She

Far in the horizon I try in vain
As the sultry sky gropes for rain
In pensive steps she wafts by me
As cool as steel, in winning spree
Stop ahoy, I scream aloud
And lo! There goes the silken shroud
A lass for all I thought it to be
Stood there silent, shadow of a glee
Moonshine impales white caves
Hollow as bones I saw her steps
Trance caught a-running in me
As your shadow was about to flee
And as I grabbed a corner of thee
All there was but a shard of scree
As cold as ever, with a name on it
I shivered in agony after the read
You went away in melting mist
Hapless me, with clenched fist.
Reading the name on shard as "DREAM"
Woke me up with abrupt scream,
For it was me who had killed it all,
Finished everything, big or small...

***

And now was time to give it away,
Go to a distant, far-off lay...
I tried to calm down, with no avail
All I saw was a face in veil
And it was yours, I'm pretty sure
Chasing me restless, in all my cure...
Thank the void that drags you down,
Steers away the sunken crown;
Goes in fervent deep mêlée,
As morning trances start in me..

The Conquest of Self

Of all the battles that have ever been fought,
Of all the weapons that have ever been wrought,
I care for but one.

Of all the victories that have ever been there,
Of all the miseries that have ever thrown a snare,
I do care for only one.

And yet there were countries devastated,
In the names of religion, terrorism, or even sheer wealth.
And there were millions - homeless or dead, trillions of untold rapes.
Gasping masses in concentration camps, legalized murders on garrotes or guillotines.

And still, I do care, for but one!

For the one that is still unfought,
For the one that is nearly unthought,
For the one that shines ahead,
For the one that gropes for its tread.

All the well can come of it,
Hope and mercy, with truth beneath.
Love and glory will twine your way,
As you stride the paths of May.
Near and dear gets far enough,
Paltry becomes the bigot trough.
Spring will forth your inward elf,
As it concurs mighty self!

Simplicity

Hardest to do are often the simplest of things,
Hardest to say are often the simplest of facts,
And though it seems hard to believe,
Respect, prove or at least conceive,
Isn't truth often the most difficult to achieve?

And yet there shines the path
Lit with darkness profound,
Where no mind can ever swath,
And no talks can ever sound.

Go ahoy my little self!
Go and fetch your salvation.
For though it's unreachable by thoughts,
Deeds great or small, and even love,
It can never be far when it comes!

Translation of the Tagore Song "O Nithur Aaro Ki Baan Tomar Tune Aachhe"

Oh Cruel, how much more will you hurt me?
You are piercing my mind, near my heart.
I try to escape, I try to close my eyes,
I try to cover my face with a piece of cloth -
Lest I get hurt somewhere.
I am afraid of your blows,
And that is why my heart burns.
One day the fear will go away,
And your blows will come to an end -
My life will be saved by receiving death's bliss.

My Dreary Day

Wonder stops in silent march,
There goes my day of search ...
Whisk and whizz - all brisk latent fizz - do come and go in pops,
As light and shade in a crisp rose-bed, they touch and kiss my hops.
Here and there I run errands as morning draws to noon,
Light snack-munch in a yawny crunch finishes off too soon.
As away you go in aisles aside with quick steps on the floor,
I run my code in "silent mode", my back to the open door.
And thus it drags with drowsy lags to dusky afternoons,
The sun goes down in golden crown and evening starts her croons.
When darkness spreads over tinted roof I grope for "light" in vain,
Lost words of another day fills me with disdain.

রবীন্দ্রনাথের "প্রাণের প্রাণ জাগিছে তোমারি প্রাণে" গানটির একটি parody (for grad students)

চাপের চাপ পড়িছে তোমারি ঘাড়ে,
অলস রে, ওরে, জাগো জাগো।।
শোনো রে অদূরে গাইড-কণ্ঠে ডেডলাইন-শঙ্খ বাজিছে-
অলস রে, ওরে, জাগো জাগো।।

The Longest Route

Oh no! It's not the Pan-American Highway.
Neither it is the Trans-Siberian Rail.
A hint: "What moves the fastest?"
Get ready and follow its trail
To time immemorial. And there you go!
The longest route - silent, full of repose,
Stretches beyond all imagination and ego,
To the "chosen few" who really knows!

The path is not lit with a star-studded sky,
Neither it has anything to do with "light";
But it is there for the good and the sly,
If you can follow it with all your might.
No use will be your wise hue and cry,
Unless Mind fades away and takes you to the Bright.