Professor Fakrul Alam translates two songs by Nazrul on social isssues from Bengali
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.
Arise O Woman
Arise, o woman, arise flaming!
Arise, daubing your forehead blood-red,
Everywhere unfold your flaming tongue.
Dance wildly—excited, inspired.
Arise, hapless, maligned snake,
Awake, kindling the world aflame!
Burn briskly, o fume-filled smoky one,
Arise, mothers, daughters, brides, wives, nieces.
Arise prostitutes, cast out, exiled ones
With the tidal force of the Ganges, arise,
Down-trodden ones. Streaking clouds with lightning
Arise, aroused by Durga, the ever-triumphant one.
Two Flowers on One Leafstalk
Hindu and Muslim -- two flowers on one leafstalk --
Muslim its jewelled eyes, Hindu its heart and soul!
In the lap of their mother, the same sky is reflected,
Where sunlight and moonlight alternately sway.
Within their bosoms the same blood courses
While the same navel string binds the twain.
We breathe the same earth mother’s air
And drink the same earth mother’s water.
In her bosom, the same fruits and flowers grow.
In the soil of the land are burial sites quite akin --
Doesn’t matter if one is called Gore -- the other Shoshan!
We call out to our mothers in the same language.
We sing for them songs strung in similar tunes!
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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