Songs
Translated from the Bengali into English by Mohammad Shafiqul Islam
The Face That Comes to Mind
Over and over why does the face I ignored
Heartlessly and pointlessly come to my mind?
In a forlorn summer noon,
The mind craves to fly far away.
In the guise of a beggar, eyes wet with tears,
He aroused empathy in the woods—
His heart had thirst, my pitcher had water.
Failing to get water, the thirsty singing bird
Fell down fast at the early morn.
I scattered flowers of his garland on dust
But can’t let slip the agony from memory.
Why does the one whom I didn’t own forever
Weep furtively in deep anguish from heart.
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The Rhythmic Rain
The rhythmic rain at dead of night
Sounds sweet and sad in my sleep.
Lightning and thunder
Awaken the sleeping lover.
Half asleep, he can’t recognize her,
The peacock queries—who’s she there?
Opening the door, the dark girl,
The neighbour, looks at clouds.
Whom do I see, whom—
The clouded sky or Meghomala?
The river water surges to the ocean,
Why does the outer storm pull me then?
Hoarded within the heart,
The night sky is overcast.
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In this Inauspicious Time
O northwester! In this inauspicious time
Take away these fallen buds.
Take away my life, these trodden flowers.
O river water! Take me
To the ocean of agonies,
The afflicted ocean wailing
Evermore looking at the moon.
O clouds! Send me away to the land
Where Shyam doesn’t leave me alone,
The land where life isn’t filled with
Grief and pain for a fleeting fault.
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Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, a poet, translator, and academic, is Professor in the Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet
Illustration : Rajat
