Sunil Gangopadhyay (28 August 1934 – 23 October 2012) was among the tallest contemporary writers in the Bengali language. His voluminous work spanned poetry, novels, short stories, essays and children’s fiction, but he always referred to himself as a poet, first and foremost.
The talent of the great wordsmith can be gauged by this hitherto unpublished translation of his poem Uttoradhikar.
This translated work is a humble tribute for the great poet from Team M3.tv on his 79th birth anniversary.
Legacy
The cloud-capped skies, the boisterous earth now belong to you, the young soul.
I have no use for the button-less, torn shirt; that I give to you.
A lung-full of laughter, the sun-soaked walks through the day
The idle slumber in the fields of night; take it all from me.
I give you, young spirit, my times tough and good
Painless sorrow, anger, outrage – I give you my emotions.
Raging debates over a cuppa coffee, those shared cigarettes, a stolen glance at the girl next door
Submission to the verses, stung by the sharp-edged words, dissection of the human psyche
Were they human at all?
Suicide. Footsteps of arrogance sweeping through the city.
A river and a few countries. The women in my life –
I have no use of them, young soul. Old clothes refuse to fit in.
The baggage of the past needs to be shed; I give them to you.
The fate of the past rests on you. The burden of the future in your hands.
Reconcile or perish? For you to decide, young spirit
I wish I could give you my days left behind.
