Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Exit



(514)  Hariye gechi vanera pathe

I got lost on a jungle path;
I trust that we must meet.
Forgotten are days crammed with expectations;
Now, day and night, just one desire lingers.

When tense winds blow within the jungle of my mind,
But for You there's none else by my side.
All my thoughts, they turn to Thee;
Lord, You're my only alternative.
Please come close, come closer still;
Make my path bright with the fall of Your moonlight.

In a heady dream at mind's abode,
You were my wreath of diamonds.
All my research, all my learning,
Ignorant of Your existence,
Lord, it's just a confused jumble.
Please come close, come closer still;
Lead me from form to the formless.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Monday, May 30, 2016

Good news



(513)  Pahare aj rauner mela

Many are the hues on hills today;
The mind dances, and earrings sway.
Come on, let's all go together;
Let us go and gather flowers.

Crossing cotton-forest trails,
We race over stony fields.
Shunning the wharfinger's mooring,
We'll go for bauhinia,
Bearing flowers on our hairbuns.

There's no end to our trek;
Motion is the gist of life.
Dancing, singing, we move ahead,
Happiness filling our mind.
When we don't find flowers,
Our mind, it grows anxious.
And so whenever we go forth,
We carry flowers with us.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Floundering



(512)  Amar maner manus tui kotha geli

My beloved, You went where?
Seeking Thee, I don't succeed.
Going away, You gave me pain;
Never I forget that state.

I cast about on river banks and mountain slopes;
In vain I comb the shadows of palash groves.
Darling, please come back, come home to me;
Else I will die, weeping bitterly.

I am not lucky, nor am I deep;
So constantly I gaze toward Thee.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Moonlight



(511)  Eso go prabhu eso mor hiyay

Come, dear Lord, inside my heart appear
With silent feet a welcome to receive
On the route made bright by my yearning.

Those fools, path lost for motes of earth-dust,
Bothered and broken by wine of attachment,
Into their minds, into their invocation,
Come, please come, through grace gratuitous.

There's no one else who is Your equal,
No second moon upon the sky of mind;
In Your ample light and sweet smile,
With alluring flute, You quench our thirst.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Friday, May 27, 2016

Pearl



(510)  Shuktir buke muktar mata

Like a pearl in the bosom of an oyster
A bud's nectar is tucked in.
I've taken pains to keep it sheltered,
My wellspring of form and vibration.

May this honey of mine never go dry;
In rainstorm, Lord, may it not get lost.
My worship will proceed in Your direction
With many multifarious incantations.

Your realization will surely ensue;
In this world, none else is mine but You.
All my salutation and solicitation
Are absorbed in contemplation of Your love.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Lustrous Lord of Song



(509)  Ogo mor giitimay

Oh my Lord of Song,
Crossing the sea of slumber, You have come;
May You achieve victory.

Manifesting raag and raaginii,
The scale[1] of music You've improved.
You echo in the kadam grove
With tone that's full of honey.

Oh my Lustrous Lord,
Crossing the sea of darkness, You have come;
May You achieve victory.

Manifesting hues in multitude,
The rainbow's colors You've improved.
With flowers, resin, and honeybee,
Your beauty and affection[2] are conceived.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Pure and simple



(508)  Kii banshii bajali bandhu

What flute did You play, Beloved?[1]
You made nectar flow from mahuwa.[2]

Watching for You, I keep awake
And string a garland for Your sake.
I would take nothing; I would give my all;
In love, in love am I, pure and simple.

When darkness ends, morning arrives;
When sun ascends, the lotus smiles.
Your splendor rises in my mind;
You're my daylight, the moon at night.[3]

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Monday, May 23, 2016

Incomprehensible



(507)  Prabhu tomar liila apar

Lord, boundless is Your divine sport;
With intellect, who can fathom it?
You exist in both form and formless,
Within and around everyone.

In the deep of the blue sea,
In the white snow on mountain peak—
Whatever I do or don't espy,
All is held inside Your mind.

The pore-free bitumen,
The cycle of all seasons—
That which I do or don't conceive,
You include each and every thing.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Prithee



(506)  Prabhu amay krpa karo

Lord, grant me grace;
Please grant me grace.
Fill my life with light.

May thoughts of You inflame my mind;
May Your beauty fill my eyes.
Stir me with ideology,
Uplift me with divine majesty.

Sway me with Your inspiration,
Paint me with Your newly risen sun.
By Your touch make me pure;
All my dark stains do purge.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Unoccupied



(505)  Amar kache tumi ele

Near to me You came
After many aeons estranged.
I've lost track of the time,
Neglecting it out of pride.

The flowers of yesteryear have dropped;
Their name and shape have been forgot.
Those stars have been displaced
In transition from age to age.

When heart was filled with fragrance sweet;
When heart was overflowing—
In those days You did not arrive;
You came into a bosom[1] that's dry.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The mystery



(504)  Jara ceyeche tomay kache

Those who've wanted You to be near,
In their eyes, why are there tears?
Everyone knows that You can hear;
So why then playfully deceive?

Your flute, Your smile, within the game—
In due course we all cry from this play.
You make oblivious with a glimpse of bliss;
You open up the luminous, one-hundred-petaled lotus.[1]

I know that everyone is in Your mind
In their pleasure and their sorrow, secretly.
Privately, You laugh and cry
For one and all incessantly.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Then and now



(503)  Sei harano diner katha mane pare

Tales of days gone by spring to my mind,
As I survey the blue sky.
Amid the utter gloom You stood,
Alone and constantly alert.

No one else knows my sorrow;
No one else heeds my story.
I'm the one who loves You day and night;
Within my heart, no one else abides.

Painful was my melody;
My song was ringed by sad memories.
But now whither has that music gone still?
Today I sing with tunes hope-filled.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Saturday, May 14, 2016

With a heavy hand



(502)  Diner shese ghumer deshe

At end of day within the realm of sleep,
In a courtyard filled with light,
Everyone seeking a silent greeting,
You touched me with a heavy hand.

When there was no effulgence,
Then You alone were there...
Good or bad, no one else,
No one sentient but Thee.
Oh Lord, one and the same Who was,
You are and will stay in all things dark-faced.[1]

When dark's heart was pierced
And the spew of gloom undone,
Only You were there to see;
So only You could we salute.
Transcending what we speak or think,
You go on traversing Your very own way.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Lord of darkness



(501)  Diner aloy kena aso ni

Why don't You appear by daylight;
You've come only in the dark of night.
On days of joy, no sighting You bestow;
But on my nights of sorrow, You did dote.

When stars shine bright in the sky,
And all around fortune abounds,
Then I get no glimpse of Thee;
After all's been lost, that's when You've eased my grief.

When Chaitra's[1] vernal breeze blows in,
And, with goosebumps, thrills begin,
Then I do not find You near;
Along with high heat, that's when You've brought relief.

Sarkarverse article
Audio recording