Apr 30, 2019

The sun smiles in the lap of clouds

মেঘের কোলে রোদ হেসেছে
megher kole rod heshechhe

The sun smiles in the lap of clouds
And the rains, they scatter away
We have a day off today, a holiday!
O what fun, what fun it will be!
What to do, where to go, we are in such quandary
In which woods to lose our way, which fields to run amok
We will craft boats with leaves and deck them with flowers
They will float in the pond with a rock and a sway
We will help the herdsman herd his cows
Play the flute ever so sweet and soft
We will roll in the woods and bathe ourselves in pollens
O what fun, what fun it will be!

O my heart jumps for joy

ওরে ওরে ওরে, আমার মন মেতেছে
orey orey orey aamaar mon metechhey

O my heart jumps for joy
Who can stop her today!
She stretches her hand to the sky
Who can pull her down!
O my heart jumps for joy
Who can stop me today!
O dance my friend dance
Rejoice in your freedom
Dispel your fear and shame
Who can stop you today!

What is this ache that afflicts me so

আমার কী বেদনা সে কি জানো
aamaar ki bedona shey ki jaano

What is this ache that afflicts me so
Do you know, can you sense it my beloved?
Can you sense it from afar?
A rain drenched darkness
A night streaked with lightning
The breeze throbbing to the tremors in my heart
Do you know, can you sense it my beloved?
This woeful wakefulness of mine
I wonder if it will be in vain
Do you know my beloved?
The Malati you planted at my doorstep
She has blossomed today
Do you know my beloved?
The Veena that you had tuned
She cries out in my lap today
The ache of being forgotten

Apr 29, 2019

In that Srabon sky (2)

আমি শ্রাবণ-আকাশে ওই দিয়েছি পাতি
aami srobono akashe oi diyechhi paati

In that Srabon* sky
I have placed in the clouds
My eyes brimming with tears
The bamboo forests sigh with my ache
Across the horizon of separation
The whole night awake sans a wink
Across the horizon of separation
My eyes yearn for the bliss of union

One who is out of sight
For that one is this gaze
He left me teary eyed
As he went beyond my sight

His locks caress my dreams
Blowing in the eastern breeze.
I feel the caress of his locks
In the eastern breeze

In Tamal* tree forests
On the path that he left,
In that dusk of separation
Amidst the dust of cows homeward bound,
The grass is wrapped in agony
The sorrow of words unsaid
Punctuates each step
That gazing back time and again
Remains woven in the shadows
A tremor in every breath

Apr 24, 2019

Flowers there are none in the gardens

পুষ্পবনে পুষ্প নাহি, আছে অন্তরে
pushpobone pushpo nahi aachhe ontore

Flowers there are none in the gardens
They flower in my heart
Spring has come into my being
Bare branches have begun to sprout
Silent birds have taken to song
Joy washes over deserted wilderness
I have no fear of sorrow
I have built my home in the sadness of separation
Yet is my heart abuzz with the sound of bees
Yet does happiness nest in my heart
Eternal hope resides in my being
Love I have ensnared in my heart-cage

I will quell your pain with more pain

দুঃখ দিয়ে মেটাব দুঃখ তোমার
dukkho diye metabo dukkho tomaar

I will quell your pain with more pain
I will bathe you in the deep waters of enduring ache
I will burn to ashes my home and hearth
Purify the ash and grit of worldly attachment
I will offer at your feet the ultimate pain of annihilation