Three Translations

of Rabindranath Tagore

by Avik Chatterjee

Translations of some works from Rabindranath Tagore

Included below are my efforts to translate some poems and songs by Rabindranath Tagore into the English language.

I have attempted to preserve the rhythm, meter, and cadence while remaining true to the spirit of the original works. In several places I have taken what I hope might be considered minor liberties with the literal meanings of individual words and phrases. This was done in order to engage the reader with images that are likely to be more familiar to an English-speaking audience and in an endeavor to retain some of the lyricism and musicality intrinsic to the Bengali originals.

The vast majority of Tagore’s work is indexed by first line and individual poems seldom have their own titles. Therefore, I have in each case referenced the poems by writing out the first line of each in Roman characters.

Acknowledgements: I would like to gratefully acknowledge the thoughtful assistance of Ms. Sarah Llop-Holton for providing a careful reading of poem number 1 and for offering a valuable suggestion that improved the last line of that piece.

Avik Chatterjee

 

 

1. Jibone joto pooja holo no shara

Those quests once started, yet far from done,
    were not in vain though scarce begun;
              The bud that flowers
                a scant few hours,
The stream now vanished in the desert sun;
        Not lost, not wasted, was their run.

The things that life left incomplete
     were not futile, I do repeat;
               All I postponed
               All I disowned
Provide chords for the divine lute;
 Even stray notes so come to fruit.

 

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2. Akash bhora surjo tara

Light fills the Sky,
            Life fills the Earth;
Between realms have I
            found fitting my hearth.
Wonder wakes me, drawing nigh;
           Wakes my song
                        to soar on high.

The ebb and swell
            of Time’s ceaseless Tide
rocks Creation’s dell
            from side to side;
Deep within me, I can tell
            my pulse partakes
                         the cosmic ride.
To Wonder’s resonant, clarion horn
            responds my voice
                           this waking morn.

I have walked
             the Faery trails
                           soft grass, underfoot;
I have scoured
             scented Vales
                           ripe with flower and with fruit;
Gifts of Bliss, scattered round,
              wake my words
                           to living sound.

Through ears and sight
            awake, keen, alert,
I’ve poured my heart
            into the Earth;
I’ve sought what’s unknown
           amid what’s common;
Discovery’s thrills
           my songs now summon.

 

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3. Ei kothati mone rekho

Keep in mind,
            and remember, please:
                        I sang blithe the day
                       of your joy and play;
            Keep in mind,
and remember, please.

I sang alone the day
              of falling leaves;
                         Unloved, unheard
                         my trembling word
              mid empty trees
              sung alone the day
                        of falling leaves;
              Keep in mind,
and remember, please.

You who travel by sun
            in day’s broad light-
Tread each step I took
            by darkest night.
When came my Call
            from a shore remote
I gave up all
            for a leaking boat
drifting far away
           on menacing seas:
I sang alone the day
           of falling leaves;
           Keep in mind,
and remember, please.

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