Oct 19, 2015

I know he comes forth

সে যে বাহির হল আমি জানি
shey je bahir holo aami jaani

I know he comes forth
I hear his voice in my heart

The sky is abuzz with whispers
The when and where of his sojourns
At the seashore, in the forest yonder

Too bad I’ve set up home so far away
How long a path he’ll have to take
I splay my heart all over the trail
May his footsteps tread upon my pain

That is what I wish

সেই তো আমি চাই
shei to aami chaai

That is what I wish
I do not fret for an end to my arduous effort
I do not quest for the fruit of my action
Who can bear that unbearable load
As soon as it bears fruit, I let it go to dust
To begin afresh from a nascent bud

Thus is my life beset with eager yearning
With each new effort, ever a new agony
I expend what I receive and seek yet again
The giving never ends and so I go on taking

Aug 22, 2015

You stir me awake from my dream

স্বপন যদি ভাঙিলে রজনীপ্রভাতে
swapan jodi bhangile

You stir me awake from my dream
As the night gives way to dawn
Suffuse my heart then in radiance

Keep me engaged in your work
Renew this life of mine

Open the doors of my room
And summon me to your abode

Aug 21, 2015

Do come today O Lord

স্বামী, তুমি এসো আজ অন্ধকার হৃদয়মাঝে
swami tumi esho aaj

Do come today O Lord into my heart steeped in darkness
I feel ashamed, tarnished with guilt, I call out to you
My heart cries out, my mind knows no peace
I cannot see the road engulfed in my own darkness

Fie upon my life, futile is my effort
Futile is the transient love that fades time and again
My heart is scorched in pain
My eyes overflow with tears
My thirst for earthly enjoyment
Consumes me like a vile poison 

The dust of this marketplace overwhelms me

হাটের ধুলা সয় না যে আর, কাতর করে প্রাণ
haater dhula shoy na je aar

The dust of this marketplace overwhelms me
I cannot bear it, my heart feels stifled
Let the river of your melody wash over me
Let it’s drumbeat pulse through my veins
Let it wash away from my body all dishonour
Let it’s gurgling flow drown all commotion

O Beautiful One
I had wreathed a garland of your flowers
Remind me of that today, let me forget all pain
Invite me to the lotus garden of your song
Let me partake of it’s honeyed sweetness
Let my face be smeared with it’s pollen

Aug 20, 2015

Who will give me solace

হায় কে দিবে আর সান্ত্বনা
haay ke dibe aar shantona

Who will give me solace
All have gone
I beg you not to leave
Do gaze with a smile O Lord
Upon the weak and subservient

I look all around
I do not see a soul
Why did you leave me alone in the dark
Look at this empty world of mine

You made me surrender

হার মানালে গো, ভাঙিলে অভিমান
haar manale go bhangile obhiman

You made me surrender
You crushed my sentimental pride
The flickering lamps I feebly lit
Have been shattered into pieces

Light up now your luminous stars
End this twilight of many hued shadows

Come my friend of the beyond
The winds waft in from the road
The lights in my home flicker out

To this desolate wharf edging a deep darkness
This act on the stage where all is lost
I have brought this song of mine

I offer to you a garland woven in surrender

হার-মানা হার পরাব তোমার গলে
haar mana haar

I offer to you a garland woven in surrender
I can no longer keep myself away in self-delusion

I know my sentimental pride will be swept away
My heart will shatter in acute pain
Emptied, it will sing out like a flute
My tears will erode even stone

The lotus petals will unfurl one by one
The honeyed sweetness will not be withheld

Whose gaze will beckon to me from the skies
Call me away from home in silence
Nothing will remain, nothing at all
I will attain ultimate oblivion at your feet

Why has the smile left your eyes

হাসি কেন নাই ও নয়নে
Hashi keno naai o noyone

Why has the smile left your eyes
You roam about with a forlorn face
Look up, my friend, look at the flowers blooming in the garden
The blossoms weep seeing you so forlorn
The wild vines beseech you to talk to them

Come, my friend, come here and tell
For whom does your heart ache
Whose dreams steep your heart so

Aug 19, 2015

My heart quivers my friend

হিয়া কাঁপিছে সুখে কি দুখে সখী
Hiya kanpichhe shukhe ki dukhe

My heart quivers my friend
Is it in pleasure or in pain
Why do my eyes well up in tears

My beloved will come to me today
What should I do my friend

When I meet him, my friend
I know not what to say

Will he not know, my friend
What my heart wishes to say
Will he not fathom it
Will he turn away

Aug 18, 2015

Sighting you secretly within their heart

হিয়ামাঝে গোপনে হেরিয়ে তোমারে
Hiyamajhe gopone heriye tomare

Sighting you secretly within their heart
Tender green leaves quiver in thrill
Chafing the flowers now and then

My heart has cast off it’s veil in joy

হৃদয়-আবরণ খুলে গেল
hridoy-aboron khule gelo

My heart has cast off it’s veil in joy
At the touch of your feet, O benevolent One
I see you within and outside
In each world, in every direction
In light and darkness, in joy and woe
I see you in my home, my heart
All across the whole wide world

Aug 17, 2015

My heart is too delicate

হৃদয় মোর কোমল অতি
hridoy mor komal oti

My heart is too delicate
It cannot bear the sunshine
When touched by light
It curls up in fearful shyness
When a bee alights beside me
My eyes drop shut in dread
I wish to wither and fall
Down into the earth
In distressed shame
When nudged by the breeze
My petals quiver and fall
So I hide my frame in a veil of leaves
I will pour my fragrance
Into the dark deep woods
I will wither and die
In the lap of these woods

Let my heart know your grace

হৃদয়ে তোমার দয়া যেন পাই
hridoye tomar daya jeno paai

Let my heart know your grace
I will accept my lot in this world
Let me find you in my heart

Your grace will suffuse my thoughts
Night and day in life and death
In joy and woe, in prosperity and calamity
Let me seek your grace
Let me know your grace

Your grace like a stream of tranquility
Will cascade softly into my heart
Your grace like a glow of well-being
Will light up the darkness of my life
My love and devotion
All my strength and solace
Let me gain in the form of your grace
There is nothing that is mine

Aug 16, 2015

O my heart’s treasure

হে অন্তরের ধন
Hey ontorer dhon

O my heart’s treasure
You pine in separation
Empty is your abode

I leave you alone in my home
I wander out and about all day long

O my heart’s treasure
The whole world weeps
Bemoaning this separation

Your flute in many a tune
Searches for me afar and near
Impassioned is spring’s southern breeze

I got your message, my friend

হে সখা বারতা পেয়েছি মনে মনে
hey shokha barota peyechhi

I got your message, my friend
In the caress of your breath
Within my heart
You’ve come, my unseen friend
With the southern breeze

Why do you deceive me
Why do you bind me
In a bondage invisible
Do let me see you
To my heart’s content
In the bowers of my heart

Do let me see you
In flowers crimson, white and gold
Why do you go far away
Putting a spell on me with your flute
In this celebration of youth
Do let yourself be seen
For my eyes to behold

My friend, abide in my heart

হে সখা, মম হৃদয়ে রহো
hey shokha mor hridoye raho

My friend, abide in my heart
In this world, in all my work
In my thoughts, in my knowing
Abide in my heart

Come O Lord, gently, slowly
In my joys, woes, smiles, tears
Gather up my life in your embrace
In this world, in all my work
In my thoughts, in my knowing
Abide in my heart

The whole day comes to naught

হেলাফেলা সারা বেলা
helaphela shara bela

The whole day comes to naught
What is this game I play with myself
Whose face do I recall
In the flower scented breeze
Who knows whose smile
Flutters across my sight
Leaving behind a teardrop
In the corner of my eyes

Who is it in stoic indifference
Plays a languorous tune
Beneath which yonder shade
Wails as if an aching heart
In the song of the flute
All day long I string my song
For whom sings my heart
Like a shadow I sit
Beneath a tree in the garden

Jun 19, 2015

Divulge your face now

এবার   অবগুণ্ঠন খোলো
Ebar obogunThono kholo (audio link) 


Divulge your face now.
As the magic of opaque clouds and soft shades in the forests
complete their loot.
Reveal your soul-secrets with whispers of the night, 

Shiuli-fragrant, vivid in mature moonlight.
Allow your tearfulness to marry a demure smile,
a rendezvous, somehow unfold in the flute-like savory Madhabi wilderness.
Discover a new rhythm of love: tryst, intermittent with yearning
to dance by, in the dewy breeze, in the florid web of shade and light.

Jun 17, 2015

Through whom did you send your garland

কার হাতে এই মালা তোমার পাঠালে
Kaar haatey ei mala tomar pathaley

Through whom did you send your garland
In this dawn of a spring day
Your name etched in its colours
Your rhythm in its fragrance
I wear that garland as a crown
In this dawn of a spring day
Your song arises in the sky
In the breeze of this spring day
O how did you string my name in your melody
Weave it secretly into your song
In this dawn of a spring day

I make a wish in solitude

কামনা করি একান্তে
Kamona kori ekante

I make a wish in solitude
May peace and joy shower down on the world
May sin, envy, sorrow sink into oblivion
May all creatures find refuge at your feet
There where fear has no place

It is time to go now

ওরে, যেতে হবে, আর দেরি নাই
orey jete hobe aar deri noy

It is time to go now
The sun is about to set
Your friends have all gone ahead

Finish your play on this stage of life
Darkness draws near
Who do you turn back and look for?

New actors appear on this stage with a new play
Come away from there, lest they throw brickbats

Set down the load you’ve been holding close to your heart
Move on to a new land, build there a nest anew
Start afresh with a new play

Jun 16, 2015

Girl of fifteen

ওগো তুমি পঞ্চদশী
Ogo tumi ponchodoshi (audio link)

Girl of fifteen,
touching the fullness of moon
a hint of a smile alights your dreaminess.
sudden wild tweets solemnize your juvenescence
your slumber, fragrant with
the first fresh watery buds of monsoon
and your heartthrobs become the whispers of a forest.
An untenable melancholy shades your mind,
like a dark blue rainy horizon
as tears gather in your eyes.

Jun 15, 2015

O my oarsman of the raft of monsoon clouds

ওগো আমার শ্রাবণমেঘের খেয়াতরীর মাঝি
Ogo amar srabonmegher kheyatorir majhi

O my oarsman of the raft of monsoon clouds
Unfurl your sails in the tearladen eastern breeze
My distracted heart gazes on
Her burden is not all that heavy
Just one spray of Kadamba flowers

The playmate of my morn who was with me
I ask myself if you know her whereabouts
Your song as you row brings to my mind her eyes
My sobs ring out in the sky filled with ache

O the Lord of my life

ওগো আমার প্রাণের ঠাকুর
Ogo amar praaner thakur

O the Lord of my life
Your love has made you ruthless
You will not let me be inert
So in my heart through night and day
A severe tune plays

O the Lord of my life
Let the ache I feel for you
Be made sweet
My search for you
My pain for you
Makes me cry
Driving comfort away

You come quietly to that shore of death

ওই মরণের সাগরপারে চুপে চুপে
Oi moroner sagorpaare

You come quietly to that shore of death
You O Lord who enchants the world
You come in the form of a dream

My tears called out to you throughout the day
They swirled around tripping over obstacles
I was locked up in a dark well
You O Lord who enchants the world
You come today in the form of a dream

I see the dark cascade of your hair
The locks bejewelled with bright stars

The sky is filled with the pathos of song
It pulsates at your feet with the chirp of crickets
The incense of flowers suffuse my hymn
You O Lord who enchants the world
You come today in the form of a dream

The dark night has passed

ওই পোহাইল তিমিররাতি
Oi pohailo timir raati

The dark night has passed
The glimmer of a new dawn appears on the eastern sky
In this life and youth, in the heart and all around
Awakens a beauty beyond compare, a sweet radiance

Who sent this beautiful day to stir us from sleep
Awakening the universe in utter delight
You shower auspicious blessings
Spreading the word of joy
You who are the eternal companion

Jun 14, 2015

I will lay down on the ground beneath your altar

ওই আসনতলের মাটির 'পরে লুটিয়ে রব
Oi ashontoler maatir pore

I will lay down on the ground beneath your altar
Let the dust at your feet besmear me

Why bequeath honour and push me away
Do not distract me thus throughout my life
Pull me down to your feet in disgrace
Let the dust at your feet besmear me

I will stay behind all your wayfarers
Give me a place below all others
So many rush to partake of your grace
I will not ask for anything, I will merely gaze
I will be happy with whatever is left at the end

There, the light can be seen

ওই আলো যে যায় রে দেখা
Oi aalo je jaay re dekha

There, the light can be seen
A streak of gold in the eastern sky of your heart
Is your fear now gone
Will there now be triumph?
Has the dark writing on the sky been effaced

Who is it there, standing alone
On the shore of your heart
Keep aside everything
And lift your gaze to him
Bow down at his feet in silence

My heart, when you awoke not

আমার মন যখন জাগলি না রে
Amar mon jokhon jaagli na re

My heart, when you awoke not
Your beloved came at your door
The sound of his retreat
Stirred you awake from sleep in the darkness

Laying my raiment on the floor
I pass the midnight hours alone
His flute rings out in the dark
My eyes do not see him

The one you evaded
Can your eyes now find him?
However much you roam the roads
How will you now find him
The one you let go from your home

Another translation for English rendition by Anandamayee Majumdar

My Soulmate came to me
You my mind, were fast asleep!

You listened to her footsteps walk away
as you sat up in the dark
You my mind, were in the dark.

On the earth, I lay awake
lonely in my night-stay.
Her flute plays in the night
as she hides from my eyes.
You my mind, were fast asleep!

The one you have turned aside
can you see her with your eyes?
Now as you wander, can you find
the one that you've left behind?
You my mind, were fast asleep!

(another version by Anandamayee)

Your love had arrived
While your heart slept on.
In the darkness
You sensed the footsteps fade out
A moment too late.

The companion
Present in your slumber
Resonates in your passionate call,
Yet, defeats your vision,
Concealed beyond a melody

Can the soul be sighted,
The one you evade?
The one you forgot to welcome,
How could you find outside?


All have come with such hope

এসেছে সকলে কত আশে দেখো চেয়ে
Eshechhe shokole koto aashe

All have come with such hope
Do take a look O Lord
They all call out to you
Do come near, among us
We will enclose you all around
We will revel in festivity
We will plunge into a sea of joy

Jun 10, 2015

My heart is painted with the colour of dusk

এবার রঙিয়ে গেল হৃদয়গগন সাঁঝের রঙে
Ebar rongiye gelo hridoygogon

My heart is painted with the colour of dusk
My thoughts are soaked in the colour of dusk
I have a premonition
The wayfarer will come home at the end of day
The colour of dusk will make complete
The auspicious moment of homecoming

The breeze from the sea into which sinks the sun
Lulls me with each moment into lassitude
When the wayfarer comes to my door
Bearing the scent of jasmine flowers
I will be stirred awake from my sleep
Awash in the colour of dusk

My sorrow has sailed across a boundless sea

এবার দুঃখ আমার অসীম পাথার
Ebar dukkho amar oshim pathar

My sorrow has sailed across a boundless sea
It has now come to rest at your feet
And found the essence of joy

For so long have my tears flowed, unbridled
Why they flowed, I had not a clue
Who strung them together today
In a garland of teardrops for you

Your evening star beckoned to me as darkness descended
My heart pined for you but could not find a voice
For so long was it silent in bashful shame
It sings out today at your touch
Like a string on the Veena you play

Jun 7, 2015

One day he will recognise her

একদিন চিনে নেবে তারে
Ek din chine nebe tare

One day he will recognise her
She who uncared for is diffident and shy

The radiance of the youthful sun will dispel the dark shroud
The dark fog of illusion will not conceal her anymore
Recognise her, he will

Let her wreathe a garland today
A garland of her tears from sorrowful nights
He will come one day, lift her garland to his bosom
She who remains ever unknown
Let her light her lamp for that moment of revelation
Recognise her, he will

You sit alone, lost in thought

একলা ব'সে একে একে অন্যমনে
Ekla boshe eka eka onnomone

You sit alone, lost in thought
You let float the lotus flowers
One by one into the water
For no rhyme or reason
You seem to have forgotten
It was me who had plucked the flowers in the morn
And left them at your feet for no reason
Unmindfully, you picked them up when you left

One after another my days in this way
Will be plucked and torn at your hands
They will scatter and get lost
And when they will all be gone
As you keep at your play, languid and heedless
Maybe then a tinge of pain will cloud the evening for no reason
A drop of tear will film the eyes, unmindfully

Jun 6, 2015

This nest of dark soil

এই-যে কালো মাটির বাসা
Ei je kaalo maatir basha

This nest of dark soil, this verdant earth of joy
This is where we rove, in darkness and light
Much like a dream

In her heart, hidden from sight
Is a heavenly realm of pain
Luminous with sadness

The one who pines for you
Sits there alone
Her heart calls out your name
Every now and then

When sadness unites you two
Then will be the realm of joy
Overflowing with bliss

Jun 5, 2015

This veil will lift

এ আবরণ ক্ষয় হবে গো ক্ষয় হবে
E aboron khoy hobe go

This veil will lift, it will lift
This mind and body will fill
With a sublime joy

My eyes will be free of illusory shadows
My heart will bloom with flowers
You O Lord will triumph over this life
My blood will pulse to the rhythm of the universe
My heart will beat with exuberant lifeforce
It will quiver to the strings of your lute
It will sway with your garland of stars
It’s desires will scatter and dissipate

This veil that clouds me

এ যে মোর আবরণ
E je mor aboron

This veil that clouds me
Can vanish in a trice
A breath can blow it away
If you will it so

If I lie on the earth
With my face in the dirt
You stay awake at the door
Is this your pledge?

Awaken me with the sound of your chariot
Come in all your glory
Be gone my slumber
May I know you as my Lord
Let me rush to the door
And surrender myself at your feet

This necklace of gems and stones is not for me

এ মণিহার আমায় নাহি সাজে
E monihar amay nahi shaaje

This necklace of gems and stones is not for me
It hurts to put it on, it pains to tear it off
My words get stuck, I lose my tune
My mind is in a dilemma
It cannot focus on work

And so I sit and muse
If I could give you this necklace
I would be free
You welcome me with a string of flowers
I feel embarrassed to show my face
Ashamed of my necklace of gems and stones

Where does this path go, o where

এ পথ গেছে কোন্খানে গো কোন্খানে
e poth gechhe kon khane

Where does this path go, o where
Who knows, who knows
Beyond which mountain, beside which sea
Staring ahead in what foreboding
Who knows, who knows

Who goes to and fro on this path
Who knows, who knows
What is her voice like
How does she smile
Who does she search for
Who knows, who knows

Jun 2, 2015

What is this eagerness on earth

একি আকুলতা ভুবনে
Eki aakulota bhubone

What is this eagerness on earth
What is this restlessness in the air
What is this sweet pleasantness
That drifts beneath the space beyond
The moon beams down such a smile
The flowers spray such a fragrance

All creatures of this universe awaken
In such heartfelt love today
From where does a caress of pleasure
Stroke the blue canopy above
The flowers and forests thrill in delight
A soft melody from a flute rings out
My heart blooms with beautiful dreams

May 28, 2015

This joyous evening today

আজি এ আনন্দসন্ধ্যা
Aaji e anondo shondhaay

This joyous evening today blossoms with beauty
In the soft breeze across the sky
Drifts a sweet loveliness, eager and bewildered

In the stunned silence of the sky
The planets and stars in quiet stillness
Rain down sweet nectar, in a melody of light

My heart and mind slowly brim over
With this sweet grace from above
My body thrills in deep delight

The sky speaks out its heart

আজ আকাশের মনের কথা ঝরো ঝরো বাজে
Aaj akasher moner kotha

The sky speaks out its heart
In pitter patter raindrops today
My heart beats to that tune throughout the day

The shadow of clouds creep across
The dark waters of the lake
The breeze sings of an ancient ache from another epoch
My heart beats to that tune throughout the day

Alone I sit by the dark casement
To each other we speak, the sky and I

Words from faded memories
Like the soft rustling of leaves
Ring out in a soft dewy melody
In the evening alive with the chirp of crickets
My heart beats to that tune throughout the day

You are evermore deep within

আছ অন্তরে চিরদিন
Aachho ontore chirodin

You are evermore deep within
Why do I still weep
Why can’t I see your glow
Why am I directionless in the darkness

I am unmoored, you are my shore
Why do I still drift away on the sea of death

O supreme joyous
When you are my lord
Why do I wander off on the way

You wiped my tears mother

আঁখিজল মুছাইলে জননী
Aankhijol muchhaile jononi

You wiped my tears mother
Your affection knows no bounds
Blessed you are, blessed is your compassion

You looked out for the one orphaned
You drew close the one begrimed
None who come in search of sweetness
Is ever turned away from your door

I have seen today your loving smile
I have found the shade at your feet
There is nothing more to ask for
My wish is fulfilled, my heartache gone

May 27, 2015

Troop after troop of clouds beckon

আকাশতলে দলে দলে মেঘ যে ডেকে যায়
Akashtole dole dole megh

Troop after troop of clouds beckon
As they march across the horizon
“Come, come, come”
An excitement ripples through
Rose-apple woods and mango groves
“Coming, we are coming”
The branches tingle in thrill
A wish to fly up and away
Awakens amidst the leaves

Along the river time and again
Beckon the clouds “come, come, come”
Kaash flowers stir in response
“Coming, we are coming”

In harmony with the song of clouds
Glide the boats with their sails unfurled

May 22, 2015

Why do I not hear your voice O Lord

কেন বাণী তব নাহি শুনি নাথ
Keno bani tobo nahi shuni

Why do I not hear your voice O Lord
Blessing this blind with sight
You leave her then in darkness
In sad separation from you
Pass by night and day

If to evanesce like a dream
Why give me cognition
Only a glimpse in a flash
And heartache for a lifetime
I look at myself and see
A waterfall of tears

If this life awakens anew at your touch
Why baffle it with the jab of deathly arrows

Crush my arrogance, fill my heart with love
Take my heart and mind, keep me with you

May 17, 2015

With a drumroll across the sky

বাদল-মেঘে মাদল বাজে গুরুগুরু
Badol meghe madol baaje

The clouds announce themselves
With a drumroll across the sky
My heart sways to the deep sound
Her own rhythm brings forth oblivion

Where was it, deep within
The secret pain in a secret song
It unfurls and fans out
In rain soaked breeze
To verdant forest shades
All around in many a song

May 16, 2015

The minstrel-cloud plays his lute

বাদল-বাউল বাজায় রে একতারা
Badol baul bajay re ektara

The minstrel-cloud plays his lute
A day long stream of pitter patter pit

Intoxicated by his own tune
He dances around and drains himself
In paddy fields and rose-apple woods

Dreadlocks of dense clouds
Pile up on the darkening sky
Pitter patter on the leaves
Peal out like anklet bells

Distracted by an alluring tune
Luring one away from home
The east wind wanders bereft

May 15, 2015

O my Lord, filling my body and life

হে মোর দেবতা, ভরিয়া এ দেহ প্রাণ
Hey moro debota

O my Lord, filling my body and life
what nectar do you wish to partake

Do you wish to see your world
Through the eyes of your poet
Holding me spellbound
Guarding your silence
Do you wish to hear your song

Your creation stirs in my heart
A kaleidoscope of words
Your love weaves them into songs

It is your grace you see
When you bestow yourself in me

Jan 31, 2015

Come back to your heart

ভুবন হইতে ভুবনবাসী
Bhubono hoite bhubonobashi (audio)



Come back to your heart 
from that world where you live.
Your majesty lives on in you. 

Where do you look day and night?
Find the face with fearless ease.

This is the home of joy.
Listen to the powerful name.
You will meet every desire,
it's a silent house of eternity.

Jan 9, 2015

The world drifts along on the ocean of endless time

অসীম কালসাগরে ভুবন ভেসে চলেছে
awshim kaalshagore bhubon bheshe cholechhe

The world drifts along on the ocean of endless time
Who knows where lies the abode of sweet bliss
Dive into your own heart and behold what beauty
The Lord with his sweet bounty dwells forever
In this temple, in this abode of sweet bliss

One dearest to the heart comes today

আইল আজি প্রাণসখা
aailo aaji pranshawkha

One dearest to the heart comes today
Behold, one and all
The night lays out a place at the edge of the sky
The planets and stars assemble around
The forests and mountains gaze in silence
The earth ceases it’s daily commotion

Jan 8, 2015

The sky has kept your space

আকাশে তোর তেমনি আছে ছুটি
akashe tor temni aachhey chhuti

The sky has kept your space
Let your wings no more laze

O little bird,
Beneath the dense foliage
Your nest entices and entraps
The night makes a false claim
Of never loosening it’s grip

Do you not know in which hope
You sing out in the daze of sleep
In the heart of dawn’s darkness
The hope of light plays a deep melody
The hope of light cannot stay hidden
It unfastens the fetters of the cinched bud