Was it in my dream that I sensed

স্বপ্নে আমার মনে হল
swapney amar mone holo

Was it in my dream that I sensed
When did you knock at my door
I did not stir, I did not wake up
You evanesced into the darkness
I heard a soft pitter patter in my stupor
Shadows shuddered through the forest
Spooked by the chirping of crickets
I did not stir, I did not wake up
The river streamed by the edge of the forest
A wayfarer beckoned to me
Inviting me on a journey
I know not if it had rung out
The Veena at my bedside
I did not stir, I did not wake up
The fragrance from the forest swaddled my slumber

Did they get Her message today

আজ কি তাহার বারতা পেল রে কিশলয়
aaj ki tahar barota pelo re kisholoy

Did they get Her message today
the young green shoots of leaves?
Of whom do they speak rustling through the woods
Which Eternal Traveller do they sing praise of?
In many a tune across the distant azure
Where the Champa* buds gleam
Flickering glints of yellow and white
Where the crickets chirp in dense forests
There do come my poet
Bedeck yourself with flowers
Pick up your flute
Lend your voice with the symphony.

I thought you would return

ভেবেছিলেম আসবে ফিরে
bhebechhilem aashbe phire

I thought you would return
I bid you thus farewell at the end of spring.
You left me awash in tears
Now on this monsoon day
My heart is in a bind
Now in rain drenched dusky darkness
I let my eyes brim over.
Alone in this drizzling downpour
I wonder how to call you back.
When you are within sight
Abundance graces my life
I wish to quell my fear of separation
By keeping my faith of fulfillment.
Yet on this lonely night without you
A refrain of loss echoes in my heart.

On this full moon night of Srabon

আজ শ্রাবণের পূর্ণিমাতে কী এনেছিস বল্‌
aaj sraboner purnimate ki enechhish bol

What have you brought today
On this full moon night of Srabon*
A chalice of laughter brimming over with tears
The ache of jasmine flowers drifts
in the deep sighs of the monsoon breeze
Even as the flowers burst into bloom
Why feign a game and let them droop
O do tell what you have brought
What is this daze I see in the moon’s gaze
Which land of dreams does she roam
My heart awaits by the road
She knows not who she seeks
She senses a faint hint
A to and fro in the restless breeze
O do tell what you have brought

lingering note of the last song

শেষ গানেরই রেশ নিয়ে যাও চলে
shesh gaaneri resh niye jao chole

As you leave, do take with you
the lingering note of the last song
Say your last words before time runs out
The darkness is upon us
Twilight with her light and shade
Disorients the travellers on their way
The last rays of the sun smudge the western sky
The Tamal woods echo with the last cry of peacocks
Is that her on her way to a lover’s tryst
In search of the unknown
She opens the gate of my courtyard
For the last time

My friend, spring has come to the forests

ওরে ভাই, ফাগুন লেগেছে বনে বনে
orey bhai phagun legechhe bone bone

My friend, spring has come to the forests
To every branch, every flower, every fruit, every leaf
In each and every nook and corner
The sky is painted in colourful hues
The universe is alive with melody
My heart rustles with the restlessness of leaves
See how the earth with her vibrant colours
Distracts the sky from his ascetic penance
Her rustling murmuring babbling laughter
Breaks into his silent meditation
The wind races through the woods
Asking at the gates of every bower
The name of each flower

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!

I sit in solitude.. as the clouds.. clear..

একলা বসে বাদল-শেষে 
(ekla bose badol sheshe)

I sit in solitude.. as the clouds.. clear
So much.. I get to hear..
“My time has gone by” says the Ketaki.. flower..

The clouds.. call out..to her..
As they retreat.. to the horizon..
Her zeal.. and zest.. fade.. away.

She grew in a corner at the edge.. of the forest..
She would tremble.. at a fleeting sign.. from a lightning flash
Her fragrance.. would suffuse a lover’s tryst.. in the monsoon.. darkness..
Did the evening star.. ever get to know..

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.

Girl.. of fifteen..

ওগো তুমি পঞ্চদশী

(ogo tumi ponchadashi)

Girl of fifteen,
touching.. the fullness.. of the 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..
your heartthrobs.. become.. whispers of the forest..
An untenable melancholy.. shades your mind..
like the dark blue.. rainy.. horizon..
as tears.. gather.. in your eyes..

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the lap of winter woodlands

শীতের বনে কোন্ সে কঠিন আসবে ব'লে
Sheeter boney

In the lap of winter woodlands
Shefali flowers fall and fade
In fear of the coming harshness

Amlaki bowers look bereft
Having shed their leafy weave
The laughter of Kaash flowers
Depart in the wafting wind

Not willing to endure
A disquiet amid the green
The passion flower pales
Forsaking her colourful sheen

The north wind is here to reign
He prepares for austerities
At whose behest is this game
To shed off frills and fancies

The winter wind has set astir

শীতের হাওয়ার লাগল নাচন
Sheeter haway laglo nachon

The winter wind has set astir
A dance in the Amlaki* bowers
The leaves with a tingle and thrill
Flutter down and fall to the beat

A fly-away frenzy springs in
And leaves her bereft at last
Her bounty of fruit remain
No longer hidden from view

For whom it is mere play
To purge and replenish
I wait for her all day

A caressing chill now and then
Passes me a summons as if
The time to relinquish my all
When will it come, in which morning

*Amlaki - Indian gooseberry

I feel I walked countless miles

মনে হল যেন পেরিয়ে এলেম
Mone holo jeno periye elem

I feel I walked countless miles,
Navigating barren deserts
To touch luscious meadows, sweet opulence,
Just to arrive at your door.

I braided moist jasmines on my pathway,
Their fragrance, a somber devoted eagerness;
Please do not embarrass their love, unmasked.

Clouds laden with rain dim the forest,
The air singes with the mysterious pain
Of loving to get lost.

There is a solitary lamp at your window
That I note from afar; my eyes, dying, yearning birds
In a murky thundershower.

The heart of the deepest night

নিশীথরাতের প্রাণ
Nishitho raater praan

The heart of the deepest night
In the soft glow of moonlight
Partakes of a nectar sweet
Steeped in beatitude
She guards no secrets today
Tearing apart the dark shroud
She gives away all she has
All her doors nudged open by the southern breeze
It is at her behest I roam around the woods
With me are my songs of a wakeful night