Category: Tagore Translations

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Tagore Translations

Birthday Song by Rabindranath

Written in summer of 1899, the poem, ‘Jonmodiner Gaan or Birthday Song’ by Tagore, was later converted to a song, ‘Bhoy Hote Tobo Abhayomaajhe’ (translates as ‘Amidst Fears, May Fearlessness’), by the maestro himself. It can be found in Gitabitan but was published originally as a part of his collection of poems called Kalpana, published in 1900.

Rabindranath Tagore (7th May 1861- 7th August 1941) Courtesy: Creative Commons
BIRTHDAY SONG

Amidst fears, may fearlessness
             Find new life, O Lord. 
May poverty be erased by inexhaustible wealth, 
May doubt give way to the haven of truth, 
Inertness to new-born vitality — 
           Confer upon me new life, O Lord. 

Amidst my self-centred desires,
          O Lord, may your benevolence 
Kindle the yearning for 
         Your divine work —
Unite us all; 
Amidst joys and sorrows, 
Help us find peace —
      Confer new life upon me, O Lord

Below is a rendition of Tagore’s song, Bhoy Hotey Tobo Abhayo Majjhe, by a well-known modern vocalist, Sahana Bajpaie.

(This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial support from Sohana Manzoor)

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Tagore Translations

Nobo Borshe or on New Year by Rabindranath

Written in April 1894 for the Bengali New Year, Tagore’s poem, Nobo Borshe, was part of his poetry collection called Chitra, published in 1896.

Bengali New Year Celebrations in Dhaka. Courtesy: Creative Commons. Poila Boisakh or Bengali New Year is celebrated in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. Huge festivities are held in Santiniketan, the University started by Tagore. Multiple Asian New Years across Thailand, Nepal, India and more countries are celebrated mid-April. 
The night has nearly come to an end.
The old year is almost past.
Under this dust, it will lay down
Its worn-out life at last.
Whether friend or foe,    wherever you go,
Old wrongs cast
Away. On this auspicious day,
Old grievances shed as the old year departs.

Today, I make new resolutions
Within my heart.
But, when I am reborn, maybe,
I will not recollect this part.
My judgement, perchance,    might be harsh.
Another’s tearful pleas thwart.
On this new-year’s morn,
I beg for clemency from the start.

As today blends into the morrow,
the future continues, unfathomable.
Will the current love and happiness
Still persist, be stable?
The flickering light     may stop tomorrow night.
Our home may be steeped with sable.
Come, this New Year’s Day,
Give what you are able.

Vast and limitless is this world.
There are so many countries.
Where will we find the confluence of 
All these people and their synergies?
Spread good cheer,    with a smile appear,
Like flowers on the same trees.
If you cannot do this daily,
At least come close once please.

The time to meet will pass.
We do not know where we will go.
In the middle of eternity, we may
Never find friend or foe.
Joys and sorrows     will leave no furrows,
They will disappear like bubbles. So,
Glance at your beloved’s
Face forevermore.

For our own personal petty gains,
We raise a ruckus.
For self-conceit and blind beliefs,
We become unjust.
Today I give my best,     I dedicate
My life thus —
I will be content with what you give,
And not expect too much.

I will embrace with daily patience,
All burdens and sorrows.
I will tread the difficult path, my
Life’s mission follow.
If I break my vow,    weakened by this tired brow,
With humility, I will my head bow.
I will accept the burden
Of all my flaws.

If life seems meaningless, if there are sorrows —
They are all in transience.
It will all be wiped away in life’s
Futile insipience.
Are you alone on this earth?    Beauty, pain, hurts,
Can be found in all ambience.
You are but a tiny speck in the
Endlessness of human existence.

As long as you exist, shine
Like a star.
If you do not find happiness,
Let there be peace in your heart.
If you cannot survive,     timeless conflicts outlive,
If defeats bar,
Then learn to die with
Sincerity on your part.

In this life’s journey, who can say how
Far we need to go
While stepping on the razor’s edge of
Heartrending sorrow?
Again, in the dark,     we walk the fiery path.
At least on this day, please pardon.
With the old year
Let all the old grudges go.

There goes, there goes the time,
My past departs.
On this dawn, with tears express
Your indebtedness, O heart.
Fill the cup of life    with joys and strife.
Tell her, her memories will stay past
All times, forever.
I dedicate to you my past.

This dawn heralds new life in the
New Year.
I want to tie all lives with love,
But I hesitate, I fear.
Do not send away     visitors on this day.
Welcome the New Year,
Filling the pitcher with
Virtuous tears.

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial support from Sohana Manzoor and Anasuya Bhar

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

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Tagore Translations

Basket of Offerings by Rabindranath

Borondala (Basket of offerings) was written by Tagore in 1928 and published in a collection called Mahua in 1929.

Mahua(1929), named after Madhuca Longifolia, a tropical tree
Borondala or basket offerings. Courtesy: Creative Commons
BASKET OF OFFERINGS  

Today, in this quiet bower, 
Within my being
My offering has grown
Into a garland of light. 
In this spring, with climbers
Of leaves and flowers,
My verses waft in the dawn
Of the golden rays. 
My whole being dances
Swinging with rhythm. 
If this song doesn’t find form
I will die of shame. 
Oh beloved, my body reverberates 
To the beat. 
I have not got you an 
external offering, 
My prayer flows from my own
Being like a stream. 
My heart leaps 
Free of my being
Impatiently pleading 
A meeting with you. 
Just as the stars glimmer 
With light in the dark night, 
A spark awakens within
My body. 
This luminosity illuminates 
All my work.

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor & Anasuya Bhar

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

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Tagore Translations

Ocean by Rabindranath

Somudro or Ocean by Tagore was first published in 1886 in a collection called Kori O Komal (Sharp and Flat)

Painting By Sohana Manzoor
Why is the vast ocean restless?
What bonds does it want to sunder? 
It howls like a child in distress.
With incomprehensible words, it blusters. 
Over eons, it rises, it soars,
It swells with an exhilarated gait —
Turbulent and huge, it roars.
The calm sky silently hears it reverberate.
Crushing its heart, it flays, it beats, 
Against the rocky seaside. At high tide, its waves
Rise to smash, heralding apocalyptic feats. 
Yet as the tide ebbs, the ocean gently laves
The dark core of nature, bordered by mud. 
The ocean of tears continues to sway.
Each moment, desires staunched at the bud
Want to cry and drench the world away. 
I yearn to be the scribe who translates
The ocean’s upheaves for humankind,
Calm the eternal unrest that agitates
The sea breeze to swish, shush and pine. 
I yearn that my song rings day and night
Harmonising tunes with the Earth’s infinite…

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor and Anasuya Bhar & Art by Sohana Manzoor

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

Categories
Tagore Translations

Banshi or Flute by Rabindranath

Written in 1905, Banshi or flute, was published in Tagore’s collection called Kheya ( translates to boat, published in 1906).

Courtesy: Creative Commons
FLUTE

Your flute — 
For a short while,
Pretend it's mine. 
The sarat* morning flowed by.
The day grew tired nigh.
If you are weary
Of playing your flute,
Then please let,
For a short while,
Your flute be mine. 

I will not do much with it. 
I will only play
For part of the day. 
Raising it high, 
I will hold it to my lips
I will express my happiness
By playing many snatches —
In this way losing myself
I will only play 
For part of the day.

Then as dusk descends,
I will get flowers in a basket
to make a necklace. 
Adorning a garland of juthi*,
Filled with its heady perfume 
I will pray with an
Offering of lamps. 
That is why in the gloaming,
Fill a basket of flowers
To make a garland of juthi.

A half-moon will rise 
Amidst the stars
To gaze at your path.
Then I will come to you 
To return your flute. 
And you will play a tune
Expressive of the depth of night —
A half- moon will rise 
Amidst the stars
To gaze at your path.


*Sarat is early autumn.
*Juthi is a kind of Jasmine

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor & Anasuya Bhar

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

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Tagore Translations

The Sun on the First Day by Rabindranath

Prothom Diner Shurjo or (the sun on the first day) from Tagore’s last collection of poems, called Shesh Lekha (The Last Writings), was written in 1941. 

THE SUN ON THE FIRST DAY

The sun that rose
On the first day asked 
Newly-fledged consciousness —
Who are you? 
There was no answer. 

Many eons passed.

The setting sun in the
Silence of the dusk, asked 
The Western shore the last question —
Who are you?
There was no answer.
Art by Sohana Manzoor

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor & Anasuya Bhar

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

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Tagore Translations

Your Conch Calls by Rabindranath

Written in May 1914, Tomar Shonkho Dhulay Porey (Your Conch lies in the Dust) was a part of Tagore’s poetry collection called Balaka (A flight of Swans, 1916).

A Conch Shell. Courtesy: Creative Commons
How will I endure 
Your conch fallen in the dust? 
At this dreaded juncture, 
The breeze and light stop — stunned. 
Come fight with your flag, be strong. 
Sing out loud if you have a song. 
If you want to walk, walk along. 
Come forward, fearless, 
The conch of valour lies long
In the dust, listless. 

I was going to pray
with an offering of flowers.
After toiling the whole day,
I yearn for peaceful bowers.
I had thought my wounded heart
Would be a thing of the past. 
Washed, I would at last,
Emerge unbruised, untouched. 
I saw again in the path
Your great conch lying in the dust. 
 
Is this the lamp lit for orisons? 
Are these my dusk’s recourse? 
Is this red jaba* garland woven?  
Oh, for the chaste tuberose! 
I had hoped we could resolve, 
Our differences, dissolve
The debts, sort, solve;
Have the numbers accounted.
And then, I heard the call--
Your conch resounded. 

Wake us with the elixir 
Of eternal youthfulness. 
Like a lamp, let your raga stir, 
Illuminate with blissfulness. 
Let the darkness fly, 
Celebrations reverberate in the sky.
Chase the gloom away by 
Terrorising it to distant lands. 
We will hold your conch high
Today with our two hands. 

I know sleep will not reign
In my eyes any more.
I know arrows will rain
On my chest galore. 
Some will join us, weep
Or breathe deep,
Nightmares will chase sleep
Away from cots. 
Today, joy will sweep
To your great conch calls. 


I found myself shamed
When I sought comfort from you. 
Now, adorn all of us with coats of mail
And weapons of war anew. 
We will not flinch or bolt
Under any kind of assault. 
Even if my heart vaults
In grief, victory will still flow unstaunched. 
Our strength will be forged
With the fearless call of your conch. 



*Hibiscus
Jaba or hibiscus, symbolic of passion
Tuberose, symbolic of peace & purity
Courtesy: Creative Commons

This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor & Anasuya Bhar.

Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles

PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL

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Tagore Translations

Rabindranath’s Paean to Light

Aalo Amar Aalo (Light, My Light) was part of Tagore’s collection titled by him as Bichitro (Amazing) which appeared in 1911, and later as part of Geetabitan(1932)

Art by Sohana Manzoor
TO LIGHT

Light of mine, O light, the universe is filled with your effulgence, 
My heart is yours; my eyes drown in your refulgence. 
The light danced — danced amid my being. 
It sings — sings amid my heartstrings. 
The sky awakens, the breeze flits, the Earth laughs. 
As luminous currents surge, thousands of butterflies take flight. 
Mallika-Malati* dance in waves of light. 
The clouds are coloured with gold, infinite gems glitter. 
The leaves laugh intoxicated with elation. 
Your nectar floods the shores by the river of tunes. 

*Names of fragrant flowers

We present the song in Bengali by Chinmoy Chatterjee (1930-1987), also known as Chinmoy Chattopadhyay, an eminent singer from the past.

This song has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor and Anasuya Bhar.

Categories
Tagore Translations

Rabindranath & Autumn

Eshechhe Sarat ( Autumn) by Rabindranath Tagore was published in 1937. The poem flows to describe the season of Sarat, or the early part of autumn, when Bengalis celebrated their major festival, Durga Puja

Autumn in Bengal by Sohana Manzoor 
AUTUMN 

A cool breeze awakens
Autumn anew.
At dawn, the grass rim
Is lined with dew.

The amloki groves shiver.
Their hearts pound like drums,
As they know the time to shed
Leaves has clearly come.

The shiuli branches are laden with buds.
The togor blossoms hold sway.
The bees visit sprays of the
Malatilata twice a day.

As the rains have ended, 
The clouds roam the skies free. 
They drift with the breeze, 
At leisure and full of glee. 

The ponds ripple with water.
Their banks bloom with flowers.
The young rice plants fill the fields
The wind swings the paddy bowers. 

Wherever I look, a golden light 
Suffuses a vision of holidays,
The festive sun rises in the woods
Of puja* blossoms drenched in gold rays. 


------------------------------------------
Amloki is Indian gooseberry
Togor (genera: milkwood), shiuli (jasmine)and Malatilata (Rangoon creeper) are flowers that bloom around autumn
*Durga Puja
Togor
Malatilata
Courtesy: Creative Commons

This poem was a part of Sahaj Path, a set of books created by Tagore to teach the Bengali language. The four books that constitute the set were illustrated by the famed artist Nandalal Bose (1882-1966), who was also a major part of Santiniketan.

Sahaj Path, Tagore’s Bengali primer, of which this poem was a part. Courtesy: Creative Commons

(This poem has been translated by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial backing from Anasuya Bhar and Sohana Manzoor)

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Tagore Translations

Autumnal Songs Translated by Fakrul Alam

These are songs of Tagore centred around autumn, a season that is split into two parts in Bengal. Early autumn is called Sarat and late autumn Hemonto. The first two songs are descriptive of Sarat and the last one of Hemonto.

Autumn: Art by Sohana Manzoor
SAY WHAT YOU WILL (Tomra Ja Bolo tai bolo, written in 1921)

Say what you all will, I don’t mind
My time flies, and hours pass, aimlessly
The wild wind stirs me to a song
And spreads its tune across this deep-blue sky.
That song has stuck in my mind.
What nectar do I seek in the humming of bees?
Whose sky-pervading gaze seeks me out
And settles on my sight thus this day?
Shiuli flower that bloom in autumns in Bengal. Courtesy: Creative Commons
THE HEART WAS AWAKE (Hridoye Chheele Jege, written in 1921)

You were wide awake in my heart 
But I see you in autumnal clouds this day!
How was it you stole so quietly away at dawn,
Letting only your dress’s borders caress the dew?
            What song is it that I should sing?
            I simply can’t find words for it now!
They lie scattered with shiuli flowers under forest canopies
They’ve flown away with the gusting winds in sudden showers.
                        ***
Shiuli-Jasmine
Flowering Kash grass. Courtesy: Creative Commons
AUTUMNAL NIGHTS (Himer Raate, 1927)

On such cool autumnal nights
Hemonto hides heaven’s lamps with its cloak.
To every house it gives this call,
“Light festive lamps, make bright the night,
Shine your own lights, illuminate the world.”
Gardens are flowerless now; cuckoos sing no more;
Kash reed flowers keep falling by riverbanks,
But let go of darkness, despair and misery; light festive lamps-- 
Shine your own lights and proclaim the triumph of light
The gods look on — sons and daughters of earth, arise,
Illuminating the night,
Darkness may descend and day end but light festive lamps,
Shine your own light and triumph over this dark night
                         ***
Hemonto-Late autumn
Kash-Long grass

Below is a Youtube upload of Autumnal night or Himer Raate sung by the legendary singer Debabrata Biswas (1911-1980)

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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PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL