A Bengali Poem by Lucy | English Translation
Introduction: When Dreams Call to the Soul
What happens when dreams keep calling, even when reality offers little comfort? Sometimes, the heart continues to dream long after hope has begun to hurt. It waits for an arrival that never comes, finds brief refuge in imagination, and struggles to face the darkness of everyday life.
In “স্বপ্নেরা ডেকে যায়…” (Dreams Keep Calling…), Lucy explores the restless relationship between dreams and reality, longing and loneliness, and the desire to find peace beyond the struggles of earthly existence. The poem moves from the emotional intensity of a dream-filled life towards a poignant realization: when the enchantment of dreams finally fades, the soul may already be preparing for a journey beyond time.
The Original Bengali Poem
স্বপ্নেরা ডেকে যায়…
স্বপ্ন দেখতে চায় এই স্নায়ুকোষ।
ভীষণ আবেগে জড়িয়ে থাকতে চায় জীবন।
সিক্ত মাটির তপ্ত ছোঁয়ার মায়ায় –
উদগীরণের নেশায় মেতে নিত্য রক্তক্ষরণ।
স্বপ্নের আচ্ছন্নতায় আজও পড়ন্ত বেলায়,
অন্তর্চ্ছেদ হয়ে কাঁদে একেলা প্রাণপাখি।
তুমি এলে না বলে অশ্রু মোছাতে –
বেলাশেষের প্রতীক্ষায় আমি পুড়ি একাকী।
তবু্ও ক্ষণে ক্ষণেই স্বপ্নগুলো দেয় দোলা:
আমি নির্ভাবনার আবেশে, হয়ে থাকি মুগ্ধ।
বাস্তবতায় ফিরে আসি, আঁধার চারিধার,
যুঝিতে পারি না প্রলয়ংকর এই জীবন যুদ্ধ।
ফুরাবে যখন এই স্বপ্নবাজির ইন্দ্রজাল,
হয়তো আসবে তখন দিতে ফুলেল অভিবাদন;
আমি আর চাইবো না ফিরে সেই মহা লগনে,
অনন্তের যাত্রায় আমার হবে অভিযোজন।
The English Translation
Dreams Keep Calling…
These nerve cells still yearn to dream;
Life longs to remain entwined in overwhelming emotion.
Under the spell of the warm touch of rain-soaked earth,
I surrender to the fever of eruption, bleeding day after day.
Even now, as the day wanes beneath the spell of dreams,
My lonely soul weeps, torn apart within.
You never came to wipe away my tears –
So I burn alone, waiting for the day’s last light to fade.
Yet, every now and then, my dreams stir me awake:
Enchanted, I drift in a state of carefree wonder.
But when I return to reality, darkness surrounds me;
I find myself unable to fight this devastating war of life.
When the magic of this game of dreams finally fades,
Perhaps you will come then, bearing a floral tribute.
But I shall no longer wish to return to that moment of reckoning;
I shall have found my way into the journey of eternity.
Reflection: Between Dreams and Reality
Dreams are often the refuge of a restless soul. They offer moments of wonder when reality becomes difficult to bear, allowing the heart to imagine a world where longing might find fulfilment and absence might finally give way to presence.
Yet dreams can also deepen our sorrow. The person we wait for may never arrive, and the tears we hope someone will wipe away may remain our own to bear. The lonely soul, weeping in the fading light, becomes an image of this inward struggle – a heart caught between the beauty of its dreams and the harshness of its waking world.
The poem’s turning point comes when the dreamer returns to reality and confronts the seemingly overwhelming battle of life. Those fleeting moments of enchantment cannot permanently shield the soul from darkness.
But the ending reaches beyond despair. The anticipated arrival, the floral tribute, and the long-awaited moment may lose their significance once the speaker has moved beyond earthly longing. The journey into eternity suggests a profound transformation: a point at which the heart no longer seeks to return to what once consumed it.
Perhaps the poem asks us to consider whether every longing must be fulfilled in this life, or whether some journeys ultimately lead us towards a peace that lies beyond the reach of our dreams.
A Journey Beyond Longing
Dreams may continue to call, even when the heart grows weary of waiting. They may enchant us, break us and keep us reaching for something just beyond our grasp.
And perhaps, one day, the call of eternity will grow stronger than the call of dreams.
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