Why in silence wait outside

নীরবে আছ কেন বাহিরদুয়ারে
Nirobe aachho keno

Why in silence wait outside
Darkness engulfs my eyes
I see you not

I know it is time
You will draw me close
You will set afloat my raft
In the high tide

Let my life find fruition
In this auspicious moment
Let all the stars in the sky burst into song

Illumine the caverns of my heart
With a startling, thrilling flash of light

A venturer on new roads

নূতন পথের পথিক হয়ে
Nuton pother pothik hoye

An old companion comes along
As a venturer on new roads
The night lifts her veil at dawn
In that blessed moment of union
After everlasting estrangement

The one I acquire ever anew
By losing him time and again
If I sight him today at dawn
I will lay down afresh
My heart at his feet

Eyes brim with tears

নয়ান ভাসিল জলে
Noyaan bhashilo jole

Eyes brim with tears
Dense waterladen clouds gather
In empty depths of my heart
Ushered in by propitious winds
The night awakens in ecstasy

Glory be to that mercy
That allays the scorched
That quenches the parched
Awaken in joy, my heart
That awaits the rain
Like the chataka bird
Softly, so softly
Sweetly, so sweetly
Drizzles down love

Blow softly, o restless breeze

ধীরে ধীরে ধীরে বও ওগো উতল হাওয়া
Dheere dheere bau

Blow softly, o restless breeze, blow softly
The flute plays the melody of midnight –
Calm down, do calm down

I am the lamp’s flickering flame
Alone, awake, awaiting you aflutter
Whisper softly into my ear
Tell me your innermost thoughts

Bring to this nook of my home
Your tales from faraway lands
Your woodland serenades

I have something I want to say
To the stars at the break of dawn
Let me secretly share it with you

Your eyes have pleaded with me to sing

তোমার  নয়ন আমায় বারে বারে
Tomaar noyon aamaay baare bare

Your eyes have pleaded with me
Time and again to sing a song
They have sent a hint
In many a flower, many a star
On the brink of night and day
In ashen light and pitch darkness

Why did I not sing, how do I tell
Why am I so perplexed
My words gets lost in pain
My tunes get lost in endless shores

Plying the deep currents
You summoned me from the raft
You called out in storm and tempest
In thunderous claps of mute clouds
You beckoned me towards death
In the restless deluge of monsoon nights

Do you not know why I did not go
I sit at the quay gazing out for you
How do I find a way through the sea 

My day is spent without you

তোমা-হীন কাটে দিবস হে প্রভু
Toma heen kaatey dibosh

My day is spent without you
Without you, my dream and awaking
When will you step into my heart

It is for you O Lord, I stay awake

তোমা লাগি, নাথ, জাগি জাগি হে
Toma laagi naath jaagi

It is for you O Lord, I stay awake
Without you, there is no peace
They all move on without me
You my eternal refuge
You stay beside me
Through joy and sorrow
None else can soothe me
When I am seared with guilt

A treasure which drifts across a sudden breeze

তুমি হঠাৎ-হাওয়ায় ভেসে-আসা ধন
Tumi hothat haway bheshe asha dhon

You are that treasure
Which drifts across a sudden breeze
Thus my heart is startled
With this unexpected gift

When is it that you turn up
On secret trails by yourself
Intoxicating the breeze
With a sudden fragrance

In places teeming with people
Seldom is there a chance
To deeply know another
Many are those who go by
Stirring up a lot of dust

From somewhere off the beaten track
A sudden strain of melody
Beckons the traveller gone astray

I am at a loss.. for words..

বাণী মোর নাহি
(bani mor nahi)

I am at a loss.. for words..
Splaying my dazed.. heart..
All I can do is gaze..

Adorned in shadow.. and light..
I am the night.. of new moon..
Laying out an infinitude.. of stars..
I hope sans expectations..
Gazing.. at the endless.. road..

When you play.. the flute..
A drift of melody.. glides
Afloat a bewildered.. breeze..
Across the slumber.. seas..
Into the depths.. of stillness..

I echo back your melody..
Who knows if it alights..
At the shore.. of your dreams..
Plying... the immense.. darkness..

I know these days will go by

জানি গো, দিন যাবে এ দিন যাবে
Jaani go din jaabe

I know these days will go by
One day after the noon is gone
A dusky sun will smile sadly
And look at me for the last time

A flute will be heard by the wayside
Along the riverbank, cows will graze
Kids will play in the courtyard
Birds will burst into song
Yet those days too will go by

Before I go, I have one plea
Let me know why I was summoned
To this verdant earth
Her gaze uplifted to the skies
Why did the silence of the night
Speak to me of the stars
Why did the radiance of the day
Buoy my heart so
I plead with you to let me know

When my time here is up
Let me at the end of my song
Pause at the right note
Let me fill my basket
With the bounties of all the seasons
Let me see you in the glow of this life
Let me give you my garland
When my time here is up

Do summon me tonight

ডাকো মোরে আজি এ নিশীথে
Daako morey aaji e nishithey

Do summon me tonight
When the world is asleep
Come into my heart
And call me in silence
Summon me to your bliss
Light your lamp
In the darkness within
Call me over and over again
Summon my unsconscious spirit

Why does sleep evade your eyes

ঘুম কেন নেই তোরই চোখে
Ghum keno nei tori chokhe

Who keeps you awake so
Why does sleep evade your eyes
You stare with an absent gaze
There in a distant corner of the sky
Night peers with eyes tinged red
In the radiant light of dawn

Why have you culled today
Many a crimson lotus
What gives you courage
To unbolt your door so
Who do you call with folded hands
And let cataclysm into your home

So deep a night deluged with rain

গহন রাতে শ্রাবণধারা পড়িছে ঝরে
Gohono raatey srabonodhara porichhey jhore

So deep a night deluged with rain
Why wake her up for no reason
A trace of her tears can still be seen
Her lips still hold the words unsaid

So be it if you strum a few notes
If your lute reveals your heart
At the portal of her sleep
So be it if you lay a blossom
Quietly on her undone tresses
String flowers around her wrist
Why wake her up for no reason

A deep dense night descends into my heart

গভীর রজনী নামিল হৃদয়ে
gobhir rojoni namilo hridoye

A deep night descends into my heart
Fades all flurry and furore
Now and then I hear
The murmur of distant seas

All desires flood back into my heart
The darkness grows thicker outside
A solitary lamp flickers
In the farthest nook of my heart

Infinite grace has led me to beauty
The game reaches it’s conclusion
Restless ripples of lively waves
Subside into the depths of the sea

Peace there is in a soundless chant
That echoes quietly in my heart
I close my eyes and see within
The beauty that is beyond all forms

The din and bustle is shut off

কোলাহল তো বারণ হল
Kolahol to baaron holo

The din and bustle is shut off
Whispered now will be the words
Hearts will know each other
With only music and lyric

People are afoot on the royal carriageway
The marketplace alive with trade
My respite comes at an untimely hour
In the middle of a day
I am called away from work
Who knows why

Let the flowers in my garden
Come untimely then into bloom
Let the bees buzz sweetly
In the middle of the day

Many a day has gone by
In dilemmas of right and wrong
My heart is now drawn towards
My playmate of this leisure hour
A call to take time off from work
Who knows why

Dark gray clouds huddle up

কালো মেঘের ঘটা ঘনায় রে
Kaalo megher ghota ghonaay re

Dark gray clouds huddle up
In a darkening sky
Drops of rain drizzle down
In deep dense forests

Breaking free at last
Blooms your blossom
In this downpour

O do arise, awake
Do not lose this hour

In which tearladen wind
In which earthy fragrance
Does his ache glide across
Can he still stay concealed

How enchanting you are

কত যে তুমি মনোহর মনই তাহা জানে
koto je tumi manohar

How enchanting you are
How you steal my heart
It is only my heart that knows
It trembles and throbs
In the melody of your song

Today in this dawn
The sun plays with the clouds
My eyes brim over as I gaze at you

Fidgety flickers of light
Ripple across the river
Peals of lilting laughter
Race across the forest leaves

What do I see in the sky
Is it the gaze of your eye
A deluge of divine sweetness
Drizzles down the blue above
Drizzles down into my heart

O my Oarsman

ওরে মাঝি, ওরে আমার মানবজন্মতরীর মাঝি
orey majhi

O my Oarsman
You who row the raft of my mortal being
Do you hear the flute that plays
Afar somewhere on the shore

Will your raft find a pier
At the end of day
Will I sight a row of lamps
In the darkness of dusk

In this achingly sweet breeze
My heart feels as if
A laughter from across the shore
Comes creeping along the darkness

I brought along a few flowers
That I plucked before I came
With the ones that are still fresh
Fashion a bouquet at the soonest

The boat has been unmoored

ওই রে তরী দিল খুলে
oi je tori dilo khule

The boat has been unmoored
Who will carry your load
When you go forward
Let the past stay behind
To carry it on your back
Would keep you behind all alone
You’ve dragged your burdens one by one
From your home to the shore
You kept going back time and again
For each thing you forgot
Call out to the oarsman, call out
Let your burdens drift away
Shake off all you have
And offer your life at his feet

Who wants to go to the other shore

ওগো, তোরা কে যাবি পারে
ogo tora ke jaabi pare

Who wants to go to the other shore
I sit at the riverbank ready with my boat
In the gardens on the other side
So many people, so much frolic
On this side a dreary desert
Thirsting for a drop of rain

The day has not gone by yet
Come, those who wish to go
Why waste time in deliberation
The sun will soon go down
This fortuitous wind will let up
The pier will close down in the gathering dusk

How could he forget all the love and hope

ওগো এত প্রেম-আশা
ogo ato prem asha

How could he forget all the love and hope
The deepest yearning of the heart
Doesn’t the moon there smile at night
Doesn’t the flute there play it’s tune

Here the breeze plunders the gardens
Doesn’t the wind there blow at all
It speaks of him to me ever so often
Doesn’t it ever speak to him of me

If he is to forget me today, my friend
Why did his love make me forget myself
To make me weep all my life
Is that what he wanted!

Many a pleasant night we spent on a carpet of flowers
Gazing into each other’s eyes
Did he know then that this pang of separation
Would be my friend for life

If he does not remember me
If he finds a life of peace
Do go and see him, my friends
This thirst of my eyes
This hope of my heart
Do offer at his feet
And take with you a part of my pain
How do I hide it anymore
And bring with you if you can steal
One teardrop of his

No, no, my friend
If he can forget all this love
Don’t entreat him anymore
I won’t say a word
I will bear my woe
Quietly in my heart
All of this is in vain, my friend
In vain is this love
In vain is this yearning
The days of bliss are gone
Never to return again

I hear as if his footsteps

ওই শুনি যেন চরণধ্বনি রে
Oi shuni jeno choronodhwoni re

I hear as if his footsteps
I hear it lost in myself
Is it my beloved
Coming in stealth to steal my heart

What are these hints I get
That make my tears well up
The fragrance of a garland
I know from my dreams

Spring waits for him along his path
A bouquet of flowers in her arms
Conch shells resound in the skies
Hope wafts across the azure

Say those words again my love

ওই কথা বলো সখী
Oi kotha bolo shokhi

Say those words my love, once again
Say you love me again and again
I have heard it many a time
Yet I want to hear them again
Say you love me again and again

Wake up, do wake up

ওঠো ওঠো রে-- বিফলে প্রভাত বহে যায় যে
otho otho re, biphole probhat bohe jaay je

Wake up, do wake up
The morn goes by in vain
Open your eyes, awaken, arise
Stay unconscious no more

Each one rushes to be of service
The morn breeze awakens
The sun jogs across the sky
As if the Lord calls them one by one
Bloom the forest flowers one by one

Listen to that call
Gaze up at that face
Seeking His blessings
Let us all embark upon His work

O listen! Who plays the flute

ওগো শোনো কে বাজায়
Ogo shono ke bajay

O listen! Who plays the flute
The fragrance of wild flowers fused in it’s melody
Touching his lips, the flute captures his smile
My sweetheart’s smile drifts across to me
Seizing my heart with so sweet a song

The buzz of bees in the bowers echo in it’s tune
So eager the Bakul buds bloom to it’s song

The lapping of the Yamuna reaches my ear
My heart cries out with longing
Who does the moon gaze at with a smile

Who goes by playing a flute

ওগো কে যায় বাঁশরি বাজায়ে
ogo ke jaay bashori bajaye

Who goes by playing a flute
Passing by my door
I sit alone, lonesome
Evoked into thoughts
Of the one I yearn for

The flute gives voice to
His impassioned heart
His song of separation
How do I voice my feelings
My heart cries out in despair

I could not wreath the flowers
They wither and fall to the dust
Night gives way to the dawn
The moon hides its lacklustre face

Who do I worship through the night
Offering the springtime of my life
He carries off my heart
With the melody of his flute
Why do I remain behind

Who jolts me out of ease

আরাম-ভাঙা উদাস সুরে
aram bhanga udaash shurey

Who jolts me out of ease
With such a distracting tune
Who fills the empty heart of my flute
With such an ache today

The anxious flute beckons
The restless, the homeless
It sends its summons
In wakefulness and dreams
It draws out from the near
To sweep away to the far

It stirs which hidden recess of my heart
It makes me weep in secret at eventide
Even today…
My heart knows his name not
Not even what he looks like
Only in shadows and silhouettes
Does he flit around in my dreams

She.. takes her limits.. lightly..

ও যে মানে না মানা
(o je mane na mana)

She.. takes her limits.. lightly..
If I avert.. my gaze.. “No, no, no” she says..
The more.. I urge.. “the night.. ends.. the lamp.. dims..”
She looks.. at my face.. saying.. “No, no, no..”

Bewildered.. overwhelmed.. with the crazed.. winds..
Spring.. runs amok.. in forests.. bursting.. with flowers..

The more.. I urge.. “Now I should go..”
She stands.. at the door.. saying.. “No, no, no..”

Do silence your verbose poet now

এবার নীরব করে দাও হে তোমার মুখর কবিরে
ebar nirob kore dao

Do silence your verbose poet now
Seize the flute that his heart is
Play yourself it’s deepest strains

Let your flute ring out
In the rich silence of the night
In a melody that enthralls
The skies and beyond

All that lies strewn across
My being and death
Draw them all to your feet
With the magic of your song

The heaps and piles of words
Will be swept away in a trice
I will sit alone and hear your flute
In a darkness that knows no bounds

Till now my eyes have seen him not

এখনো তারে চোখে দেখি নি
akhono taarey chokhey dekhini

Till now my eyes have seen him not
Till now I have just heard his flute
My heart and soul, whatever I had
I have surrendered unto him

I have heard of his dark appearance
That I should refrain from seeing him
Tell me friend if I should still
Venture out to the Yamuna

He came only in my dreams
A smile touched the corner of his eyes
Since then do I tingle in fear
I fear to look up and see

They walk around the forest as they please
They gaze at the Kadam tree as they please
Tell me friend if I should still
Look up and gaze at someone