Like many great poets Jibanananda Das was not honoured during his span of life. At present, people having some love for Bengali literature believe that he was the most remarkable poet after R. N. Tagore. In fact, his originality in comprehending the universe had made him different and difficult. His soul was fundamentally romantic, though often it was morose and depressed like the sun rays in autumn. His poetical language has been unique and inimitable. A sense of suppressed melody and slow pace of words mark his fundamentally different diction. It intoxicates like a potent drug and unlocks the heart like a mysterious mantra. It is magically marvelous. It is really difficult to translate such a poet who had complex and refined sensibility. Still Dinabandhu Ghosh having deep attachment to Jibanananda's poetry has ventured in this regard.
Dinabandhu Ghosh teaches at Bankura Sanmilani College as an Assistant Professor of English. He has written a number of books in Bengali as well as in English. They reveal his poetical sensibility and critical insight into the art of poetry. He remains simple and unambiguous in his method of writing. In this translation, he has tried to remain true to the poetical soul of Jibanananda Das. He believes that a poet's poetical spirit is beyond the power of translation.
It is exciting to translate Jibanananda Das as he is beyond translation. A true poem cannot be translated. One can love and be amazed by a true poetical creation. Jibanananda's poetry has unequalled magical flavor. His poems have the scent of the soil and fragrance of heaven. They cannot be translated. A translator can only translate the informative part of a poem. He cannot translate the essence or fragrance of a poem. He offers the substance, not the essence. He can state, scarcely suggests. In fact, a translator has obvious limitations. Still people translate and I have translated some immortal poems of Jibanananda Das who lived a secluded life but had thirst for beauty and zest for life. He was a shy man and wrote in seclusion. But his poems are deeply attached to life. It is difficult to translate Jibanananda as his poems are inevitably associated with the ambience and culture of Bengal. Many birds and trees have no names in English language.
Primarily, I had no intention to translate Jibanananda Das as I had the feeling that Jibanananda cannot be translated. Jibanananda Das' poetical sensitivity is either too refined or too complex. As a poet, he was attached to the beauty of the world and particularly, the simple beauty of Bengal enchanted him. The existence of woman could invigorate his poetical perception. Love for nature and love for woman melt at a point and his poetry becomes unique and unparalleled. In his later period of life, he became the resident of Kolkata, but at his heart, he could remember Banalata Sen or Arunimal Sanyal who belonged to rural Bengal. The anguish and complexity of urban life burdened him and he felt the shackles, spoke of the pains of encaged life. Evidently, there are two Jibananandas - one remains attached to life and loves the beautiful and fascinating aspects of the world-the other is morose, depressed and over-burdened with pain and anguish. Both Jibananandas are equally conspicuous in his poems. In both forms, he is delicate, refined and complex. A translator should possess courage and conviction to translate such a poet. In my case, it was Mr. Anjan Saha who provoked me to fall in danger. Yet I got pleasure by translating such a difficult poet. Often I thought of giving up the job, but a strange feeling of pleasure enticed me to continue the translation. I must admit my limitations. A certain pride also engulfed me when I had been translating the poems. It seems that I was transported to the world of Jibanananda - Barishal, Dhansiri, Arunima Sanyal were revived at my heart and I was really engrossed. Inwardly, I thanked Mr. Anjan Saha, though outwardly I did not divulge my gratitude. Indeed, he inspired me to undergo the hazardous job. Now I should reveal my gratitude.
Banalata Sen stands out as one of the finest poems in the world. It is mesmerizingly beautiful. Beauty of a woman is conceived in the fascinating images of nature. The speaker stands out as eternal man seeking solace from the eternal woman. He says that he has been walking along the ways of the world since the medieval age. Awareness of time has been a remarkable feature in Jibanananda's poetry. The vast time enters the orbit of his poetry and the poet easily moves towards the abyss of time. Time, woman and nature have been perfectly blended in this poem. The poetical sensibility is very refined and it covers immense time and space. The poet's soul is certainly healed by Banalata Sen, but nature provides the intended solace. In fact, the role of nature is more prominent than the role of woman. In Jibanananda's poetry, a poem begins with a woman but finally ends with nature. The love for woman is lost in beauty of nature. This strange phenomenon is evident in many of his poems. Again, Jibanananda's language is unique and unparalleled in Bengali. This language has the magical power to enchant. His language is neither lyrical, nor prosaic. It is evidently his own and unique. This language is inimitable. One can try to imitate Tagore, but the poets hardly try to imitate the language of Jibanananda. His language has the coldness of autumn and the mystery of evening. Evidently similes and metaphors are deeply woven in the texture of the poem. The metaphors have been harmoniously incorporated in the language and they never stand out as extraneous elements. A sense of mystery comes out from this poem. The images of sea, darkness, dark hair, the nest of bird and the dews compose this mysterious atmosphere. The words used in this poem are very transparent and there is no ambiguity. Still the poem contains a strong element of mystery. The beauty of nature emerges in a mysterious way and the associated language whispers to the soul of a reader. Jibanananda's poetry should not be read aloud. It has been solemn and serene. It exposes a heart shy but enchanted or depressed.
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