শুধু যাওয়া আসা, শুধু স্রোতে ভাসা, Alas this ceaseless going and coming This endless drifting with the current ************************************************* I have been travelling extensively for the last six months, both on work and leisure and I haven’t been at home for any significant stretch of time. It has been a case of constant going and coming; of ceaseless packing, unpacking, and packing. On top of that, I was recently evacuated from Sierra Leone to London, which was quite unsettling. I had also recently heard that one of my friends’ sons - a fine, talented and promising young man barely out of his boyhood, had tragically died at an accident in the sea. The heartbreaking news has been gnawing me at the back of my mind since the time I heard it and I have been thinking of my bereaved friend. All this brought home to me the tragedies, the uncertainties, the emotional fluxes and whirlpools that life often presents us with. And then strangely last evening, as I was randomly and half heartedly listening from my vast collection of Tagore’s songs in my MP-3 player, a particular song came up. It came up once and after a few more songs, it came up once again, this time by another artist. When it played the second time, I took note and I realized that it represented my current mental state accurately and completely, as no other thing could. I share with you a translation of the song I just did and you will know what I mean. Knowing Tagore the little that I do, I have taken the liberty of interpreting the meaning of the last paragraph in my own way and giving it a positive slant. I know I am treading on thin ice with my translation, but I believe, as did Tagore that amidst all the upheavals and set backs of our lives, there remains an element of love and hope, how so ever small and incomplete it may be, which eventually sees us through. শুধু যাওয়া আসা, শুধু স্রোতে ভাসা, শুধু আলো-আঁধারে কাঁদা-হাসা ॥ শুধু দেখা পাওয়া, শুধু ছুঁয়ে যাওয়া, শুধু দূরে যেতে যেতে কেঁদে চাওয়া, শুধু নব দুরাশায় আগে চলে যায়-- পিছে ফেলে যায় মিছে আশা ॥ অশেষ বাসনা লয়ে ভাঙা বল, প্রাণপণ কাজে পায় ভাঙা ফল, ভাঙা তরী ধরে ভাসে পারাবারে, ভাব কেঁদে মরে-- ভাঙা ভাষা। হৃদয়ে হৃদয়ে আধো পরিচয়, আধখানি কথা সাঙ্গ নাহি হয়, লাজে ভয়ে ত্রাসে আধো-বিশ্বাসে শুধু আধখানি ভালোবাসা ॥ Alas this ceaseless going and coming This endless drifting with the current Amidst light and in the darkness All the tears, all the laughter The meetings and the partings, the touch and go The tearful glance at things left behind New apprehensions of moving on The giving up on false hopes of the past The will broken, yet desires endless Intense effort, yet results futile Drifting on the ocean in a wrecked vessel Emotions seethe, yet find no expression. Acquaintance of the hearts remain incomplete With words only half said Despite any shame, the fear and apprehension There lingers just enough love - Rabindranath Tagore (translated by Shumon Sengupta) I also share with you, what I consider as the finest rendition of this exquisite song. It is by the legendary artiste Debabrata Biswas. Hope you enjoy it. https://youtube/watch?v=1Knpp9ZtwZI
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 17:54:49 +0000