In its stead then, you receive
A silent pool wrought just for you
A looking glass clear and painted blue
Water, light-filled, glows --
Image of a branch, flowers bowed
The fluttering sail of a violet cloud
A fulfilled heart assures --
An inward eye can all perceive.
In its stead then, you receive
Musings mundane, void and bare
Dusty feet marked paths that stare
Winds sucked dry of tears --
A distant familiar voice might call
During a midday, bereft of all
No one turns and hears.
These too did you have to leave!
_______
Translation-cum-transcreation of a classic Bengali poem বিনিময় (binimoy, meaning exchange) by Amiya Chakravarty. The poem was published around 1953 in a collection of Chakravarty’s poems entitled পারাপার (parapar, meaning ferrying across). I take this opportunity to thank my wonderful friend Surja Sankar Ray for his interpretation of the poem as well as his advice on the many drafts preceding what has been posted.
By dipankardasgupta
|
Posted in English Compositions, Translations-Transcreations to English
|
Also tagged a kaleidoscope world, amiya chakravarty, dusty feet, flowers bowed, looking glass clear, mundane, silent pool, transcreation, translation, violet cloud, void and bare, water light filled
|
Early version: December 31, 2014
This version: January 5, 2020
A veil of darkness still there was -- and yet the light of day
Hridoypur was all abuzz -- with perplexities at play
Drowned the river bank below -- in the sky one saw recline
A lustrous moon in all its glow -- its eyes a pitiless shine
Why offer her a ride at all -- whose face expresses frown
Who posts a guard on every wall -- and keeps her shutters down?
Can a tryst with her then make much sense -- now again this day
At Hridoypur where perplexities -- are done with childish play?
__________________________
Translation-cum-transcreation of a classic Bengali poem হৃদয়পুর (Hridoypur) by Shakti Chattopadhyay. The poem was published in his collection entitled ধর্মে আছো জিরাফেও আছ (“dhorme aachho giraffe-eo achho”, which literally translates to “you exist in religion as well as in the giraffe”) around the year 1977.
**For those unfamiliar with the Bengali language, the word “hridoy” means heart. The word “pur” means a locality. It’s a common suffix carried by a number of large as well as small towns and villages in India, such as Nagpur, Kanpur, Mathurapur and so on. Hridoypur could mean a geographical territory, and indeed a locality by that name exists, but in the present context, the word “hridoy” (heart) lends to it a poetic connotation.
শীতু, শীতু, শীতু রে
ভিতু, আমি ভিতু রে
দিবারাত ভয়ে তোর
ভারি কম্পিতু রে।
Flaubert studied law
Which certainly was his flaw
Thank Lord though he was clever
Which is why he never
Turned into lauyert
And simply remained Flaubert.
Strange I think are those lawyers
For their days last each for twennyears
Which probably means as I fears
You really don’t need those lawyers.
অনন্ত পাল
ভয়ে ভয়ে কানে কানে
বলে চলে — কে বা জানে
কী যে হবে হায় হায়
কালই যদি হয়ে যায়
শেষ চিরকাল!
বোলতা রে বোলতা!
কেন তুই কাল ভোরে
ছিনু যবে ঘুম ঘোরে
উড়ে এসে জুড়ে মোরে
বল বল বল ওরে
বানালি রে ঢোল তা?
কত সাধ ছিল আহা মনে
ভুলিয়ে ভালিয়ে নির্জনে
একা ধরে নিয়ে গিয়ে
কাতুকুতু দিয়ে দিয়ে
হাসাই তোমারে প্রাণপণে।
ব্যাকুল এ অনুরোধে হায়
প্রভু তুমি দিলে না গো সায়
বদলে আমারে ধরে
হাতিবাগানের মোড়ে
শূলে তুলে কাটলে কোথায় !
giggled aloud God–
as he watched the universe–
stage his slapstick play…
কোলাঘাটে কালিপদ কোলে
নানান ভয়েতে সদা দোলে
ভূতের ভয়েতে রাতে
মানুষের ভয়ে প্রাতে
কেঁপে দোলে কালিপদ কোলে।
