Shabdaguchha
Shabdaguchha
Maruf RaihanTungiparaHave you ever been to Tungipara, The village that seems like the ones in the art book? Where morning breaks with the birds’ chirps And the village goes to sleep at night Resting its head on the moonlight. Wrapped with green, The smooth, affectionate face of the village Cannot be separated from thousands of others in Bengal. Still, the Bengal soil kisses on its name, The air waves the song of praise And the statesmen bow their heads to show respect, Though once the state was not yours. Your sky and your country were not yours. Your flag and your state map were not there, too. But, a great Bengali man born out of the womb of Tungipara, Brought these to you as a gift. There was a time, when seventy-five million people rose To respond to his thunderous call. Do you know the man? Didn’t you see him? You were born after 1975; As Sukanto puts it, you are the brave soul Now standing on the warm blood of eighteen. Go visit the holy place of Bengal, go to Tungipara And touch the spirit of Bengali’s very pulse. Go salute him, go salute your father, And stand with a bold heart— Won’t you take the revenge of your father’s murder? Maruf Raihan (1962 - ) worked with Shamsur Rahman for Weekly Muldhara, 1989-90; and as the editor of Mati, a literary monthly, in the early 90s. Later, he worked for a couple of Daily Newspapers and became the Editor In-charge of the Weekly Ekkattor. Now, the feature editor of Daily Jugantor, Mr. Raihan, also edits the literary supplement of the same Paper. He was involved with planning and presenting literary program for Bangladesh Radio, BTV and Channel I. He is the author of ten collections of poetry. Translated from the Bengali by Hassanal Abdullah |