Volume I (Worship)

A Note to Readers:

Great family tragedies befell Rabindranath between 1902 and 1907, which however could not diminish his genius of writing spontaneous world class poems and songs of great diversity and depth and other literary creations of the most supreme order, nor lessen the fervor of his grand participation in copious national and international commitments and undertakings, everyday of his most illustrious life. The poet lost his wife in 1903 when he was forty two, and lost three of his five beautiful children after his wife’s death, yet he was supremely creative during all these years. The only silver lining in these darkest hours, heart breaking events, was that the poet was made a Nobel Literature laureate in 1913 and the rest was history.

It has been alleged that Rabindranath was a boring repetitive poet in certain quarters. To this we will add the observations of many 19th century great men and women of letters, most notably Pearl S Buck, US Nobel Literature laureate who observed in her article “A World Poet” –

“Tagore stands to us for pure beauty, for the universal. His poetry, his poetic prose reached deep and far because he spoke to us of mind and soul leading the human spirit to God. In a very real sense he was the world poet. His words - the tools which he used – are sensuous but not sensual comprehending not only love of God and relationship between man and God but human love. The profound sense of beauty pervades Tagore’s work and ennobles that and makes it understandable to every human heart. The world needs such poets.”

Johan Bojer of Norway reminisced about Rabindranath’s poetry, love and religion:

“His poetry belongs to no school-the flowers of Bengal were created by the sun and rain.
His love for his fellowmen is not the love of the Samaritan but the Song of Songs. He knows that just as dew drop in the grass may mirror the Heavens, so the human mind may reflect God.
His religion knows neither hope nor fear. It dwells in the calm of the Spiritual Universe which nothing but the human heart can comprehend.”

The French universalist and Nobel Literature laureate Romain Rolland summed up:

“He has been for us the living symbol of the spirit of Light and Harmony, the great free bird which soars in the midst of tempests, the song of Eternity which the Ariel makes to vibrate on his golden harp, above the sea of unloosened passions.
In tragic hours, Tagore is the clear-eyed and undaunted watchman of his own peoples and of the world.
All that we are and all that have been created have had their roots or their branches bathed in the great
Ganges of Poetry and Love.”

If we take into consideration that Rabindranath composed about 2300 songs and equal numbers of poems-some of the themes, words and phrases will seem familiar. One of the greatest scriptures, the Bible has many repetitions, but do they lessen its value? But speakers of or singers in Bengali language will know that apart from his style, Rabindranath has managed to leave a different emotion or appeal to listeners in most of his songs. His Toppa genre of songs are a class by themselves. These semi-classical Tagore songs cannot be sung by singers who did not have a training in Indian classical music. He crafted Folk, Kirtan, Bhatiyali and Baul styles of singing in his songs. He experimented with north and south Indian Ragas and created new Taal or beats after making an exhaustive use of the existing ones. After his first return from England, he also composed in Western style music, with Bengali lyrics and there are a bunch of his songs available in piano notations.

His PUJA (Worship) and PREM (Amore) songs, his own groupings, are at times so similar that we cannot always differentiate which one is in which category. For example, “Now I earned your company” has been classified in PUJA which can be a PREM song as well. Then again, “O beggar, you have made me a beggar” has been classified in PREM, which distinctly reminds of a song from Gitanjali, can be very well classified in PUJA. Such instances abound. Some of his PRAKRITI (Seasonal) songs could be PREM (love) songs as well for they speak of union with or separation from the beloved. As for the charge that Rabindranath is a boring poet is untenable. The allegation that he was a hermit, mystic only is also false. This reminds us of the parable of the 19th century Bengali saint Sri Ramakrishna. “An elephant passed by a group of blind people. One got to touch its trunk and said it was the trunk of a tree. Another touched one foot and said it was a pillar. A third blind man similarly missed the mark by a mile. Nobody was near the truth, nobody knew it was an elephant.”

Another phenomenon must be discussed while we are into Tagore songs, his song lyrics. If we climb the Mount Everest that is the GITABITAN or ORCHARD OF SONGS, we see such skyline, such cluster of stars and galaxies (figuratively), that common people are unaware. The appeal of Tagore songs is not in melodies alone, his lyrics are a mature distillation from the scriptures and literature of all major world religions and cultures, in particular the Upanishads and Vedanta System of Philosophy. National Professor, Acharya Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay thought Rabindranath was the “Supreme Commander Wordsmith of the Universe. The muse of the language and arts had shown all her beauty to the poet even as a devoted wife to her husband.”
As Rabindranath meditated on a transcendental godhead or Brahman, many of his paeans are psalms that can be sung in a church, synagogue or mosque, in a prejudice and fanaticism free world. A UK university professor wrote, “Up to 400 Western composers borrowed from Rabindranath with or without acknowledgement.” Literature Nobel laureates of the twentieth century were profoundly influenced by Rabindranath Tagore that the search engines are not aware of, and in our lifetime, at least one famous published poet copied a Tagore poem in parts and used it as own composition in a very important public event, without batting an eye.

To this we shall add the testimony of Father Pierre Fallon, a Member of the Society of Jesus from Belgium who was educated in Louvain University, passed MA in Bengali at Calcutta University and taught in St. Xavier’s College and Jadavpur University in Calcutta.

“But a misunderstanding must be dissipated: Tagore’s reputation as a predominantly ‘mystic’ poet should be exorcised. Tagore was infinitely versatile, and to give complete idea of his range one must bring in the most varied types of lyric poetry. There is in his poetry the joie de vive of the early Musset and the sensuousness of a Swinburne, the ethereal dreaminess of the author of ‘Namouna’, the meditative and intimate moods of Lamartine, the flights of romantic fancy of a Shelley, and the verbal magic of a Hugo, the Wordsworthian communion with Nature and the perfect craftsmanship of Tennyson in his medieval ballads. More aptly perhaps, his poetry can be compared with the ever changing art of Goethe with its universal creative range. The West knows Tagore only as author of Gitanjali and believes this to be his greatest work: it is great indeed but representative only of one aspect of Tagore’s poetical creativeness. Till the other aspects are revealed to them, Western readers will not know the real greatness of Rabindranath and this would be a major loss to them.”

We are gradually and modestly trying to clear the misconceptions through the pages of this web site.

The explicit descriptions of female beauty and corpus features of earliest Sanskrit poets did not find their echo in Rabindranath. In Urvashi, he only imagined the heavenly nymph was in her birthday suit in one stanza of the poem. We do not expect Rabindranath to go beyond that. He created more than 100 songs on Bengal’s Rainy Season alone. A medley of seasonal flowers, forest foliage, abounding greenery, incessant rains, wind, cloud and sky, interactions of these features upon one another and varying emotions of human heart were his main ingredients. Similarly he composed about a hundred songs on the Spring season. The flora, fauna and shrubbery have changed this time. In summer and autumn different groups of blossoms and verdure fill the bouquet of his songs. The longing of the separated couples is very well demonstrated in the rainy season or in the south wind of spring which kindles feelings of desire. There he was traditional with the Sanskrit poets or poets like Vidyapati, who just preceded him and lamented, “The month is Bhaadra (July-August), full of monsoon rains and my living quarter is empty.” In the “Twelve Monthly Ordeal of Fullara”, the wife of a game hunter, Kabikankan (Poet laureate) Mukunda Chakravarty mused: “In the honey laden Spring, the south wind is amorously gentle. Bees are drunk with nectar and damsels are filled with burning desire.”

Rabindranath’s songs with diverse melodies, beats and celestial lyrics break the monotony many times over. There is pathos, but there is also excitement. If he sounds depressed, next moment he lifts up. The poet had been correct in predicting that if all else of his creations perish, his GITABITAN or the Orchard of Songs will survive the test of time. This is no less than Palgrave’s Golden Treasury of Poems. This is “The lunatic, the lover and the poet are of imagination all compact.” Rabindranath has never disappointed in his songs, rather he uplifted a nation, paying attention to the endorsements of Mahatma Gandhi and Aung San Suu Kyi in the film.

Translations, concepts and interpretations are the responsibility of the creator of this web site. They are by no means the last word in translation and meant to let the non-Bengali speaking enthusiasts have a glimpse into the world of the poet – fraught with purity, rich imagination and supreme control of words. Bengali alliterations cannot be easily translated or emulated in English, but we tried to retain similes, metaphors and other rhetoric as much as the concepts will allow. We tried not to overdo or unpardonably distort the intrinsic thought.

Other poets of Bengal on Rabindranath:

Satyen Datta:

The poet of Bengal is singing in the world the paean of an epic life.
The life and livelihood of a Bengali are not inane, useless.
We look to the future with a heart filled with hope and joy.
Bengalis will do God’s bidding through His grace.

সত্যেন দত্ত :

বাঙ্গালীর কবি গাহিছে জগতে মহাজীবনের গান। 
বিফল নহে এ বাঙ্গালী জীবন বিফল নহে এ প্রাণ। 
ভবিষ্যতের পানে মোরা চাই আশাভরা আহ্লাদে। 
বিধাতার কাজ সাধিবে বাঙ্গালী ধাতার আশীর্বাদে। 

Atulprasad Sen:

Rabi played on your lyre and earned a laurel from the world.
The whole world makes a pilgrimage mother Bengal, at your feet.

(Poet APS is implying Vishwa Bharati at Shantiniketan, international university founded by Rabindranath to be a place of pilgrimage for the world).

অতুলপ্রসাদ সেন:

বাজিয়ে রবি তোমার বীণে আনলো মালা জগত জিনে। 
তোমার চরণ তীর্থে মাগো জগৎ করে যাওয়া আসা। 

কামিনী রায় :

1 The National Anthem of India (The Dispenser of India’s Destiny)

Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people,
Thou dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts
Of the Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha
Of Dravid, Orissa and Bengal.
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
Mingles in the music of the Jumna and Ganges,
And is chanted by the waves of the Indian Ocean.
They pray for thy blessing and sing thy praise.
Thou dispenser of India’s destiny,
Victory, Victory, Victory to thee. (Abridged)

2. The National Anthem of Bangladesh (My Golden Bengal-I Love You)

My Golden Bengal, I love you
Throughout my life, your sky and air play music.
O Mother! In spring you mango orchard is wildly redolent
With mango blossoms, fancy me.
In the fall I have witnessed your sweet smile,
In the fields filled with harvest. (Abridged)

3. Life pulsates in the universe filled with stars and the sun, (Aaakash bhora surya tara…)
It is a wonder I too have my space amongst them
And have a chance to sing about it.
The world sways with the primeval tides from eons and ages,
My bloodstream feels its pull,
And I have a chance to sing about that wonder.
I have tiptoed on the grass in the forest trails,
My mind has been overcome with the aroma of flowers,
Scattered are the gifts of joy,
And I have a chance to sing about that wonder.
I lent my ears, my eyes are wide open,
I have laid my life out in this world,
I have searched for the unknown amid the known,
And I have a chance to sing about that wonder.

4. Cascades of joy flow through the universe. Day and night (Ananda dhaara bohichhe bhubone)
Divine ambrosia overflows the skies and mirth spreads.
The sun and the moon drink the nectar, chalices full,
Their imperishable luster remains radiant, cool,
Filling the earth with light and life invigorate.
Should you keep to being on your own?
Why brood on yourself, why bemoan?
Expand the horizon, cast a pervasive glance,
Petty sorrows are trifling, realize perchance,
Sate your empty life with love for the fellow men.

5. You came in the guise of sorrow, shall I be scared of you, hardly. (Dukher beshe esechho….)
lies pain, shall I grasp you all the more earnestly.
Darkness veiling your face and see you not, still recognize you dearly,
In the veil of death you call me on, shall cling to you and die gracefully.
In any form may you appear, I know you are my lord surely.
Lachrymose am I today, tears welling, let it be.
Your grip is too firm, with shear force it binds me.
Let my pain ever remind, you also sustain, such is the decree,
No demand, not a speech, only your face I long to see.

6. My dear friend, my beloved, thy words are divine (Shudhu tomaar baani….)
And yet the soul longs for a sweet touch of thine.
The fatigue of the sojourn, an entire day’s thirst,
Has become unquenchable, for this wanderlust,
Pray reassure, darkness ere me is fullness’ counterpart.
My heart also wants to offer, not just receive gifts,
It carries away eagerly life’s measly thrifts.
Extend your loving hand, place it gently on mine,
Shall hold it, fill it up, and preserve it in time,
Soothing then shall be my lonesome wayfaring.

7. Offering (my love) to you, accepting returns and again giving you back, (Deoa neoa firiye deoa)
Through births and rebirths, this routine is evolving, never any slack.
Could death ever put a stop to such a process and good sense lack?
When I wake up in the morning listening to your song,
And gaze at the sky and seek your presence along,
You at once come down to earth as my companion,
To soak in melodies my harp produces in wild abandon.
Owing abundantly to the golden stream of light you spirit across,
I grow lovely flowers on my parcel of land to pay the debt off.
My groves of Shefali, the autumn queen, sweetly scents the night out and in
You match my gesture with a tune, when pouring rains the serenades ring. Shefali-white sweet scented flower of autumn with a deep orange teat

8. O! Poor, you too have made me poor, what else is your asking? (O go kaangal aamarey…)
O! Beggar, O my beggar! What sorrowful song do you sing?
I hoped to greet you with newfound treasures every morning-
Beggar, O my beggar! Alas!
In a heartbeat, I dedicated all at your feet and am left with nothing.
I clad you with the end of my own garment,
To please you, my whole world is emptied and spent,
Behold my life, youth, mind are on your stretched palms.
O! Beggar, my beggar!
If you still need from me more token gifts and alms-
Please, O please, return some, let some of it come back
And I assure you will receive all of it intact.

9. Casting me at the jaws of death, to a far off place you journey, (Moronero mukhe rekhe….)
Only to assure your return to me, in an outpouring of sympathy.
I sail away time and again beyond the sun and the sunset,
I search for me after losing myself and in this cycle I oscillate.
Methinks, you wish to play all melodies in my heartstrings,
Through my fear and victory, my ignominy and trail of glory.
You will fill me up with melodies, so you keep me afar,
A flute is set to play during our union, when you invite me near.

10. If it is insisted upon that leave I must, so would I. (Yete yadi hoy hobe hobe hobe go…)
I really loved the chiaroscuro of light and shade,
The play of colors, in the munificent sky.
Many a day have I passed in many moods, doing many a chore,
In happiness and sorrow have I spent, in bashfulness, in honor.
I have tried to meet all the hard debts dutifully,
But have been oblivious of everything, occasionally.
I had my share of play, floating toy boats in the river,
A lot of time did I spend in a nonchalant manner.
Life has not been a cower, was full of fruits and flower,
Who may be a willing successor, if I leave anything over?
All debits and credits shall cease, burdened life will ease,
I shall be able to take my leave smilingly and in silent peace.

11. Chant the paean of fearlessness on an auspicious mission, (Shuvo karmapothe dhoro nirvoyo)
May all pusillanimous doubts absolve in clear resolution.
The fountain of eternal power pours down in profusion,
Anoint your forehead with its sacred ablution.
May your newly awakened, unblemished life,
Get an initiation in sacrifice and strife.
Let the hideous danger add an honor stripe.
O Wayfarer, continue your march day and night,
Forge ahead for the path to the immortal flight.
Get over blind inertia and dark ignorance,
Mercilessly rend any vestige of tiresomeness.
With an unbeaten spirit at the end of the day,
Take a dip in holy water* that may death disobey.

* Taking a dip in pilgrimage, in the holy waters of sacred rivers,
on auspicious days, is considered sacred and death defying.

12. Breaking the barrier, you appear with a hallowed radiance, (Bhengechho duar esechho jyotirmoy)
May victory be unto you!
Dispelling blind darkness is your magnificent presence,
May victory be unto you!
At the dawn of a fresh start, you triumphant pioneer,
With the scimitar of new hope, obsession cut asunder,
By your fiercest blow, bondage too will disappear.
Welcome the insufferable, welcome too to the merciless,
May victory be unto you!
Welcome the clean-hearted, welcome too to the fearless,
May victory be unto you!
The morning sun has risen in the guise of the Destroyer,
On the path of adversity, your trumpet stridently blares,
Lighting roseate fire in your heart, death may you dare.

13. Fear not, have no fear, the gate will open, and victory is quite near. (Naai naai bhoy hobe…)
I know, know do I, ties that bind you down, will certainly tear.
Fitfully, you lose yourself and spend a somnolent night,
You will soon have to rein in the world, in your own right.
The clarion call goes out for you in land, water, in the worldly habitat,
Melody will enrich the tune in weal and woe, in bashfulness, in angst.
The flowers, twigs, rivers and fountains, all will join you in chorus,
Light and darkness will dance in cadence in that great musical opus.

14. With your own self, you created inside a layer of delusion, (Aaponarey diye rochili re…)
Open heart’s door, the abode of joy is there for you to beacon.
Deliverance is not confined in four walls, the sky also a prison,
The breath of things is motionless air, filled with poison.

Push the screen away, smother darkness, move yourself afar,
Your life then will easily be charmed and filled with nectar.
Let your flute be shorn of tune, the master musician is about to sing,
Do not seek any alms and you will retain all your treasures within.

15. In my subconscious, someone day after day dances, (Momo chitte niti nritye…)
Rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat.
A percussion accompaniment, also sounds great,
Rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat.
Smile and snivel, diamond-emerald jewel, like a tiara fashion,
Good and evil keep dance beats in cadence and unison.
Life and death too dance, in a close sequence,
Rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat.
What an ecstasy, what a joy, what rapture!
Dances freedom, day and night as well as tether,
Behind this surge, I charge in a frisky maneuver,
Rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat, rat a tat tat.

16. Please forgive, do forgive me, accept, do accept my obeisance, (Aaamay kshomo he kshomo)
Reminiscing you, O incomparable, my heart chimes in a cadence.
My whole body yearns for you in an unscriptural resounding chant,
The rhythm descends on all sides amid a life vigorous and vibrant,
My adoration displays in myriad ways in a song of enchantment.
In a supreme pain my heart quivers, tremor spreads across the chest,
Ripples play across the ocean of peace and beauty manifest.
All my consciousness with all its travail worship the magnificent,
Let not my spirited efforts, at your feet die in shame inordinate,
My adoration displays in myriad ways in a song of enchantment.
I did not pluck a forest flower-a fruit was not in my harvest,
My pitcher remains empty and dry, no holy water its content,
Shorn of all shackles, heart pours out from an elusive fountainhead,
Empty that may be at your feet, in worship, in an auspicious event,
My adoration displays in myriad ways in a song of enchantment.

17. When in a state of oblivion, you danced for the end of creation, (Proloy nachon nachle….)
O, the King of dance, your matted locks were flung open.
The Ganges too followed suit spreading her flowing tresses,
Like a lost soul, she was trying to correct her courses,
Her waves were billowing at music’s soft nuances.
The sun’s rays chimed in across heaven’s gateway,
Sending a message of fearlessness to the runaway.
Rejoicing as it does drifting in its force of current,
It became the companion of its alter ego for a moment,
The utterly vagrant found lost treasures on its embankment.

18. I have heard the call beyond the dreamland. Waking aplomb, (Swapan parer dak shunechhi…)
I ponder, “Has anybody ever found a key to the fantasyland?”
Not as if one has to go there, not one has anything to acquire,
In its ken, there is no tall or short demand,
Yet from the world, the key has been lost to the dreamland.
The obscure bloom unfolds from the heart of the wanted and begotten,
The firmament is wild with its fragrance that spreads in every dimension.
Someone whom I search in melody, in the deepest recess of my custody,
Who reached the unplumbed point, has stolen the key to the fantasyland.

19. Under the slumber-less sky, today flames of fire burn bright in numerous stars (Aaj taray taray…)
I had my invitation in the great luminous assembly of heaven,
That failed to impress, yes it did fail to impress me genuine,
So here am I, after journeying over, and sailing across time,
Reached under the canopy of the slumber-less sky.
Here, whispers soft and sweet are heard on land and water,
On the evergreen carpet of the mother earth,
Here on grasses, colorful flowers draw ornate design,
On the forest tracks, darkness and light embrace and pine.
I am impressed. I am so very impressed,
So I while away here only, ever indulgent in playful time,
Cherishing the evergreen carpet of the mother earth.

20. Even now darkness did not dispel, even now there is strife. (Ekhono gelo na aandhar…)
Even now the ritual with death, did not get actualized in life.
When, O when, the trials and tribulations will bring in the wreath
Of victory, and the groans of night in the morning glitter sunlit?
Even now the reflection of the self is causing an illusion!
Even now the mind in vain is looking back into past forgotten,
Woe be gone, the flash of lightning, dazzling my eyes on a sudden.

21. Behold the play of color on the ripples on the lake of savor, (Chahiya dekho rasero srote…)
Do not, O do not attempt to bring the same to you, near.
What you want to possess and preserve in sincere,
It fades in darkness, fades away for anon and ever-
The play with the strings of the violin in my heart,
Fashioned nothing but melody, and a message apart.
Beyond touch is this, this knows no finite measure,
In the assembly of the gods, the nectar is drunk over.
In the current of the river, in many orchards bearing flower,
In the sweetness of laughter, in the twinkle of an eye’s corner,
Knowing that it is ever free, relish a drink of that nectar.

22. O, dust of my motherland, I bow down and touch thee with my forehead, (O aamar desher maati…)
On thee, the all-pervading, universal mother’s shelter apparel is spread.
Thou hast merged with my body-hast blended with my life and soul.
Thy soft and verdant image is imprinted in mind’s inner console.

I was born in thy lap mother; my death was on thy bosom,
All my play in weal and woe was in your very playroom.
You put food in my mouth, quenched thirst with cold water,
You bore and forbore everything, my mother of all mothers!

Mother, you have fed me enough, plenty have I received from you,
Yet know I not, what in return have I done for you.
All life I spent in futile efforts, I whiled away precious time indoor,
The power omnipotent God, entrusted me with, has been a no go.

23. No more inspirational effusiveness in my gut. (Kolahol to baaron holo…)
Now I know only to gaze with my dazed, outstretched heart.
I am the new moon night, devoid of light, casting stars numberless,
Looking at my own interminable path, in a measure of hopelessness.
When you play music with your voice, melody is borne in air,
From the depths of silence, wind blows bewilder, beyond the ocean
of slumber.
The echo of all your tunes reverberate in my own musical fare,
No one knows if it reaches your dreams past the vast darkness, ever.

24. Your divine music rushes to the infinite sky, to worlds away, afar. (Baani tobo dhaay…..)
Your messengers are the radiant sun, moon, planets and the stars.
Happiness and sorrow are your messages, so are life and death. Like the
Fountain of peace in the heart of a devotee, the message is profound and secret.

25. The flower wilts and drops and yet flower continues to bloom.
The wind blows it over and the earth blends it back into loam.
Fragrance you scattered, a smile offered, your role is so over.
Even love pleasantly manifested, by no means a trifle either.

26. The flower muses, “Blessed am I, sure blessed, on this earth. (Phool boley, dhonyo aami…)
Presiding deity, you I serve, worship in solitude and mirth.
I sprang up from the lowly dust - please let me forget that,
O yes, let me do forget, and yet let me forget that,
For, there is not the slightest speck of dust in my heart…
Cast your eyes down on me and envision,
My petals do throb in joyous supplication.
Let me please let me have the touch of your holy feet,
So this treasure of the dust turns in a divine gift,
I am, for the heaven, a symbol of mother earth’s greet”.

(Song of the untouchable/outcaste girl named Prakriti; dust is
symbolic of her low birth, flower of her innocence. Prakriti was
recognized by a Buddhist monk who upheld her human dignity).

 

27. In this universe of peace and joy manifest as truth and beauty, (Anandalokay mangalalokay….)
My lord, the infinite sky expounds your grandeur and piety,
Encircling you the bejeweled cosmos fulfills its solemn duty.
The heavenly orbs, the sun, the moon ceaselessly scurry and spin,
They bathe in thy imperishable rays and soak the blessings in.
Fountains cascade down on the earth embellishing the view,
Fragrant flowers, trees, music join in this retinue.
In ever renewed vigor, flux of life on the earth moves on,
Life through death ever present is your unremitting compassion.
Faith, love and kindness, divine attributes soothe our aching heart,
Relentless mercy you do shower to redeem the afflicted and hurt.
The world partakes in and pays homage to this cosmic festivity,
Abiding attributes of the supreme are beauty and prosperity.

28. We salute you Helmsman, at the start of our journey, now on, (Aamader jatra holo shooroo…)
We do not plan a comeback if winds threaten or in the midst of a gathering storm.
As we sing your praise Captain, snags and dangers fall away.
"Fear not", in chorus we say and take the boat in its sway.
We shall not wait for those who chose to remain indoors,
Your call is final and is reason enough for us to leave the shores.
Who is our ally, who is not, what is indoors, where is out, O Captain!
Relying on you, happily shall we discharge our burden, and we salute you yet again.
The oars are ready, the sail hoisted, now you take the helm, O Captain!
Life and death dance on the wave crest and carefree is our refrain.
We do not seek for helpmate any longer, O Captain!
We know for sure that you and we are in this together, O Captain.

29. My friend, you stand beyond the boundary of here and hereafter. (Jibono moroner simaana….)
In the lonely sky of my heart, your great throne is with light pervaded,
In profound hope and intense joy, I eagerly reach hands outstretched.
The silent night has made an offering, her darkness tresses at your feet engulfing.
Today what song has come down from your violin and flooded the stratos?
The earth reverberates with the melody and I lose myself in its pathos.

30. Do confer sight on the blind, life to the lifeless. (Andhajonay deho aalo….)
My lord, the ocean of compassion, us you bless, with a drop of nectar,
My heart is hard and parched up sprinkle in my eyes, your loving tear.
The one who does not remember you, please remind him.
The one who moves farther away from you, sustain him.
One who is athirst, wandering by the sea of your mercy,
Offer a drink of ambrosia to him.

31. My bedtime prayer was to discern you when I wake up, (Nishitha shayaney bhebe:
O lord, knower of my innermost thought.
When I got up in bright daylight, I bowed down at your feet
And promised to give up the fruit of my lot,
O lord, knower of my innermost thought.
While at work during my busy day, I thought of making time for you in the evening,
When all work will end.
As twilight hit, I sit in my corner and comprehend that into the sea of rest enjoining you,
My aches and weariness will silently descend,
O lord, knower of my thought most intimate.

 

32. Shower torrents of peace on earth my lord, (Barisa dharaa maajhey….)
With parched heart fellowmen and women are looking up aboard.
Darkness shall dispel, sins of flesh expel
No regret or mourning shall prevail.
Heart will render clean, life invigorating
Obstacles will be stretched thin.
No more shall remain envy and jealousy,
No more the snares of pride and hypocrisy.
Confer love in stony hearts and we sing hail to thee.

33. I shall light lamps with my sorrow and at the end of day offer to you. (Aamaar sakal dukher pradip…)
My worship punctuated by afflictions is not yet through.
At twilight, when birds return to nest, temple bells peal
The last flame of this life will keep burning still,
Then only, my worship punctuated by afflictions will fulfill.
Many a thought of many a day, tempered with pain,
And listlessness arises in my mind, now and then.
When stars will rise one by one fired by the sacrificial flames of my devotion,
Will rush in abandon toward their lunar mansion,
When they will identify with the glow of the setting sun,
Then only, my worship punctuated by affliction will find its fruition.

34. In the deep dark of night glows the pole star, (Nibirha Ghana aandhaarey…)
My mind, in this ocean, let this be your cynosure.
When the heart is laden with sadness, do not cease the music.
Let life achieve fruition, beyond the confinement of hypnosis.
Depend on your strength and on eternal hope.
Depend in this life on love’s abiding scope.
Keep a smile on your lips, as you negotiate hardship,
Filling your heart with the lord’s grace of kinship.

35. In the serene joy of this morn, in the aroma of the blooms afresh, (Prabhaatey bimala aanandey)
In the rhythm permeating through bird song, I feel the hint of your presence.
In your mansion, the world everyday awakes to new spirits,
The infinite void fills up with light, the universe etched in diverse motif,
You oversee everything, my lord, from your obscure seat.
On all sides the play is carried over, with life, color, and light’s great fair,
Where are you lord, in a concealed cloister?
Where is your limit, the end of you is where?
The end of you is really nowhere, it is nowhere.

36. If you so wish, I would come back on this earth in a heartbeat, (Aabar yadi ichchha koro)
Where joy and sorrow are playful like the waves at a retreat.
Again shall I play on the dust, float paper boat in a river,
Chase the mirage of laughter and end up in a vale of tear.
A thorny path would I travel on, sail into the darkness of night,
I shall get hurt and still live, or death shall be my plight,
You still appear in disguise and urge me to play on,
I learn to love this world with a newfound passion.

37. Whoever entrust your banner with, pray grant the bearing ability. (Tomaar pataakaa jaaray daao..)
Grant the devotion to serve you with stoic suffering and piety.
I implore with all my desire, woe you proffer and woe you disbar,
For this is your endearing gift, I do not want to escape in fear.
A crowning feat will be my tear, if unstinted devotion is near.
If you will me work and more, promise me not to forget you.
If only my heart is not caught up in fake trivial pursuit.
Snare me much if you will, but keep me free for your drill,
Retain me holy in the dust, where is your own footstool.
Keep me oblivious of the world, not of you forgetful.

38. Dishonor to one’s self is the bewilderment due to hesitation. (Sankochero biwbhalataa nijere…)
Be not depressed courting a danger in your imagination.
Free yourself from fear,
Trust in your own might, victory over the self is near.
Save the weak, strike at the miscreant,
Do not take yourself to be helpless and morally repugnant.
Free yourself from fear,
To depend on your own self hesitate never.
When in a clarion call, righteousness summons you,
In silence pledge your life, with all the respect due.
Free yourself from fear,
In arduous tasks, reveal your awesome caliber.

39. O you, the dawn of a new era is about to usher, (Ore nutan juger bhorey..)
May you not vacillate and waste time deciding if the time is proper.
What remain, what not, what will happen and what not, O you careful,
May these not delude you to confusion and throw in turmoil.
As the fountain descends through an inaccessible mount track,
Without a worry, leap into the unknown life’s uncertain path.
Strength rising in you, restrictions will raise their head,
Know this you will prevail by charming the subjugated.
On every footfall, the trumpet of victory will sound, do not
Do not be tardy as journey gets easy when all the feet pound.

40. No more delay, now you clasp hands and form a human chain, (Akhon aar deri noy…..)
Now is the time to retrace our path to the bliss of unity in heaven.
Hark, the conch blows loud and the temple door opening, lest the
Auspicious moment passes by, where is your deity offering?
Adorn now your tray of worship with things in the household,
With the streaming flux of self- sacrifice, fill up the holy pot.
Today we give, as well as receive, why then posture a delay?
If you wish to live so be it, to die, a wish with death parley.

41. May your fiery rays singe away all my unmanliness,
Terrible Lord, endow with strength, treat thy devotee with grace.
Fierce Lord, banish my foolish doting, pettiness of flesh,
The inspiration of life will defy the ignominy of death.
The churning of great grief will bring forth nectar,
Solace unto them paranoid by death’s mortal fear.
The splendor of your spirited rays will melt the glacier,
Unfettered by the stony path the life flow will steer clear.

 

42. Victory, victory, victory will be yours, (Hobay joy, hobay joy…)
Valiant one, my hero fear you abhor.
The life itself is victorious, a life etched in greatness,
A delightful paean is triumphant, so is a dalliance,
Weal too, and a luster of great consequence.
Te darkness will vanish surely, my hero, the fearless,
Wake up from sleep, open your eyes, let languor fall in its face,
Let the crimson ray of hope prominently take its rightful place.

43. The cloud has announced its’ parting, the night intends to follow suit. (Megh bolechhe jabo jabo…)
The sea claims finding its frontier and avers its existence is a doubt.
The sorrow states it exists as lord’s own footprints,
My own self declares, “I blend in, nothing else do I need”.
The universe waits for you with its ceremonial tray of welcome,
The sky awaits lighting a million lamps in your honor.
Love mimes that it is awake through eons and ages for you,
Death says that it paddles the boat of your life.
The cloud has announced, ‘I part’, night says, ‘I follow suit’.
The sea avers, ‘I found a frontier, my existence is of doubt’.
Sorrow states, ‘Silently I remain, as prints of the Lord’s feet’,
My self declares, ‘I have blended in, nothing else I need’.
The universe says, ‘For you there is a welcome platter’,
The sky chimes, ‘A million lamps are lit in your honor’.
Love murmurs, ‘Am awake for you ages and eon’,
Death assures, ‘I row the boat of your life along’.

44. This curtain of delusion with self is but your own creation, (Aaaponare diye rochibi re ki a…)
Verily you will discover the abyss of joy inside, once you go past the aberration.
Freedom today is a vain pursuit, even the infinite sky is offering a limited bound,
The suffocation is poisonous with the staleness of the air around.
So push this barrier, darkness melts down, remove yourself further away,
Then and then your life will find the fount of immortality along the way.
Do not fill your flute with tunes yet, the master will take up the task delightful,
Do not go begging and you will find your unnoticed treasure trove is full.

45. Who it is, O who has painted her with lines and colors that snare? (Ore chitrarekha doray…)
I gaze at her as in long lost myriad memories and in wonder.
Whose brush it is that claimed the victory sketch of this paragon of beauty, spell bound?
As if an epic lyric icon in a spring full moon night got tattooed with Ashoka flowers newly blossomed.
The posture of dance is also a painted portrait.
Which heaven’s enchanting mirage does it manifest?
In the azure sky of autumn, the lightning bolt lost its portent.
Whom will you offer your unsaid words and the garland woven with the divine Mandar flowers,
The garland of your wedding?
In the sleepless night filled with love songs for your beloved, before whose eyes will you be
Gracefully appearing?

46. The skits of Paus & Fagoon are pulsating with tears and laughter. (Kanna-hasir dole dolano…)
Amid these shall I carry over my tray of music for ages hereafter.
Does this please you much, so you decide to weave me a garland melodious with rapture?
Is that why I am sleepless today, shorn of all shackles,
And all the troubles of my life are with a strong breeze astir?
Light and darkness of my days and nights are entwined in a rupture.
Does this please you much, so you decide to weave me a garland melodious with rapture?
I have not yet arranged my night’s shelter and playing truant with daytime chores.
Still I cannot find leisure from my idleness bridled scores.
Peace, O in this wide world where is peace for me?
Absence of peace strikes my violin that bursts into songs of glee.
The flame of songs that consume life will always be there for me.
Does this please you much, so you decide to weave me a garland of melody?

47. I have offered to be captivated, the free bird of the sky am I, (Doraa diyechhi go…)
For I have seen in your eyes my new blue yonder blues.
What mystery have you been hiding under your eyelashes?
When you smile, the hint of the early dawn is manifested.
My heart longs to fly there solo and dwell in the realm of
The iris of your eyes.
Looking at that sky my heart has called out,
There all spurts and gusts of song want to get lost.

48. Who will emancipate the bonded beautiful from tyranny? (Sundorero bondhon nishthurero…)
Who will wipe tears off the eyes of the helpless and afflicted?
Behold, the earth is hurt by the cry of torture,
Pierced by the poison arrow of unrighteousness.
Who will save the frail from the attack of the forceful?
Whose mercy it is that will embrace the humiliated?

49. O New! May again auspicious moment of your birth emerge (Hey nutan dekha dik aarbar…)
Manifest like the sun, clearing up all fog in its surge.
Smiting all emptiness, may you yourself uncover,
Triumph of Life be decreed by the herald forever,
Let the infinite express its ineffable surprise as you appear.
Conch-shell blows in the peaks of sunrise with an exulting fervor,
Be it etched that the 25th of Baisakh in our calendar,
Called out for the ever new in its grandest splendor.

50. In a fitful fervor you play your lyre to me, I hear, I hear not the nuances. (Tomaro bina aamaro…)
The melodies make the sky shiver, sharing songs with the earth it poises,
Anon the tumult spreads all over and wraps it up, melodies return in my dreams
Free of shackles and noises.
O Muse of poetry! At your court of the talented and the gifted,
The restless mind moves in a stupor, unappreciated.
Through your lotus groves, I was making my way,
A listless wind stole my radar and caught me in its sway.
The melody lingered all through into the spring night tender,
Into the sunrise, on spring foliage the nuances wafted over.
Same music in my heart I want to bear in my forlorn way,
Busy winged bumblebees are minstrels humming gay.
Why is it that the fog holds the shroud at bay?
Darkness smothers the light and my eyes suffer the fray.

51. Great life and great death, I take refuge in the twosome. (Hay mohajibon, hay mohamoron…)
I take refuge unto you both.
When the light of the lamp goes out, kindle the flame,
Crown it O crown it with the halo of the bright rays,
Claim all my shame, I take refuge unto you.
Your feet is my touchstone, I take refuge in them
I take refuge. Smother all that is unclean, dark and evil,
Let all of them turn into good, wholesomeness
Remove all veils and covers.

52. It is with your kindness that I wish to lave my life away. (Tobo doya diye hobe go ….)
How else shall I be able to access and take refuge at thy feet?
When I offer my tray to you for worship, my blemishes only come out
And I cannot rest my heart at your feet.
I did not have any complaints until now and
My being was sullen and covered with dust.
Today I cry out for your holy sanctuary,
Let me not loiter in the dust and delusion any more.

53. The trials and travails of my life I submitted for you to redress. (Momo duhkhero sadhono…)
The auspicious moments went by, love did not blossom and
Tears did not well up to crown our moment of union.
The stream of compassion did not flow,
In seclusion and sultriness flowers wilted,
The garland could never be offered to you.
I thought, I traced a blink of solace at your stare,
But that too vanished not too long after.
If only you had offered your gift tinted in pain,
Would have had it back in an immortal gesture.

54. Filling up the firmament your white conch sounds. (Shubhra naba shankha…)
The auspicious song of awakening is resounding,
It is echoing, it is reverberating.
Your feet is manifest on a red hued seat and
The lotus of my heart has bloomed.
Please accept it, gleefully clean, touch holy
And on the far side of the dark gloom.

55. The world today is frenzied with hatred, (Hingsaay unmatta prithvi…)
Conflicts are cruel and unceasing in anguish.
Crooked are its path and tangled its bonds of greed.
All creatures are crying for a new birth of thine,
O Thou of boundless life!
Save them, rouse thy eternal voice of hope.
Let love’s lotus with its inexhaustible treasure of honey
Open its petals in thy light.
O Serene! O Free! In thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
Wipe away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.

Thou giver of immortal gifts, give us the power of renunciation
And claim from us our pride.
In the splendor of a new sunrise of wisdom,
Let the blind get their sight and life come to the souls that are dead.
O Serene! O Free! In thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
Wipe away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.

 

Man’s heart is restless with a desire that knows no end.
Countries far and wide wear a blood red mark of hatred.
Touch them with thy right hand, make them one in spirit.
Bring harmony in their life, bring rhythm and beauty.
O Serene! O Free! In thine immeasurable mercy and goodness
Wipe away all dark stains from the heart of this earth. (Translated by the poet)

 

 

56. Let my thoughts like sparks
Ride on winged surprises
Carrying a single laughter. (Original English couplet by the poet)

57. My thoughts are fireflies
Speak of living light
Twinkling in the dark. (Original English couplet by the poet)