Tuesday, April 26, 2016

just a torn piece

just a torn piece we fight to glue up to integrity having no idea on how it will look when it's all stuck up together
just a dark tunnel we seek to counterstrike our way through to light having no idea how light feels like
just a wishing well
and a handful of stones
to throw down, and wait,
for an echo
which might or might not arrive
because everything doesn't
but some dusty buses do:
perfect, splendid - in anger and automation;

that's why we live
we chase music
we fight dragons
and we keep on living
until we don't.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

ও দেশপ্রেমী ভাই


ও দেশপ্রেমী ভাই
তোমার মুণ্ডু কেটে খাই
নিছক তুমি চুনোপুঁটি
সাঁতরে চলো গুটিগুটি 
গভীর জলে রাঘব বোয়াল মারতে থাকে ঘাই।

Two Gondi Songs from Bastar

(as represented in Bangla font and translated into Bangla by Narayan Sanyal, DanDak Shabari, 1962)

Song 1 – Transliteration
barang sarapartey uditan saydar
badengey isey uditan?
belosankey isey uditan?
… ha dada saydar

kyaydi aarka potsi hetke isey hanDu
tatat humar kishun hetkey isey hanDu
… ha dada saydar

sarpar tahey hanDu
taney isey poyanDu
“ayo ayo” – hanDu
tuna tantey onti saydar
…ha dada saydar

Song 1 Translation
Serene, in the middle of the road
Why do you sit?
Why don’t you explain?
Whom do you wait for?
Is it for our Bolesa? 
…ha dada Saydar

Pitcher in hand, she has gone, softly
by the river
She is not here
You wait for her, futile, staring at the road
…ha dada Saydar

If she comes by the lonesome path 
You shall hold her hand
She shall say – “no, don’t,
i shall not go with you”
…ha dada Saydar

….
Song 2 – Transliteration
aring baring bader… raa—eyy
peron bader payenDu… raa—eyy
darka pirru dardar... raa—eyy 
jhimTi pirru jhimjhim…raa--eyy
Dori usha hanDu…raa—eyy
Dakka pichar hanDu…raa—eyy



Song 2 Translation
Rainy clouds wrap the sky
at times it gushes down in torrents
and at times, it drizzles slow
Doleful minstrel of wilderness playing on the strings 
Tearing through the ink-black darkness
At the twilit hour of dusk, from the western skies
Sun-god hurls his golden arrows
But, in the ceaseless waters flooding through,
those arrows of gold float away
To sacrifice their selves to the depths of darkness

...

...
[given these are Gondi to Bangla to English translations, i think we might have deviated significantly from the original connotations]