I wrote this poem in my mother tongue, Assamese (pronounced Axomiya – অসমীয়া) yesterday and then translated to Bengali and shared with my friends and family through Whatsapp. I translated it to English today. Below is the English version followed by the original Assamese and translated Bengali poem.
Phone is lying silently near me
Those would like to talk are gone now
Once lack of time was an excuse
Do not remember now why was busy
Family matters or just laziness
Or the fear of being chained by responsibility
What’s the use of regurgitating the same over and over
So many complaints, so much demands
Let the weekend come
Will call then
How many weekends have passed
The phone is silent still
I have now lots to talk
But no one there to listen
All those names in memory
Keep repeating
But no one to hear being called
Did not reach out in time
Today I have time aplenty
If only I could have
Got back a moment
Of the past gone by
আজি সময়ৰ নাই যে অভাৱ
আজ সময়ের নেই যে অভাব
ফোনটা কাছে এমনি পরে আছে
এখন আর কথা বলার কেউ নেই
একসময় কতো অজুহাত সময়ের অভাবের
কিসের ব্যস্ততা এখন আর মনে নেই
নিজের সংসারের না আলসেমি
না দ্বায়িত্বের শৃঙ্খলে বাঁধা যাওয়ার অহেতুক ভয়
একগুলো কথাই ঘুরে ফিরে বলার দরকার কি
কতনা ওজর, কত আপত্তি
রোববার টা আসতেই করবো
আজ কত রোববার চলে গেছে
ফোনটা নিস্তব্ধ
বলার অনেক আছে
শোনার কেউ নেই
আপন মনেই নামগুলো বলে থাকি
জানি কেউ আজ আর শুনবে না
সময় থাকতে যে হলোনা বলা
আজ আমার সময়ের নেইকো অভাব
হারিয়ে যাওয়া সময়ের একটি মুহূর্ত যদি
ঘুরিয়ে পেতাম
©প্রণবেন্দ্র শর্মা, ২0১৯
We need to make good use of every moment. Call, embrace, and say I lov e you while we have a chance. One day that opportunity will be gone.
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Sadly yes, but we find excuses.
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I learned the hard way.
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Don’t we all have a story to tell.
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Sometimes we wait to long to learn what our values are or were. To our regret.
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Yes.
Technology has made it easier to be in contact but at the cost of various distractions to rob us of our time.
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A lot of translations, I´m sure you have to work in the U.N.
Having said that, It was a good read, liked (and always learning from you guys) the structure, and also the message. I did think it was smart also, you start by ¨condeming¨ the phone, this new era of information that everybody seems to be glued to wassap, and the rest of the other technologies. Then you revert at the end by saying basically that you can´t live without the phone and express that you need someone to talk to.
I thought it was a great read.
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😂😂😂Never worked in UN. Only once saw the UN building in New York from a distance.
Thanks for reading and your comment. Really appreciate.
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