TWO POEMS IN BENGALI
Translated by NALINI
KANTA GUPTA
A TAGORE SONG
“Protect Me when in
danger,”
Such is not my prayer, o
Lord!”
Rather to fear not when
in danger.
In grief and pain, when
the heart is sore
I do not crave for
solace,
Rather to conquer grief
and pain.
When no help or aid is
near,
To hold my own strength
unbroken:
When the world brings
nothing but loss
and the only gain is
frustration,
Not to let my soul yield
and sink.
Lighten my burden, bring
me comfort;
Such is not my prayer, 0
Lord!
Rather to be strong to
bear the burden.
In days of happiness,
with bowed head,
To look and find your
face,
In unhappy nights
When the whole earth
turns away,
Never
to doubt of your presence.
ONWARD
You must tear off the
bonds of the finite:
Mother Infinity has sent
you the call.
How long would you
remain a prisoner?
She is waiting for you,
the Mother.
The endless path of Her
Grace She has laid
That welcomes you in
your journey to Her.
The Mother Light signals
you the way
Lifting Her finger, a beacon sun–Arise and onward!
The ties that bind you
to your own, O traveller, must not hold you down
Any more–Stand unflickering–
And listen, in your
heart, the ringing word
Shankara uttered, his soul
transfixed on the Mother:
“You are my refuge, my
sole refuge,
you, alone, O Mother!”
–NISHIKANTA