Two Songs of Tagore – VII
Translated from the original Bangla by Sreejit Datta
Translator’s note:
There exists not one but two separate English versions of “Gobhiro rɑːjonī nāmilo hridɑːye”, which is the second of the two profoundly meditative songs translated here. Both these English versions are attributed to Rabindranath, were published in 1918 and 1942 respectively, and they represent the gist of the original Bangla song lyrics in the prose poetry style. Naturally, neither of these versions covers the entire length of the original song lyrics or all the vivid imageries used therein exhaustively; and therefore, I have attempted to present a verse rendering of this song in English translation. The original Bangla lyrics, or the ‘source text’ as we call it in translation studies terminology, contains four stanzas, each comprising of two lines, resulting in eight lines in total. This is in accordance with the classical Indian genre of Dhrupad songs, where the lyrical compositions usually consist of four stanzas named sthāyī, antarā, sañcārī, and ābhoga. Rabindranath had composed most of his Bangla songs after this Dhrupad fashion. But the two gist versions in English that are attributed to Rabindranath consist of three and five lines of prose respectively. The present English translation of this song is, to the best of my knowledge, the only one that follows the stanza divisions of the source text and covers its contents in full.
Nibhrito prānero debotā jekhāne jāgen ækā
(To listen to the original Bangla song, click here)
Where the Devata of the sequestered heart awakes all by Himself,
O Bhakta! Unbolt the doors there – today I shall behold Him with my sight.
Merely wandering outdoors all through the day, searching for someone,
I didn’t get to learn the Sandhya-Aarti: the vesper service of light.
With the light of thy life, O Worshipper! I shall ignite my life’s lamp,
And secretly today, I shall prepare my offerings on a salver for the rite.
In the region where the Sadhana of the Integral Whole enkindles
A divine glow of worship – there, I too shall hold up a single ray of light.
Gobhiro rɑːjonī nāmilo hridɑːye
(To listen to the original Bangla song, click here)
An impenetrable night fell in my heart, now there’s clamour no more.
All I can hear, every once in a while, is the faraway ocean’s roar.
A dense darkness gathered without – every desire withdrew to the mind,
Like a solitary flame they converged in a single secluded spot inside.
In the infinite beneficence merged beauty; life’s play is now concluded
As the turbulent, capricious play of waves ceases in the vast seabed.
The tranquil mantra of “Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” amidst my heart echoes,
Beholding the formless beauty within, I now see with my eyes closed.
