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    Parabaas : পরবাস : বাংলা ভাষা, সাহিত্য ও সংস্কৃতি
  • পরবাস | Rabindranath Tagore | Poem
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  • Uselessly : Rabindranath Tagore
    translated from Bengali to English by Palash Baran Pal


    In the reed-beds by the river,
    I asked, "On this path forlorn
    Who are you walking, with a lamp
    Guarded by the dress you've worn?
    My house is dark, O maid,
    Let here your lamp be laid!"
    She looked at me a while
    With dark eyes in twilight.
    Then said, "At close of day
    I've come to launch this light."
    Through white reeds, I could see
    The lamp drift uselessly.

    When evening fell, I asked,
    "Your house is brightly lit —
    So this lamp that you have
    To whom will you give it?
    My house is dark, O maid,
    Let here your lamp be laid!"
    She looked at me a while
    With her wistful eye.
    Then said, "This lamp I've brought
    To raise high in the sky."
    Up above, I could see
    The lamp glow uselessly.

    I asked her one more time
    On a night without a moon —
    "This lamp held to your heart,
    You keep carrying for whom?
    My house is dark, O maid,
    Let here your lamp be laid!"
    In the dark, with her dark eyes
    For a while she looked at me.
    Then said, "This lamp I've brought
    To be placed for Diwali."
    By a million lamps, I see
    Her lamp glow uselessly.
    Santiniketan 25 Sraban, BE 1312
    The original poem is included in the collection 'Kheya' (খেয়া)
    The translator wants to thank Sukanta Chaudhuri for his comments on an earlier draft.
    Translated by Palash Baran Pal.
    Illustrated by Nilanjana Basu. Nilanjana has been regularly illustrating for Parabaas. She is currently based in California.
    Parabaas, July 2020
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