Ghumaite Dao Shranto Robi Re (Let Robi Sleep in Peace) was written by Nazrul in 1941 for Tagore, when he died. It has been translated from Bengali by Professor Fakrul Alam …
Let the spent Robi sleep on.
Please, please don’t try to wake him up.
Let not the one who spread light all his life
Be awakened; don’t disturb his sleep.
Let the one who gave light and delighted thousands,
And has now collapsed at mother earth’s bosom,
Be ritually smeared with sandal paste on his forehead;
Don’t redden his face by weeping incessantly!
Even at the risk of straining yourself, stretch out your palms
To accept the power and the strength he has given you.
The departed Sun and Supreme One will enable us to succeed
Let the poet sleep on!
The departed Sun’s glow will still light up our interiors.
So, from within yourself pay him homage every day.
Don’t make him weep by shedding continuous tears!
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.
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Fakrul Alam is an academic, translator and writer from Bangladesh. He has translated works of Jibonananda Das and Rabindranath Tagore into English and is the recipient of Bangla Academy Literary Award (2012) for translation and SAARC Literary Award (2012).
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