Why this darkness from near to afar

কাছে থেকে দূর রচিল কেন গো আঁধারে
kachhe theke door

Why this darkness from near to afar?
Imprisoned in pain even in togetherness

Ahead is an ocean of nectar
Yet the eye cannot perceive
How do I dispel this mist?
This cumbrance of my sight

From behind the veil I only hear his voice
I know him yet I know him not

I sense him within only in my grief
And then lose him to the outside
Will my world remain so?
Just one half of the whole

Ah, my moonbeams, you are trapped

ও আমার চাঁদের আলো 
O amar chaander alo (audio)

Ah, my moonbeams, you are happily
Ensnared in my twigs and leaves
I hear you splay a cascade of songs
I witness the dam of starlight burst open
Your melodies pervade my heart,
My little homely porch within.

My buds crack open at your cue,
Respond, to your infectious smile,
The fragrance maddens the drift 
Wafting from the southern sea

Ah, silver beams, you endow me
You wash me in colour 
My impassioned heart can only whisper
Inexplicably intrigued by your smile

Will I never grasp my muse

 হায় রে, ওরে যায় না কি জানা
*Ore jay na ki jana (audio: Nilima Sen)

O -- alas
Will I never know my muse!
My anxious eyes entreat to meet her
Yet she is diffuse
o -- alas

On unseen trails she comes and goes
Her steps I heed like a telling prose
An aura wafts about in drifts
A hint, a cue abstruse
o -- alas

How can I convey my stir
I wait along the path for her

My heart beholds in eventide, a play
Of colours washed in shade and light, a lay
Of fallen buds on earth sublime
A bed of blossom-blues
o -- alas

* An attempt has been made to restore the original rhythm of the song to be able to sing in English

Let the flute resound

বাজো রে বাঁশরি বাজো
bajo re, baa(n)shori bajo

Let the flute resound
Adorn yourself, O beautiful one,
In this auspicious evening
With garlands scented with sandalwood

Such is this momentous day of spring
A time of arrival of the restless one
With the magnolia blossoms yet to blow
At the touch of the humming bee

Won't you adorn your hair and lace your arms
With the crimson spring flowers
Ankle bells chiming with your steps
In the fragrant, tranquil breeze
And euphonic songs of his grace playing
In enchanting premises

What a wonder you are to my eyes

বড়ো বিস্ময় লাগে হেরি তোমারে
boro bishshoyo lage

What a wonder you are to my eyes
How is it that you found your place
In my own heart?

Why do I adore that face, that smile
And drown in my silent tears of longing?
It is as though I have known you forever
To be my love, in all eternity
Without you, the music stops
Light fades away
And my smile dissipates in darkness

Open are gates to the southern breeze

আজি দখিন-দুয়ার খোলা
aji dokhino duwar khola

Open are gates to the southern breeze,
To greet you, O spring,
Our hearts yearning to sway
With dancing rhythms

Let your arrival resound
With impassioned tunes of the flute
And festive procession
As you alight delightful, lush pathways
Strewn with Bokool blossoms
Dusted with pollens of the Piyaal

Come home to the leaves
And the blossoms of the forest

With your restful, enchanting smile
Approach the land of crazy winds
Letting your cloak afloat in the sky

(Another version by Rumela)

Today open are the southern gates
Come hither, come hither, come hither,
O my springtime come hither
Rock you will I on my swinging heart
Come hither, come hither, come hither,
O my springtime come hither

On a chariot graced with new greenery
Come on pathways paved with Bakul flowers
Come playing on reeds of eager longing
Smeared with the pollen of Piyal flowers
Come hither, come hither, come hither,
O my springtime come hither

Emerge in dense leafy foliage
Come hither, come hither, come hither,
Emerge in groves of jasmine blossoms
Come hither, come hither, come hither,

With a slight sweet intoxicating smile
Come to this land swept by the wild winds
The ruffled and restless robe of yours
Let it aflutter in the open skies
Come hither, come hither, come hither,
O my springtime come hither

Listen to the flutes play in celebration

বাজিবে, সখী, বাঁশি বাজিবে
bajibe, shokhi, banshi bajibe

Listen to the flutes play in celebration
Behold your beloved one
Step into your heart

As words lose their purpose
A blushed smile spreads on your face
Tears of happiness shimmer in your eyes
And with painful bliss your heart,
Like a tender, flushing flower
Yearns to offer itself
At the lotus-feet of the beloved

Raise the silent lute

লহো লহো তুলে লহো নীরব বীণাখানি
loho loho tule loho nirob beena khani (audio)

Raise the silent lute.

Give her divine melody

dear Beauty.

I cap the night with darkness 

hoping you can come. 

Make the stars throb with radiance.

My heart is hurting.

It is hard and dry.

It pleads your touch

just to cry.

I have a desert,

it craves mercy.

Dress her with lush green, 

dear Beauty.

Let the fondest memories fill

ভরা থাক স্মৃতিসুধায়
bhora thak smritishudhay

Let the fondest memories fill the void of separation
To bring back and rejoice
In the hours of togetherness

From despairing tears borne of silence
A new message will arise unseen

Solitary, somber the path will be
Yet your eyes, contemplating radiance
A tune of longing secretly resounding
In the lute within
Suffusing the heart with blissful strains

There sounds the flute

সখী, ওই বুঝি বাঁশি বাজে
shokhi oi bujhi baashi baje

There sounds the flute
Though I know not whether
This music I heed
Is outside of me, or within

Where does the spring breeze blow
And flowers blossom
Where is this blithesome night
Outside of me, or within?

Why do I musingly wonder
Whether to leave or to stay
Afraid of what people think
Where does my despondent love
Await me with longing
Is it in the wilderness-tryst
Or within my heart?

Do not leave, my beloved one

না, যেয়ো না, যেয়ো নাকো
na, jeyo na, jeyo nako

Do not leave, my beloved one,
Keep your promise of togetherness
Bokool, the spring flower
Yet has many blossoms to share
And we have so much to fulfill
My dear wanderer, do stay on
The moon gazes with high, dreamy eyes
Her glow suffused with music and fragrance
Yet why does Mallika the young blossom,
Fleet away in tender dejection?
Call her back, my dear wanderer

In my dreams, you betrothed me

কখন দিলে পরায়ে
kokhon dile poraye

In my dreams, you betrothed me
With a garland of tears
I woke to find the morning sun
Touching upon the clouds
And a flute announcing
The tearful melody of your departure
In the darkness, you arrived
And left, unnoticed
Leaving me heartbroken
Adorning me with the pain of separation

My distracted love

আন্‌মনা, আন্‌মনা
anmona anmona

My distracted love,
The time is still unripe
To bring my bouquet of messages to you,
For the tunes would slip your notice
And my truth elude your heart
And vainly would I wonder, if I had touched you

But when your eyes are thoughtful
In a glowing moment of silent beauty in the dusk,
My gentle notes will comfort your agony

The rhythmic verses will then
Bear for your listening
Languid beats in soft nuances,
Like the hum of crickets
Imparting songs in the woods
Of a meditative darkness
Let me sit at the fringe
Of your solitary home
Tracing alike a musical image
In deep contemplation

In the darkness I came

আমি এলেম তারি দ্বারে
ami elem tomar daare (audio)

In the darkness I came
And knocked at your door
Moments passed
Yet I found no answer
Alike, you eluded my sight

With vain ventures, let me depart
Leaving this message at your feet
My quest may have been fruitless
But I had come to look
And now in my painful desolation
I travel afar leaving you behind

Dweller of my heart..

এসো আমার ঘরে এসো
eso amar ghore 

Dweller of my.. heart.. come home.. to me..
Take.. your place.. in my tears.. and laughter..
And beat.. to the pulse.. of my life..
Step.. into the sunshine..
From the abode.. of my dreams..
Show yourself.. to my yearning eyes..
As you flourish.. like a happy.. flower.. 

It was but a while ago that we met in the woods

সেদিন দুজনে দুলেছিনু বনে
shey din dujone dulechhinu bone


It was but a while ago
That we met in the woods
And swayed on a swing
Adorned with flowers
Let us hold on to that memory
That seems to surface
Over and again in my heart

The wind had muttered
The same crazy words as my own
And in the sky the moonbeams spread
Assuming a strange likeness to your smile

A full moon overhead
Lit our paths
And there we met
In that auspicious moment

Now with those memories past
I bear our painful separation
Within my silent solitude
If I were to entrust my heart to you
Would you secure it forever?

In my sleepless nights

জাগরণে যায় বিভাবরী
jagorone jay bibhabori

In my sleepless nights
Who is it that keeps me awake?
She who remains lost to me
I yearn to find in my solitude
Her flute resounding in my heart

Speechless is the somber night
Yet I heed silent, secret messages
In my heart filled with pain
And in my eyes brimmed with tears
It is her shadow that trembles
Now and again

(another version by Rumela Sengupta)

The night slips by in sleeplessness
Who keeps me awake so
Oh sweet is this sorrow!

For her I wander all alone
Athirst my eyes see her not
It is her flute, her flute it is
That resonates in my heart
Oh sweet is this sorrow!

Words unspoken yet I hear
What is it I hear who can tell
In my heart brimming with ache
In my eyes streaming with tears
Her silhouette flickers time and again

This is but a flight of fantasy

এ শুধু অলস মায়া
e shudhu olosho maya

This is but a flight of fantasy
Painted with imagination
Like clouds coloured by the sun's radiance
Such are momentary tears and laughter --
A mere melody fading in the air
Imparting the transience of a garland
Put together by an unmindful one,
Then torn apart again
Like sun-rays that stir the leaves,
And blossoms that play with their shadows
It is but spring-bouts of shade and sun

I forget my path and spend all my hours
In this playfulness
Losing myself in a land of mist
Drawing strange blossoms
To offer a nameless friend,
Flowers that wither by the dusk
And return to forests unknown

Who will be my companion in this game?
Whether anyone does care or not
I will go on singing my songs
Forgetting them by the moment,
Hoping that these passing tunes will perhaps
Touch someone, somewhere

Read his note to me my friends

দে পড়ে দে আমায় তোরা
dey pore dey amay tora

Read his note to me my friends,
Let me delve in his message,
Distant, yet so close to my heart

Let it bear the sweet smell of pastures
Into my solitary hearth,
Like a languid traveler wind
Stirring my free locks,
Ushering in a tune of the blue sky,
Unfolding beauty of dusty, wandering paths
At my window

In the blushing twilight,
I too will pour my heart in a colorful rally,
The trace of a tear catching me unawares
In that dusky, lonesome moment

Are you merely the image

তুমি কি কেবলই ছবি
tumi ki keboli chhobi

Are you merely the image?
Are you not as certain
As the galaxy of stars
As true as the luminary
Wayfarers of darkness?

As you elude my sight
You venture into the seat of my heart
Spreading in the green of the earth
In the azure of the sky
And in that match, my world
Finds its harmony.

None realize how
Your melodies play unheard
To blend in with my songs
And how you become the muse
Within the poet's heart.

Another translation for rendition in English by Anandamayee Majumdar

Are you a mere painting?
A portrait to see?
Behold the vast galaxies
Nested in the sky
Like swarming bees.
Those that day and night
Travel in the darkness
with their light 
heavenly bodies.

Tell me
you are as alive!
Merely painting
doesn't seem right.

Hidden you are from my sight.
Turned into the
apple of my eye.
That's why
You blend in the green
You blend in the sky.
Your secret smile
Comes together with
My delight.

None happen to see
None realize
Your songs
flow in my vibes.
Music within
this heart of mine.
Merely a portrait

doesn't seem right.