I had written this poem ( Ghazal ) a few weeks back in my mother tongue, Assamese, regarding the unrest going on in many parts of the world. I gave a finishing touch today and translated it to English. This is not a literal translation. It is difficult to do a word by word translation and retain the ghazal format. I am including both Assamese ( first) and the English version here.
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অশান্তি কিয়
সকলোতে আজি শুনো হাঁহাকাৰ, পৃথিৱীত ইমান অশান্তি কিয়
প্ৰাচুৰ্য্যৰ মাজত শুনো আৰ্তনাদ, ৰাইজৰ মনত অশান্তি কিয়
বিজ্ঞানৰ আজি জয় জয়াকাৰ, পৰাক্ৰমীৰ শুনো উন্মাদ হুঙ্কাৰ
নৈতিকতাৰ পতন দেখি নিতেনিত, ৰাইজৰ নহব অশান্তি কিয়
চাৰিওদিশে দেখোঁ বাজে ৰণডংকা, জনতাৰ মনত কিহৰ আশঙ্কা
অজান আতংকবাদীৰ মোক্ষম আঘাট, বুজিছানে আজি অশান্তি কিয়
অন্তৰত জ্বলে দুঃখৰ অনল, চৌদিশে দেখোঁ জ্বলে দাবানল
সৰ্বহাৰাৰ বিচাৰ নহল উচিত, নহলেনো আজি অশান্তি কিয়
বৃথা প্ৰলোভনত মতলীয়া ৰাইজ, বৈষম্যৰ জয়ধ্বনিত সদা ব্যস্ত
ধৰ্মান্ধতাৰ উন্মাদনাত বিবেক নষ্ট, পৃথিৱীত নহব অশান্তি কিয়
Peace Has Vanished
Lament everywhere ring out loud and clear, where peace has vanished
Amidst all the unfathomable wealth, people query why peace has vanished
Scientific truth questioned and throttled by maniac utterances of the powerful
Values challenged, morality in perpetual comma, people’s peace has vanished
Constant cacophony of drums of war, scared dejected populace milling around
Unknown terrorists’ deadly strikes, death and mutilation, our peace has vanished
Aching hearts, smoldering pain, world engulfed by raging fires of destruction
Blind justice disenfranchises destitute, division rules, why question peace has vanished
False prophets of power, deluded blind followers, fomenting and heralding division
Fanatics, corrupted and hijacked by religion, search where peace has vanished
I loved the Assamese words , it took me a really some time to read,due to my poor Assamese reading skills.
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Thank you. Long time no see.
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Yes , festivities ( Eid , Ganesh Chathurthi …) and life is keeping me busy 😦 I try to find time to read once in a while. I hope you have a wonderful festival time there too.
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Festivals are few and far between here but we try to make do with what you have. Be like the Romans when you are in Rome☺
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Teach your son Assamese and that way you will have practice too.
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Yes.. that’s the plan.
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All the best.
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Very moving
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Thanks Rintu.
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That’s how it feels. There is peace nowhere, and the greatest fomenters of violence invoke god as the reason.
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It’s kind of funny. Every religion started as a revolution or protest against the existing order of the time and then the preachers and blind followers hijacked it to suit their interpretations and purpose.
I do not think Jesus was a white guy.
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I don’t give a tinker’s what colour Jesus was to be honest. Every religion has just been a modernization or revamping of the last big thing. The Jews had God for thousands of years before someone decided he needed rebooting. Then another 600 years later, he got rebooted again. What’s new? Same old story, same old social control.
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Agreed.
You started me to write Ghazal. It’s a hard format, specially trying to translate from one language to another.
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