Come Back
Jibanananda Das

Translated from the Bangla by
Clinton B. Seely



Come back to the sea's shore,
Come back to paths through fallow fields,
To where the train stops
At a world of mango, nim, and jhau trees,
Come back. Once you wove an egg of blue.
Still today stars lie silent in the dewdrops.
When will you turn into a waterfall of birds
And be aware of me?

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ফিরে এসো

ফিরে এসো সমুদ্রের ধারে,
ফিরে এসো প্রান্তরের পথে;
যেইখানে ট্রেন এসে থামে
আম নিম ঝাউয়ের জগতে
ফিরে এসো; একদিন নীল ডিম করেছো বুনন;
আজো তারা শিশিরে নীরব;
পাখির ঝরনা হ'য়ে কবে
আমারে করবে অনুভব!


Notes:

ফিরে এসো/"Come Back," published in Kavita, September, 1937; included in The World at Large. Like the mango, the nim (also seen spelled as neem) and the jhau are trees.

 

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Illustrated by Nilanjana Basu. Nilanjana has been illustrating regularly for Parabaas. She is curently based in California.

 

Translation published in Parabaas: May, 2012