Banalata Sen - Translation From Bengali Poem
This is a translation of the famous Bengali Poem " Banalata Sen". The author is
the renowned poet of India - Jibanananda Das (1899 - 1954). This is considered to be one of the greatest poems of Bengali Literature.
I wandered for thousands of years on the paths of the world,
from the seas of Ceylon to the oceans of Malaya, through the darkness of nights,
I have travelled so much; in the distant grey world of Bimbisar and Ashoka -
I was there; still farther in the darkness of the city of Bidarva;
I am a weary soul, amid the wild foamy seas of life;
Banalata Sen of Natore bestowed me some peace for a few moments.
her hair reminds the dark nights of the long-lost Bidisha,
her face the fine carvings of Srabasti; in the farthest corner of the sea,
the sailor whose sail is broken, and who has lost directions,
when he spots a green, grassy island with cinnamon,
I sighted her the same way; she said, "Where have you been for so long? "
raising her eyes, like a bird's nest, Banalata Sen of Natore.
evening dawns like the sound of dews, the eagle wipes out the smell of sun from its wings,
all the colours of the world fade, I write the manuscript
of the story, the scintillating fireflies shine bright,
all birds return to their nests ~ all rivers meet their ends ~
all borrowings and lendings of life are complete,
nothing remains but the darkness, and Banalata Sen sitting across me face to face.
Translated by : Malabika Ray Choudhury
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