Equality by Kazi Nazrul Islam

Samya (Equality) by Nazrul, translated from Bengali by Niaz Zaman

I sing the song of equality – 

Of a country where fresh joy blossoms in every heart 

And new life springs in every face. 

Friend, there is no king or subject here, 

No differences of rich and poor. 

Some do not feast on milk and cream here, 

While others grovel for leftovers and broken grains. 

No one bows before the feet of horses here, 

Or before the wheels of motor cars. 

Disgust does not arise in white men’s minds here 

At the sight of black bodies. 

Here, in this land of equality, 

Black and white are not buried in separate graveyards; 

Nor do black and white pray in separate rooms and churches. 

In this land there are no footmen or guards, 

No policemen to evoke fear. 

There are no conflicting religions here, 

No cacophony of conflicting scriptures. 

The priest and the padre, the mullah and the monk 

Drink water from the same glass here. 

The Creator’s house of prayer 

Is contained in the human body and mind here; 

Here His throne of sorrow 

Is formed by human suffering. 

He responds readily here 

To whatever name He might be called, 

Just as a mother responds readily 

To whatever name her child might call. 

No one comes to blows here 

Over the different apparel one wears – 

Payjama, trousers or dhoti. 

Clad though in soiled or dusty garb, 

All are happy here.

Born in united Bengal, long before the Partition, Kazi Nazrul Islam (1899-1976) was known as the  Bidrohi Kobi, or “rebel poet”. Nazrul is now regarded as the national poet of Bangladesh though he continues a revered name in the Indian subcontinent. In addition to his prose and poetry, Nazrul wrote about 4000 songs.

Niaz Zaman is an academic, writer and translator from Bangladesh. She has published a selection of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s work in the two-volume Kazi Nazrul Islam: Selections. In 2016, she received the Bangla Academy Award for Translation. This translation was first published in Kazi Nazrul Islam Selections 1, edited by the translator and published by writers.ink in 2020.

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