore to shore
My heart is overwhelmed
With the heady fragrance
Wafting from wet woodland flowers

The hours of this dark night
How do I fill with melody
If only I would slip
If I could just forget my all
For that I wait so eagerly

Your loving name, let it cleanse

আমার মুখের কথা
Amar mukher kotha (audio)

Your loving name, let it cleanse

all my spoken cents.
Your loving name, place it here,

on my silence.

Your loving name, let it strum
all my limbs in joy,
your loving name, let it beat
in my pulsation.

Your loving name, let it blaze
in every hope and dream.
Your loving name, pen it down
on every loving theme.

Your loving name, let it show
when every job is done.
Your loving name, I'll contain
with my pain and fun.

Your loving name, in my life
will be secret ambrosia.
Your loving name, I'll give back,
when it's time to part, my dear.

May 20, 2011

I thrill to his entrance

যদি তারে নাই চিনি গো
 Jodi tare nai chini go
Audio: Sahana Devi

I thrill to his entrance.
I wonder though, if I will notice
When he arrives at last.
Will he recognize me
This dewy day of spring?

I wonder, if he will whisper
A hum to arouse my young buds,
I wonder, if he will enamor them
This ecstatic day of spring

I wonder, if he will embellish my flowers
With his very own tinge
I wonder if he will stir my heart
From deep within

As I sense his imminence,
Will my drape of tender leaves,
Sway with surprise,
Will he guess my little secret
This brand-new day of spring?

May 19, 2011

In the aftermath of separation

যখন ভাঙল মিলন-মেলা
jokhon bhanglo milon mela
(audio)

In the aftermath of separation
Thought I’d never forget the tears I shed
Withered the garland as the days went by
Its flowers falling by the dusty wayside
I knew not when time erased memories

Heart hardenened with passage of time
Thought I’d never shed tears again
A chance meeting by the wayside
And my tears streamed unabated
Beneath that which I’d forgotten
Lay my tears rippling evermore



Another version by Anandamayee Majumdar:

When all was over between us
I thought my mourning would never end.
Days passed,
The bouquet we had exchanged for love
Slowly wilted away.
One day, oblivion crept in unawares.
One day, my heart hardened and froze.
So I thought, I would never cry.
Suddenly I chanced upon you on my way,
And the tears erupted endlessly.
In subterranean depths beneath my unconcern
The river of grief had heaved on.

May 18, 2011

Do not call me

ডেকো না আমারে
Deko na amare

Do not call me, I beg you
Do not attempt to recall
One who has left and moved on

My grief I have borne with me
Expectations I have none
Enough for me to have loved
Do not sprinkle your mercy
By sparing a glance at me

My tidal torrent of tears
Will take me off far away
Away from shame and disgrace

When afar I go from you
Then it is you will know me
Do not cloak with a falsehood
Your indifference today

On a cloudy day of crazed winds

পাগলা হাওয়ার বাদল-দিনে
Pagla hawar badol dine

On a cloudy day of crazed winds
Leaps in joy this crazed heart of mine
Beyond the known on a path unknown
To that place it speeds for no reason

Will my heart ever return back home
No, no, no, never will it return
The walls have all been extirpated

An evening heady with pouring rain
My dreams are infiltrated by them
Who dance in delight in drunken daze

I want that which I cannot ask for
Where do I get that cannot be got
No, no, no never will I get it
Oh! I beat my head against the wall
In pursuit of the impossible

The peacock calls out here

এ পারে মুখর হল কেকা ওই
epaare mukhoro holo keka oi

Even as the peacock calls out here
Why has the cuckoo gone silent there

Asks the one “Where lone is another,
Oh! When will time bring us together?”

A restless breeze blowing from the east
Sighs ever so often in sadness
In secret pain of separation

Broods the monsoon soaked in deep darkness
“Why am I bound so to the season
Who can bring to me the days of spring?”
Across spells of time they live apart
Mingle not their gurgles and warbles
Laments the sky, heart bereft of hope

May 15, 2011

Do leave behind a little something

তুমি কিছু দিয়ে যাও
Tumi kichhu diye jao

Do leave behind a little something
A secret gift to my heart
In the scented joy of flowers
In soulful melody of song
In the rustling whispers of breeze

Do take with you a little something
A slight feeling from my pain
Those tears that mingle with my smile
That silent missive in my eyes

In my night of sorrow Oh Lord

দুঃখরাতে, হে নাথ, কে ডাকিলে
dukkhoraate he naatho ke daakile

In my night of sorrow Oh Lord
Was it you who called out to me
Awakened my eyes to behold
Your tender gaze so filled with love

I beheld in the light of morn
In your lap nestles the cosmos
Dawns the pristine sun in your eyes

I hear in woods an ode to joy
Forevermore sings the minstrel
A heart so full of hope

A twilight garland of clouds

তুমি সন্ধ্যার মেঘমালা          
Tumi shondhyar meghomala / Tumi shondhyar meghmala
(Audio link by Srikanta Acharya)

A twilight garland of clouds
You are to me, my secret muse,
The wondrous bird of my solitary sky.
My heart has painted you with all its shades.
You are my own, my very own
Traveler of my life within.

I have tinged your feet
With my bleeding heart,
Beloved bird of my twilight sky.

I have fancied your face
With passions of venom and grace,
Of my tears and laughter.
You are my own, my very own
Traveler of my lone dreams.

I have toned your eyes
With the dreaminess of worship,
Coveted love of my drunken eyes.
I have wreathed you lovingly with my music.

You are my own, my very own,
Solitaire of my life and death.

May 14, 2011

A doe she was from woods unknown

সে কোন্ বনের হরিণ
Shey kon boner horin chhilo

She frolicked about in my heart
A doe she was from woods unknown
Who is it that enchained her so
For no rhyme or reason

Song she was for the fleet of foot
The very soul of light and shade
She stunned the skies with her capers
Eagerly tapped her nimble feet
To yearnful throbs of cloudy days
In shades of Tomal trees

Beneath the Piyal trees in spring
Who knows where she fled darting so
With restless southern breeze

May 13, 2011

Suddenly with the touch of rains

কখন বাদল-ছোঁওয়া লেগে
Kokhon baadol-chhonwa lege

Suddenly with the touch of rains
Clouds cast green shadows
Over earth's pastures,
The land mellows with deep green grass
Sparkling with slender resplendence
That burst out like
A startling flow of melody.
Soldiers of life --
They have won over dreary spells
Close to my heart they are, forever;
And so, my eyes race out
At their playhouse, to meet their call;
With their buoyant celebrations
My heart sways with the deepest joy.

May 11, 2011

This is your love

এই যে তোমার প্রেম
ei to tomar prem
(Tagore's own translation)
(audio)

This is your love O thief of hearts
This dance of golden light on leaves
The pleasant laze of clouds adrift
This gentle caress of the breeze
As if like a balm of nectar
This is your love O thief of hearts

A glorious stream of morning light
Deluges my eyes
Your loving words tiptoe into my heart

Your turn your face to me
Your eyes look down at mine
My heart bows down to you

November, 2010.


Another version by Anandamayee Majumdar:

This is how I sense your love, 
thief of hearts.
As the sun dribbles through the leaves
and clouds coast the sky
as the wind warmly hugs
I see how your love feels like 
I see how it can talk.

When dawn kisses my eyes 
your loving whisper comes alive.

When your face looks down at me
your eyes meet mine.
My heart softens with longing.
I see how your love feels like
I see how it can talk.

May 10, 2011

Let go of me!

হারে রে রে রে
Hare re re re re

Let go of me! Let go of me!
I wish to run about and be free
Like the bird that flits unbridled
Darting in the woods so carefree

Like the monsoon showers that pour
Flooding, gushing, sweeping away
Like the clouds that rampage
Like the winds that ravage
Looting their way through the azure

Hurrah! Here I am! Let me go!
Who can ever restrain me so
Like forest fires I rage
Leaping about from tree to tree
Like the clap of thunder
Rumbling through the tempest
With a peal of laughter
Ripping apart all defences

May 9, 2011

I am beset with restlessness

আমি চঞ্চল হে
Ami chonchol hey (audio)

I am beset with restlessness
I thirst for what lies far beyond

The days go by
I sit listless at the window
And await Him
I yearn with all my heart and soul
To sense His touch

You who are far, so far away
You play such soulful melodies
I forget I do not have wings
All I have is a little nook

I am oblivious to the world
Distracted from the daily din

A lazy sun-kissed hour
Shadows frolic and play
Beneath the shady trees
That whisper sweet nothings
Is it You I behold
In the distant azure

You who are far, so far away
You play such soulful melodies
I forget that my doors remain
Bolted within my little room

There comes the consummate one

ওই মহামানব আসে 
Oi mohamanobo ashe

There comes the consummate one,
All of earth is exuberant,
Her grass shivers with thrill.
Conch-shells sound in heaven,
On earth, rap drum-beats of victory.
Approaches the moment for a great rise;
The hold of a moonless night
                        Shatters to dust.
In deep hope of a fresh start
There, where the sun rises over the hilltops,
'Have no fear!', sings a chant.
'Victory to emerging humanity,'
Thunders a voice in the vast sky.

May 8, 2011

It is now my time to leave

 এখন আমার সময় হল
Ekhon amar shomoy holo

It is now my time to leave,
Wont you open the gates for me?
Plenty have I seen,
Profusely have I mingled,
Much have I played with these shadows and light,
Like dreams, let them slip away from memory.
The sky fills with songs in yearning for the great remote,
My heart pines for the land invisible.
My faraway, my beloved,
Wont you show my soul her way?
Wont you withdraw all curtains?

In my joys, I have found You

সুখের মাঝে তোমায় দেখেছি
Shukher majhe tomay dekhechhi (audio: Debabrata Biswas)

In my joy, I have found you
I have sensed you deeply in my sorrow.
I have hidden you away by losing you,
After each revelation
I have lost you once more
In my trance of discovery.

All my life you have struck
My lute strings ever so often,
And so, in my heart
           I have prized your touch
In songs of varied melodies.

If my play ends here,
That does not alarm me now;
Amidst unexplored light and shadows,
If  you sail me away to shores unknown
Forever you will be my own,
And so will I come to acquaint myself
                                         With you, afresh.

May 7, 2011

I shall not light a lamp

আমি জ্বালব না মোর বাতায়নে
 Ami jaalbo na mor batayone (audio)

I shall not light my lamp
at the window.
I shall listen in silence
to the secret voice in the dark.

Let my body and soul
melt with the night
when the sweetness
of my heart unfolds unseen.

My soul chases the stars.
The darkness turns into a lute
that sings a song of light.

All my quests end now.
I have wandered near and far.
At the end of every road
what do I desire, I wonder
with a fearless heart?

(another version by Rumela)

I will not light a lamp at my casement
I will sit and listen to the voice in the darkness

Let my body and mind melt into the night
In my heart-flower that blooms in secret
Let the scent of my sorrow stay concealed

My heart will vanish amidst the stars
Where light strums the lute of darkness

My day long quest has come to end
I have wandered off in the wrong direction
Now I am lost and know not where to go
Yet I hope and cling onto courage

The songs I sing

আমি যে গান গাই
Ami je gaan gaai jaani ne she kaar uddeshe

 The songs I sing,
     Whom do they address, I wonder.
When they emerge in my mind
Without rhyme or reason, 
In restless breeze,
          An alien bird takes flight;
My tunes fleet away, 
Towards whom, I wonder.

I gaze at that face --
Is it you, a dream of the past
Garbed in the present?
Sometimes, she surfaces in my mind
                                      At my shores,
The one who never happened,
           And asks to be ferried across
                                      In my songs.

You take over when I am done

তোমার হল শুরু আমার হল সারা
tomar holo shuru amar holo shara

You take over when I am done
Thus you and me, we keep the flow

For you glows light, a friend at home
For me waits night, and stars galore

For you lies earth beneath your feet
For me await the waters deep
You sit still while I navigate

Your hands conserve, in mine things wane
Your mind knows fear, while mine has lost it all

May 4, 2011

What is it my pain wants to say

বেদনা কী ভাষায় রে
bedona ki bhashay re (audio)

What is it my pain wants to say
Echoing in murmurs within

That pain of mine wafts in the winds
With a restless surge it sways the world

A vigil I keep night and day
At pearly gates of paradise
My heart aches in your absence

Beloved friend of mine
You have enthralled my heart

Fragrance of Parijat flowers
From your Garden of Eden
Captivates my eager senses