1.
নাইতোম তারবা শৈশকপা
কয়াদা ফজখ্রবনো অতিয়াসে –
নোংমদোন থাজনা ঈশৈ শক্লিবসে,
অপাইবা নোংগী মায়খুমবু হাংলদুনা,
অদুগা থৱানমিচাক্না জগোয় শারিবসে হরাওনা !
গ্রহ, নক্ষত্র পুম্নমকসু শুমহৎপীরিদো,
ঈশৈ অদুগী খোইথুম্নরবা সুরনা ।
ঐগী নাইতোম তরবা শৈশকপা, নঙদি,
করিবু ঙাইরিবগে-
অচিকপদা নদোম ফম্লদুনা,
লাইরৈবাক্কুম্না নীংথিরবা মীকুপসিবু মীৎয়েং তারদুনা !
ও! ঐগী নাইতোম তরবা শৈশকপা,
করম্বা ৱারীবু ইগে হোৎনরিবনো,
নঙগী থম্মোয়গী লমায়দা নঙদি,
নঙগী থৱায়গী নুংশিবতনা থল্লবা,
নঙগী কল্পনাগী খোর্জৈনা !
লেপ্লব্রা নঙবু, তাক্লগে মালেমদা
নঙগী থম্মোয়গী চৈনাশিং,
অহিংসিগী পূক্নিং হুরবা ফজবনা
নঙগী ঈখৌলাংববু অমুক্বা হেন্না মৈরি চুরক্লবদা !
নত্রগা, হোৎনরিবরা নঙদি,
থাবলগী মঙালদা ঈমায় চোল্লবা অহিংসিগী ফজববু
লাইজা ইরীক্কুম থকচগে হায়না,
ইদ্রিঙৈদা নঙগী খোর্জৈনা ৱাহৈ পরেং ওইনা !
নত্রগা, তুমিন্না অসুম ফম্লগা,
নঙগী থম্মোয়না পুনিংবা মায়কৈদা পুদুনা চৎহনগদ্রা নঙবু
শুপ্নতগী শৈশকপা অমদি নুংশি লম্বীদা খোঙদারিবা নুংশি খোঙলোয়
মখোয় খক্তনা চৎপা ঙম্বা লমদমদুদা, মখোঙ য়াওদ্রবসু,
পাইবা ঙম্বা লমদমুদা, মশা পান্দ্রবসু !
ও! অদুদি, থক্লোনে
ঐগী নাইতোম তারবা শৈশকপা,
থক্লোনে পুম্নমক পূন্না,
অহিংসিগী ফজবা,
নঙগী থম্মোয়গী চৈনাশিং,
নঙগী থৱায়গী ঈশৈ,
অদুগা ঈশৈদুগী খোইথুম্নরা খোঞ্জেল
থক্লো, ঐগী শৈশকপা, থক্লো পুম্নমক পূন্না,
নঙগী ঈশৈদা ফংলগনিদো অমর,
নঙনা থকপা কানদুদা –
পুন্সিগী ফজবা অমদি পুন্সিগী হূবু পূন্না ॥
The Melancholic Poet
How lovely is the sky?
When the moon is singing,
Without wearing the veil of clouds
And the stars are dancing in delight!
When all the planets are too enchanted
By the melody of that song,
You, my melancholic poet
What are you waiting for? –
Sitting in a solitary place
Witnessing that majestic beauty!
Oh, my solitary poet!!
What story you are trying to write-
On the paper of your heart
With the pen of your imagination
Filled with the love of your soul!
Are you ready to tell the world –
What your heart aches for
When the beauty of the night
Adds more fire to your longing?
Or are you trying to drink –
The mystic spring of beauty
Overflowing in the moon light
Before your pen write them in a fine line?
Or will you just sit quietly
And let your heart take you to a land,
Where only the lovers
And the poet can walk without feet
And fly without wings?
Oh! Then drink,
My melancholic poet,
Drink it all;
The beauty of the night,
The aches of your heart,
The silence of the soul,
And the melody of that song.
Drink my poet, drink it all!
The eternity will be in your ode
When you drink
All the beauties and poisons of life together!
[Translated by the author herself]
2.
শারো শৈরেংগী চরৈফি
হে ৱাকমা অশৈবা!
পুন্সিগী লংলানা ।
শারোনে চরৈফিদো শৈরেংগী
মখল মথেলদি য়াম্লম্নিদো –
খনবীরো হিংবদা মতীক চাগদবা,
ইবদসু মতীক চাগদৌবদো ।
অদুবু, পুন্সিগী মচুদি য়ামখ্রেদো –
কাউদি কাউগনুকো হাপ্পা,
নঙবু মচেৎ তাহনবা মচু কয়াদো,
মখোয়নদি মপুঙ ফাহল্লিদো
নঙগী তাইবঙবু ।
নুংঙাইবনদি পুরক্লিদো মঙাল
অৱাবনদি পুরক্নিদো পাঙ্গলবু,
মাগী মাগী মফমদা
নীংথিনদি ফেল্লুকো মখোয়বু ।
হে ৱাকমা অশৈবা!
শারোনে চরৈফিদো শৈরেংগী
পুন্সিগী লংলানা, পুন্সিগী লংলানা ।
Weaving the Poetry of life
Oh poet!
Weave the clothes
Of poetry
By the threads of life.
Perhaps, there are many –
So, choose what’s worth living
And worth writing!
But Life, indeed,
Has many colours;
Do not forget to add those
That broke you too
For they’re the ones
That weave to complete
Your being!
Happiness brings light.
Sadness will bring strength.
Weave them firmly
In their own places!
Oh poet!
Weave the clothes
Of poetry
By the threads of life,
By the threads of life.
Translated by the poet herself
3.
And There Are More
And there are more than those,
That can be visible
Or that can leave evidence of violence!
And there are those,
Who cry under the curtain of night
Till the first ray of day,
Then, with swollen eyes
And shattered heart,
Pick up all the broken parts together
To carry on for living
And to do what is needed to be done,
To prove as living,
To feed the children,
To care the elders and
To smile at the neighbors,
Perhaps, to make everyone believe
That everything is fine,
Or perhaps, more
To make themselves believe
The unbelievable events of life!
Violence is not only physical;
For there are those too,
Whose souls are tormented
With the cruelty of daily accusations,
Whose hearts are cut opened
By sharp knives of mean words.
And there are those who live
Without the respect they deserve,
Without having the feeling of
Being wanted, loved
And most importantly valued.
But my friends,
Life without value is as terrible
As slow poisoning;
Killing slowly and steady
Part by part,
Moment by moment,
Day by day,
A death that cannot be clarified
By any postmortem
Or that’s not registered
Under any section of violence.
But they are out there.
So many of them are there.
And they are forced to believe
Their silence as their jewels
To be worn as a necklace.
Yes! They are out there,
Who have been crying in silence,
Who have been dying,
With no evidence of death.
But who will listen to their voices-
Until and unless they admit that
Until and unless they believe in
Their own worth and virtue,
Until and unless they know
What’s worth fighting for?
4.
OASIS
I didn’t come here,
seeking for anything,
not even love.
But I came across
this land,
that’s so familiar
to my homeland!
Within you oh being!
I witness everything, –
that used to be mine!
Perhaps as a
realm of love!
And I bowed to your
soul, and that sight
became the oasis of
my soul!
This is another thing
that I am not
taking a single drop
of water from
this oasis!
All I am taking
with me is
the fragrance
of memory
of this sight,
I hope no land will
ever mind offering!!!
Misna Chanu is a bilingual poet, children’s writer, translator and a postgraduate in science. She has published one short story book for children titled “Once Upon a Time” and five poetry books: “A Little Piece of Melancholic Sky”, “Many Shades of Love” (Bilingual) and “The Silent Whispers”, “Shamtharakliba Chumthang” (In Manipuri) and “Maybe This is Not a Goodbye”. As an editor, she has curated and published seven international Anthologies: “Under the Azure Sky” (Bilingual) “May Love Heal the World” (English), “Beyond the Language” (Multilingual), Beyond the Language Vol-II” (Multilingual), “Songs of The Lilies” (May Love Heal the World Vol-II), “Flame of a Distant Mountain” (May Love Heal the World Vol-III) and “I Won’t Find Another You” (Bilingual).
She can be reached at misna.sinha@gmail.com
