I am Chitrangada, the princess

আমি চিত্রাঙ্গদা, আমি রাজেন্দ্র-নন্দিনী
Ami Chitrangada (audio: Suchitra Mitra)

I am Chitrangada, the princess
No deity, nor an ordinary woman
Not a goddess of worship
Not a commoner to be cast behind
But if you accept my rightful place
In peril and in plenty
In trusting companionship
Through the penance of suffering
By your side 
You may then realize I for who I am
But for now
Merely I impart
I am Chitrangada, the princess

We were brought together, in jest

কোন দেবতা সে কি পরিহাসে

kon debota shey ki porihashe

We were brought together, in jest
By the vagaries of the gods,
Sailing adrift in a boat of illusion

Companion of my dreams
Let us celebrate regardless
Cruising away in a lyrical stream
Bouncing on waves of laughter
Floating in the air
Regaling ourselves in dance
Such languid moments
Ravishing with the scent
Of Madhobi blossoms

This garland brushing your enthralled bosom
Preserve its sweet charm tonight
For when the morning rays of the sun touch it again
Abashed will it be in the light of new day
And fraught with apathy, break loose on the earth
To fade away in vain

Your beautiful arrival

তৃষ্ণার শান্তি সুন্দর কান্তি

trishnar shanti shundor kanti

Your beautiful arrival marks
The refreshing end to all thirst,
Comforting the heat of the earth
Painting the ground and horizon
With merciful, cooling blends of green

Your countenance is like a heroic warrior,
Lightening flashing out like a sword of armour,
Gently spreading shades, your canopy
Across the Tomal forests, in deep blue hues
The resonance of crickets and the fragrance of Maloti blossoms,
Putting to rest the hum of the restive bees of spring

How I listen to the flute

আমার অঙ্গে অঙ্গে কে বাজায় বাঁশি

amar onge onge key bajay bnashi (audio)

How I listen to the flute,
This music of my very existence,
At play in my entirety
Distracting me with ecstasy and agony
My body and mind blossoming unseen
With its fragrance borne into space

Hope stirs within, unawares,
Discovering this blazing missive
Of my own immolation

What is this beauty and charm,
But self-expression,
A message of love set free
From the dungeons of my heart?

Let me offer my emptiness at your feet

আমার এই রিক্ত ডালি

amar ei rikto daali

Let me offer my emptiness at your feet
Spreading my aridity
Like an apparel on your path

Fill me with the gift of blossoms,
The same with which you adorn your armour,
Forgiving me the shame
Of my slender offerings at your altar

Make me a soldier in your triumphant battles
Marking me with the signs of victory
Blessing me with resplendence
And I will hail your name in praise
Fulfil the message of spring
Attiring me with physical charm
Like the southern breeze

There rumbles the thunder

গুরু গুরু গুরু গুরু
guru guru guru guru

There rumbles the thunder,
As clouds roll in the sky,
Gathering atop the hills
Casting somber shadows in the dense forests
The mountain brook pouring incessantly
Muffling the sound of the hunter's approach
Deceiving the timid deer and doe
And the Chitra tigress,
Her trail on the moist earth
Revealing a secret hide-out

Your life enjoyed a vigorous summer

তোমার বৈশাখে ছিল

tomar Boishaakhe chhilo

 Your life enjoyed a vigorous summer
And yet, how on earth, did it summon
The tearful, monsoon showers ?
Oh, what a shame

You were as hard as the mountain rock,
Hiding the fountain which split your heart
Oh, what a shame

Ruthless hunter that you were
How did you fall prey like the timid doe?
Oh, what a shame

Proud as you were of your strength
Why did you accept such humble defeat?
Oh, what a shame

Never have I seen such pathos

রোদনভরা এ বসন্ত

rodono-bhora e boshonto

Never have I seen such pathos
In the lush blow of spring
My flush of longing rouging
The crimson Kingshook blossoms

Mallika, in seasonable wild bloom
Embellished with leaves
Night and day, pining,
As she anticipates her secret love

A melancholy lover hums her song of longing
In the distant horizon
Melodies wafting in the southern breeze,
As buds, dormant  in my garden
Restively strive to unfurl

Time and again
I knock at the gates of my heart
Despondence ringing in tears
Having failed at giving myself up in love

Adorn me with a new garb, my friends

দে তোরা আমায় নূতন করে দে

dey tora amay nutono korey dey

Adorn me with a new garb, my friends,
And fresh will I become
Like nature's gardens
Disrobed in the autumn
And restored to an ornate lushness by spring
Let my leafless branches be forgiven their shame
As they are embellished
With greenness once again

Let the rhapsody of my heart resume
With music of the secret lute
Chanting the spells of love

Ecstatic be the dance that flows
In my person
With impassioned wonderment
In meeting my love,
My youth discovering its true honour

Time and again in my heart

শুনি ক্ষণে ক্ষণে মনে মনে

shuni khone khone mone mone

Time and again in my heart
I listen to the summons
Of an unfathomable sea
And my restive spirit
Longs to abandon my home
Plunging into full tide
Immersing in showers
Dousing all apprehension
To become fresh and free
From fruitless, searing passions

There rise the waves
And in a strange likeness
Ripples surge in my person

Such impassioned eagerness
In the sky and waters,
Like a distraught fairy in her flight
Her cloak drifting with the breeze
And across the river banks
Her ankle bells resounding afar

I ask the tempest to release

ওরে ঝড় নেমে আয়

orey jhor nemey aay (audio: Sagar Sen)

I ask the tempest to release
To spark my spiritless twigs
To make way for a gorgeous green,
To clear the path for a budding monsoon

I thirst for the momentous thrill
When my mindless, inanimate
And joyless vibes will be purified,
When my tears will flow in abandon
Flushing out my illusive impermanence
With the dance of a raging rhythm

I have got to prepare my vacant home
With fresh inspiration,
To recover my body in a new skin

I sense the rivers inundate,
I smell the prolific aura of jasmine
Wafting like a secret whisper,
I feel my heart being reborn
In it's deathly cocoon

What is this luminance touching your eyes

বঁধু, কোন্ আলো লাগল চোখে
Bodhu kon alo laglo chokhey

What is this luminance touching your eyes, o bride,
Like rays streaming down from the heavens?
Your heart anticipating this grace
Through a lifetime of restive nights
With a dream that lay dormant
In deep, pensive darkness
Forever despondent with a lover's longing

(another version by Rumela)

 My friend, what is this glow that lights up my eyes!
As if the luminance of the skies came and touched it!

Down the ages through night and day
My heart awaited you with great expectation
Dwelling in a dense darkness of despondence
Many a lifetime went by pining for my beloved

How do I pass in friendless desolation!
This eternal night of pain
In an arbour where buds are yet to bloom
With a morose heart bereft of melody

O beauteous one!
Do bring a garland for me to put around your neck
And accept you as my consort
Lift my veil and look upon my face
See my blushing smile in bright radiance