A couple of weeks back, I had this request to translate a song by Tagore from a local didi - Bengali for sister. Before sharing my translation with her, I sought feedback from friends and family whose opinion matters to me. And some wonderful discussions emerged.
I got to hear from a young scholar about his view on Tagore. More about that in a later post.
Then I got to discuss with my baba [Bengali for father.] I fondly remember reading his copy of Chinnapatra [A book that had assorted letters of Tagore] during my school days. My dad, in his beautiful handwriting, had written, during his college days, on the margins of each letter references to Tagore's poems and other works making it an interesting reference book.
During one such exchange, a dear friend (more like a younger brother) Sid Chattopadhyay - an extremely talented musician [Listen to his album Jolchobi at Amazon Digital Music] requested me to translate his favorite "Aanondo dhara bohichey bhuboney." And I thought of giving it a try.
Below is my humble attempt. Comments are always appreciated!
A Stream of Joy
A stream of joy flows through the universe,
day and night, into infinite sky spills over much nectar.
That sun and moon drink with cupped palms -
ever bright their unfailing light -
replete earth each day with life and rays.
Why do you sit absent-minded?
Self-engrossed for what reason?
Look around broadening thy heart,
ignoring all little sorrows
fill up your empty life with love.
San Jose, CA
January 23, 2016
