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 […]

Buddhadeva Bose’s biographical volumes

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Of late, I was re-reading two remarkable books, the autobiographical Amar Chhelebela (My Boyhood) and Amar Jouban (My Youth) by the Bengali poet and litterateur Buddhadeva Bose. The pencil sketches of his younger days that these small volumes contain made me nostalgic and somewhat reminiscent of those childhood memories that all of us eventually lose […]

A fragment of Torn Letters

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

A few lines from Rabindranath Tagore’s Chhinna Patra (Torn Letters) in my translation…
The possibility of an impending interruption brought the desire to enjoy this silent seclusion closer to the mind. It seemed as if my sensitive companion came to take leave when I am away, with a sorrowful and steadfast gaze. It seemed as if […]

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 চেপে
শুধালেম, ‘আরো কিছু আছে নাকি,
আছে বাকি
শেষ বজ্রপাত?’
নামিল আঘাত৷
 
এইমাত্র? আর-কিছু নয়?
ভেঙে গেল ভয়৷
যখন উদ্যত ছিল তোমার […]