Translation  © Monish R Chatterjee 2014
On the branches of the shirish
In my garden this Phalgun
Tireless bloom the spring blossoms-
Until the day fades away,
The birds stop cooing, and quiet befalls at
twilight.
Ah, a year ago on a day like this
The
shirish branches caught a frenzy of dance
In springtime, inspired by the tinkle
Of
dancing feet in heaven.
And ever since, when spring was gone,
That
restless spirit oft inquired of me:
Has he not returned yet?
On other spring days like this one
Anxious
and hopeful, the branches listen
Intently, for the subtle, intangible footsteps
And
daily, faith undying,
They whisper in soft murmurs
Is he,
then, on his way?
And now, this flower-enamored Phalgun
With
what assurance might I ask,
O night star of my destiny
Will my counting of fleeting instants never be
over?
And each day, across my garden, distraught
The
wild wind sighs, Tell me,
Is he here, is he here?
shirish - a flowering tree in Bengal.
Phalgun - usually the month of February, harbinger of Spring in Bengal.
YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-C9vxFUFIk
The next song is frequently requested or sung at informal Bengali gatherings, especially at moments of remembrance of a loved one. As with several other compositions, Tagore identifies with the withered, the downtrodden, the fallen and the marginalized in life (in several songs, this appears as fallen leaves, dry grasses and barren forests.
I Entreat You,
Forget Not (Ei Kothati Mone Rekho)
Translation  © Monish R Chatterjee 2014
This,
I entreat you, forget not
Somewhere between your laughter and
play
That
I once sang my songs
In the season when the withered
leaves fell.
When
the grass was dry
And the forest barren
Lost
in my own world, amid neglect and abuse
Forget not I sang my songs.
Forget
not, O traveler of daytime
My journey was in the
dark of night
A flickering oil-lamp in hand.
Then,
when the call came for me
From the other shore
And
I went afloat on a leaky raft
Forget not I sang my
songs.
YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vurfNUc77E
And next in the sequence is another song of remembrance highlighting the importance and value of every single life which has had its play upon this exemplary laboratory of life- it sums up the human experience as a series of interplays between discord and melodies, silence and treasured words, the tradeoffs at the marketplace, the memories that remain at play's end.
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