When I stand the wall reflects the shadow,
My very own shadow. Two eyes are there
Behind the screen of the glasses, the procession of the khaki
I behold in the city everyday.
There is a head on the shoulder,
The head is beset with black and grey hair. Routinely
The air does pass through the tunnels of the nose.
I have a face,
Two hands, here goes my shirt,
Trousers, wristwatch.
Here is my chest,
The heart keeps beating,
Time and again. I have a pen, it is capped, Now I do write
Amid the wind, pages after pages.
And I have
An ID card ever
As all the urban dogs have
A silver disc around their necks.
Author's Notes/Comments:
This poem is translated by me. It was originally written in Bangla by Shamsur Rahman, a poet, columnist and journalist from Bangladesh. He authored nearly sixty books of poetry. He is one of the brightest stars in Bengali literature. The themes his poetry and writings mirror are- moderate humanism, romanticised insurgence of youth, human relationships, hatred towards superstitious beliefs and so on.
Most of Shamsur Rahman’s poems are written in free verse especially with the rhythm mode called Poyaar or Okhshorbritto. He also wrote verses in two other major patterns i.e., Shwarobritto and Matrabritto.
At present, Shamsur Rahman is remembered as a bona fide artist of the Bangali psyche. He has penned more than 3000 breathtaking poems that will continue to enthuse his devotees now and also in the days to come. Due to the heart and kidney failure, Shamsur Rahman had been in a coma for 12 days and breathed his last on 17 August 2006 at the age of 77.
