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Standing
beneath a shady tree
Sunil Gongopadhaya
Translation:
A.H.
Jaffor Ullah
Published on
May 24, 2006
Rabindranath penned it right where is the birth place of Rama
Those who wouldn�t believe it- they have no right to�
delve in poems, songs, fine arts, and anything related to human welfare
Those who said no to doll-like gods and goddesses, they oft forget
These masjid-church-guruduaras are too dolls-like
Let them be involved in this doll-game of self-deception
They won�t taste the nectar that is there for everyone
So many centuries have gone by but men remained an infant
They could not fathom out the meaning of this firmament
Which one could see in Chottogram or in Bakura.
The word "man" cannot be enveloped by barbed wire.
No one named Eshwar � a big boss � is running the show in this mortal
world
Religions, nothing more than some folklore
They won�t hear the cry of neighbor�s baby smothered with dust
They love spewing slogans that lacks harmony
A few man who wanted to make us grow old tried so hard
We hung their portraits but no one seems to care
Where are you Kanhai� where have you gone Kamal? Come along
Let�s gather beneath a shady tree and make some merriment
Watching all the inanities of young�uns who�re pretending to be wise and
old!
Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher and columnist, writes from the campus
of Cornell University at Ithaca, New York
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