REZAUDDIN
STALIN
(Translated
from Bengali by UMANATH BHATTACHARYA)
Because
with anguish and agony our sky is grey,
the delicate designs of the stars,
the silky smiles of the moon,
–they
all appear false and fake.
Tho’ our dress and bearing
give the impression
of a comfortable life and noble descent,
by the impact of an incurable, infectious
disease
we wear off inwardly, like a decaying rock.
Torn
to pieces by the shaggy paws of a Tiger
Our
Future
like a pale day engulfed in dark despair
counts the hour of its gory
death.
What
if at heart we await the advent
of a simple peaceful life
the reverse of this deformed, morbid
society,
the air affrighted stirs a conflict in our
mind
to join the fray on the blood-sodden path.
Of
course by the infallible laws of History
one day in unbearable storm shall rise
and dash to the ground our deluding foolish
dreams
and like morning-light beating on the
window-panes
a spirited anthem shall ring out, loud and
bold
whereupon wiping the yellow rheums from off our eyes
we, too, shall find out our tridents sharp.