Translations from Bengali

Month of the Flowers

Friday, May 16th, 2008

Ajit Dutta (1907-1979) was born in Bikrampur, Dhaka and stood first in Sanskrit and Bengali M.A. examinations from Dhaka University. He taught Bengali language and literature and was recognized as a distinguished poet of modern Bengali. Along with Buddheva Bose, he jointly edited the Pragati magazine and later joined the Kallol group. He was one [...]

A modern epic

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

A re-reading of Satinath Bhaduri’s Dhonrai Charit Manas (1949-51) is akin to bringing the vision of a mercurial kaleidoscope before our eyes. The novel has a marvellous narrative structure. It has a swift narrative style so rich in events that the alluvial shoal of personal experiences never rise above the flood-streams. The magnificence of the [...]

A fragment of Torn Letters

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

A few lines from Rabindranath Tagore’s Chhinna Patra (Torn Letters) in my translation… These days of Bhadra are almost windless and the loose sails of the boat hang lazily — the boat remains work-shy, unperturbed; it moves ever so sluggishly, its indolent movements scarcely awakening a ripple on the water. This widespread kingdom of water [...]

Rabindranath Tagore’s poem Mrityunjay

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

মৃত্যুঞ্জয়   রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর   দূর হতে ভেবেছিনু মনে– দুর্জয় নির্দয় তুমি, কাঁপে পৃথ্বী তোমার শাসনে৷ তুমি বিভিষীকা, দু:খীর বিদীর্ণ বক্ষে  জ্বলে তব লেলিহান শিখা৷ দক্ষিণ হাতের শেল উঠেছে ঝড়ের মেঘ-পানে, সেথা হতে বজ্র টেনে আনে৷ ভয়ে ভয়ে এসেছিনু দুরুদুরু বুকে তোমার সম্মুখে৷ তোমার ভ্রূকুটিভঙ্গে তরঙ্গিল আসন্ন উত্‍‌পাত, নামিল আঘাত৷ পাঁজর উঠিল কেঁপে, বক্ষে হাত [...]