Nazrul’s lyrics of Mor Priya Hobe Eso Rani (My Sweetheart, Be My Queen) has been translated from Bengali by Professor Fakrul Alam
MY SWEETHEART, BE MY QUEEN
My sweetheart, be my queen!
Let me make a garland of stars for your chignon.
Dear girl, your ears I’ll adorn
With the spring moon’s third visitation.
Your throat, dear girl, I’ll deck with a pair of dangling swans.
I’ll make a ribbon too to tie your cloud-coloured disheveled hair
Out of the lightening in the spring moon’s third visitation!
A paste blended from moonlight and sandalwood
Will be your body’s balm. The red of the rainbow
Will be the lac-dye used to color your feet
The seven notes of my song will compose
Your bridal chamber’s decor
While my muse’s bulbul bird will sing a song for you—
in full-throated ease!
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.
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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