Kazi Nazrul Islam in 1926 (Chittagong)
(Born 24 May, 1899 — 29 August, 1976)
“O my love, my soul, my heart/ in my deep sleep, you came, my love…”
You came to me in my dreams, Oh Majesty Oh Splendor
To you my profound, deepest respects
Lord Krishna, you dance in the month of Srabon
Relentless, with no pause or respite.
Silently you kissed my eyes sitting at the head of the bed
Sending ecstatic tremors through my body
Incomparably delectable as the *Cadamba tree.
With all the flowers in my garden
I present my Lord the Puja *Dhali
You ignore my offerings oh what a shame
Taking only the flower bundle in my hair.
What did I say in my dream to drive the Lord away
I cry in anguish for his return, chanting
Oh my Love, Oh my Lord, Oh my Love.
*1) The Cadamba is an important tropical plant having tremendous medicinal properties
*2) A prayer plate (it symbolizes devotion, purity, and offerings to deities.)
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Singer: Feroza Begum, the Nightingale of Bangladesh
Zeenat Khan writes from Maryland, USA
