Tagore’ s

Lyrics A Treasure Hunt

Soma mukherjee

Contents Foreword

5

Preface

7

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

May you not ask Crossing an endless path Determination Not inspiring words only I have longing for the far and distant From my fearful state into fearlessness The secret songs I sang for you Grief and death are so real What’s the fear in this fearless abode Would you set me free Melancholy in a mid summer day My worldly desires That night when the storm came My prayers of pain Song at the dawn of the first era You are the one who my heart desires Please be with me, my friend I can bear more pain Not to fear you will win Your first blossom of Kadama Close to death Come to me Stay silently in my heart Realising your true self in life You called me to follow your path 3

9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57

26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.

She wanders in the forest of lotus The shadow of my beloved Am able to feel your presence Now lift your veil A dewy full moon night You came to my winter forest Half of me is captivated Your presence within me Let the farewell cup remain filled with nectar You had awaken in my heart Wayfarers’ song of joy In my lonely abode at night Oh dear come and lit up the lamp Where is the end of the path Whose flute is playing? Let them go who have already gone Let the days pass by like this leasurely May I get your blessings Dark clouds overcast the morning Far beyond the places When I come for a beg at his door What a tune have you played in my life I ‘ve drunk the poison consciously Give me more and more spirit of life Resonance of the last song

4

59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 101 103 105 107

Tagore’s Lyrics – A Treasure Hunt, is a book to soak one’s mind and soul into the magnificence of selective fifty song lyrics of different category by Rabindranath Tagore translated in English. The unique appeal of these fine translations will satisfy any English lyrics lover who would be eager to enjoy the feelings of the original version of Rabindranath Tagore’s Bangla verses. Retention of substance, nuances, feelings and flavour of the original songs has been the key endeavour of Soma Mukherjee, a Bengali poet, and a Tagore enthusiast and believer. The selection of songs out of worship, love, seasons, patriotism and diverse categories are intended to address various moods and frames of mind and speaks out those words which any sensitive human being would, at any point of life and reality would want to express in words and introspect. Each song lyric is unique in its own strength of appeal and truth. This book is a companion whenever the mind needs strength, assurance, love, introspection and revelation. For ease of reference and to raise curiosity over the original Bengali version of the lyrics, both the original Bengali version as well the translated English have been keep side by side.

Soma Mukherjee, based in Kolkata, is a renowned Bengali poet, short story and travelogue writer and is attached to many literary platforms and best known for her lucid and rhythmic poems. The appeal and substance of her poems cover love, worship and seasons primarily. She draws her main inspiration from Tagore’s literary marvels and is a great Tagore enthusiast and believer. The other side of her literary attribute is fine translation across English and Bengali. Translations normally reflects the other side of the carpet but Soma, in her translation has crossed a few levels and goes beyond translation to convey the flavour and feelings of original poems so near as anyone in the mother language would gather. Soma has two published books, the first one, Kalosrote (As time flows), which is the Bengali translation of world poetry starting from William Shakespeare to Robert Frost time. The second one, Roudra Chhaya (Sun and shadow) is her own set of poems. Hundreds of Bengali poems and writings are also in fine prints of many souvenir, collections and renowned magazines blogs and virtual pages. Price 150