Phul Photano (Making Flowers Bloom) by Tagore was first published in 1906 in Kheya (Ferrying), a collection of 55 poems. The book was dedicated to the Indian scientist, Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858-1937), who discovered plants can feel pleasure, pain, understand affection and make sounds of distress.
MAKING FLOWERS BLOOM
You cannot force,
Force flowers to bloom.
Whatever you say or do,
However hard you try,
Day and night, excitedly
Striking the stem —
None of you can force,
Force flowers to bloom.
You can repeatedly
Fatigue with your glances.
You can tear the bunches,
And throw them in the dust —
In such extreme chaos,
If they break their silence,
Their colours could spill,
Their perfumes could overwhelm.
None of you can force,
Force flowers to bloom.
He who can make flowers bloom,
Does so on his own.
He radiates
With his eyes rays
Of the lifeforce
To enchant the stem.
He who can make flowers bloom,
Does so on his own.
Just his breath, seems
To make the flowers yearn to fly.
With wings made of leaves,
They waft in the breeze.
Vibrant varied hues bloom
Like the heart in a swoon.
Many are drawn to them,
Allured by the scents.
He who can make a flower bloom,
Does so on his own.
This poem has been translated from Bengali by Mitali Chakravarty with editorial input from Sohana Manzoor
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