Translation by Niaz Zaman
Forgive Us, O Prophet
[Kshama Koro Hazrat]
We have not accepted your message. Forgive us, O Prophet.
We have forgotten your ideals, the path you showed.
Forgive us, O Prophet.
Lord, you spurned luxury and riches under your feet;
You did not want us to be kings and nawabs.
All the wealth and treasures of this earth
Are for all to share in equal measure.
You said all human beings are equal on earth.
Forgive us, O Prophet.
Your religion does not reject those of other faiths;
You have cared for them, sheltered them in your home.
Their temples of worship
You did not command to be broken,
O brave one.
But today we cannot tolerate those of other beliefs.
Forgive us, O Prophet.
You did not want shameful wars in the name of religion;
You did not put swords in our hands, but your immortal message.
We have forgotten your magnanimity;
We have embraced blind intolerance.
That is why blessings no longer shower upon us from heaven.
Forgive us, O Prophet.
These Lovely Flowers, This Luscious Fruit
[Ei Shundar Phul Ei Shundar Phal]
Thank you for all these bounties, Lord,
For these lovely flowers, this luscious fruit,
The sweet water of this river.
Thank you for all these bounties, Lord,
For these fertile fields of green and grain.
You have bestowed precious gems on us,
Brothers, companions, sons.
You give us sustenance when we are hungry
Without our asking.
Lord, I disobey your command every day
Still you bestow air and light on this worthless being.
You gave me the greatest prophet
To save me on Judgment Day.
That I might not forget the true path
You sent the message of the Holy Quran.
To the Poets of the Future
[Na-Asha-Diner Kabir Proti]
O poets of the future, may you arise
Like the morning sun,
Bright and red like hibiscus blossoms.
In the golden dawn for which we long
May you wake up like countless flocks of birds.
I sing in the hope that you will come
To soar in the blue sky that I create.
I leave behind the memory of my greetings to you:
Play on my veena the song of the new day.
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. “Forgive Us, O Prophet” and “To the Poets of the Future” were first published in Kazi Nazrul Islam: Selections 1, edited by Niaz Zaman (writers.ink, 2020).
.
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles
Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International
Borderless 