Monsoonal Fantasies by Kazi Nazrul Islam

Nazrul’s lyrics of Mor Ghumogore Elo Monohor (In my sleep, came the one who won my heart) have been translated from Bengali by Professor Fakrul Alam.

Enchanting one, I was deep asleep when you came
I saluted you then, reverentially, again and again.
In Sravan’s monsoonal cloud, the great Dancer danced
Torrentially. From up above, you caressed my eyes softly
Possessed by the touch of the beauteous, charming one,
My whole body bloomed. For you, my Lord,
I filled my tray with flowers blooming in my garden.
But alas, and what a shame, you wouldn’t take any!
What you did was undo my bun and take from it a flower.
How could you leave for what I said in my dream?
Now that I’m fully awake, I weep and weep and keep calling you—
Oh dear, dear one!

Click here to listen to a rendition of the lyrics in Bengali by Feroza Begum (1930-2014)

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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Click here to access Wild Winds: The Borderless Anthology of Poems

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