Jaare Haath Diye Mala Ditey Paaro Nai / Keno Mone Rakho Taare
The one you have not adorned with a floral garland / Why hold that one
in your inmost memory
In 1937-38, Nargis, poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s old love, wrote him a letter after 16 years. In a reply to her, Nazrul wrote the famous and melodious song: Jaree Haath Diye Mala Dite Paaro Nai / Keno Mone Rakho Tare…, followed by a long letter. The letter was very direct in addressing the content of Nargis’ letter. As expected of a poet, his language was poetic, but very firm where he wrote this was the one and only letter he was going to write to Nargis. By then Nazrul had moved on with Pramila, but he wrote the letter in such an emotional depth that one comes away with the feeling that “love never dies.” In the letter, Nazrul referred to Kalidas’ poetic Meghaduta where the Yaksha (the nature spirit) unable to handle the pain and longing sends a message through a passing cloud to his lady love in a far-off place called the Malabika near the Kailash Mountain. He was forced into banishment into the Himalayas by King Kufar for neglecting his duties. Therefore, one cannot help but wonder if an intense love affair had continued between Nazrul and Nargis just like Yaksha and his lady long after their separation.
Composer and lyricist: Kazi Nazrul Islam
Taal: Dadra
যারে হাত দিয়ে মালা দিতে পারো নাই কেন মনে রাখো তা’রে।
ভুলে যাও মোরে ১ ভুলে যাও একেবারে।।
আমি গান গাহি আপনার দুখে
তুমি কেন আসি’ দাঁড়াও সুমুখে,
আলেয়ার মত ডাকিও না আর নিশীথ –অন্ধকারে।।
দয়া কর, মোরে দয়া কর, আর আমারে লইয়া খেলো না নিঠুর খেলা,
শত কাঁদিলেও ফিরিবে না প্রিয় শুভ লগনের বেলা।
আমি ফিরি পথে, তাহে কার ক্ষতি
তব চোখে কেন সজল মিনতি,
আমি কি ভুলেও কোনোদিন এসে’ দাঁড়ায়েছি তব দ্বারে।।
The one you have not adorned with a floral garland
Why hold that one in your inmost memory
Forget me oh please forget me
Forget me oh please forget me
Forget me oh please forget me forever
I sing these tunes in my deepest sorrow
Why must you appear before me?
Call me no more in the darkest of nights
like the mysterious ‘Aleya’*
Have mercy oh have mercy on me
Spare me your cruel mind game
A hundred tears will not bring back
the ‘Shuvo Laganer Bela’**
Oh dearly beloved that blissful
moment of cosmic alignment
I roam the streets causing no harm to any
Why the ardent tears then the solemn entreaty
Have I stood even once before pleading at your door?
Forget me oh please forget me
Forget me oh please forget me
Forget me oh please forget me evermore
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* Aleya (or marsh ghost-light) is the name given to a strange light phenomenon occurring over the marshes as observed by Bengalis, especially the fishermen of Bangladesh and West Bengal. This marsh light is attributed to some kind of marsh gas apparitions that confuse fishermen, make them lose their bearings, and may even lead to drowning if one decided to follow them moving over the marshes.
** Shuvo Lagna is a pivotal part of a marriage ceremony – a moment of cosmic alignment, celestial harmony as per the astrological calendar. It is the culmination of several days of ceremony, celebration etc. leading up to the ‘Lagan’ when the bride and groom are officially married.
Singer: Feroza Begum, known as the Nightingale of Bangladesh, is a direct disciple of Kazi Nazrul Islam. She is credited for ‘saving a canon of music that was going out of fashion’ with her masterful rendition of Nazrul songs.
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Interpretation of the song in the context of Valentine’s Day
The song Jare haath diye mala dite paro nai / Keno mone rakho tare was written by Kazi Nazrul Islam as a reply to his once beloved Nargis. Nargis was famed sarodist ustad Allauddin Khan’s niece. Once Nazrul accompanied Khan Sahib to Comilla and stayed with him for two months. In his sister’s house, Nazrul met 16-year-old Nargis. Young Nazrul became completely smitten seeing Nargis. Nazrul / Nargis relationship is mired in controversy. It is believed that they married in an akd / nikah ceremony, but the marriage was not consummated. The story has it that Khan Sahib at the time of the ceremony wanted Nazrul to sign a contract agreeing that he will live in Daulatpur, Comilla with Nargis after the marriage. (Knowing how delicate and sentimental Nazrul was, some of his senior friends in Calcutta had advised him against marrying a village teenager.) Nazrul refused to sign the contract. Nargis was given the option to come with him, but she could not make up her mind about leaving with him to some unknown place. Feeling hurt, Nazrul left Comilla on a stormy Ashar night. The couple was not in touch until Nazrul got a letter from Nargis.
In the letter, Nazrul made it quite clear that this is going to be the only letter to her. It is quite evident both from the song and the letter how much Nazrul once loved Nargis. He addressed her as Priyotoma (beloved). Every sentence is filled with love, longing, anguish, and sadness. Though he did not say love never dies, it was a see-through how much pain he was in because of her rejection.Though Nazrul goes out of his way to say that the love and desire that he once had felt is for the Nargis he knew long ago. He has no idea about the Nargis she has become now, nor does he have any curiosity in knowing. Essentially, he is rejecting Nargis through this letter as a way of explanation. The letter shows how deeply hurt he was. He said he has no desire to hurt her back as he does not know how. He said, ‘he is a poet and if he strikes, he strikes with a flower.’
Nazrul’s reference to Meghduta abouthow Yakasha during his exile into the Himalayas had suffered intensely for his love reiterates the fact that love never dies. The letter was also homage to the love they once had. In one paragraph, Nazrul wrote he still can feel the warmth of her face when he touched her forehead once when she was delirious with fever. He admitted that he can still feel that sensation as if it were yesterday. Before ending the letter, Nazrul thanked Nargis for arousing very deep feelings of love in him. He acknowledged that without that great pain and sorrow from her rejection, he would not have been able to write some of the beautiful love poems. At the very end he said he had accepted that they were not meant to be and wished her well.
It is true that in case of unfulfilling love you cannot quite get back to what it once was no matter how impractical or how much disillusionment it was. But the yearning and the sadness remain throughout your life to some extent. Some remnants of loose ends, unresolved feelings always linger. It is highly unlikely that long years from now you will reunite with that person to be able to say, “Because of you, I have lived the life I did not want to live.”
This particular song by Kazi Nazrul Islam is not a typical celebratory song to pay tribute to love considering today is February 14, Valentine’s Day. This heart-wrenching melancholy number may not fulfill the criteria of today’s theme where love’s glory is celebrated. But it is worth revisiting to examine the old saying, Love Never Dies.
Often poetic language comes from a feeling of sadness and great despair. The intensity of pain can provide deep and evocative lyrics. In this particular song, we can feel that Nazrul’s raw emotions were brought on as a result of pain. That emotion resulted in such expressions of feelings in the song in an unparalleled manner. Can we really compare the love we once had felt for a certain someone just the way a poet does? Is the feeling of love or being in love the same for everyone? Can we even dare to compare ourselves with a poet such as Nazrul when it comes to feeling so intensely for someone whom we fancied long ago? Though whatever we feel is very personal but surely we feel solace knowing other hearts have known sadness too.
“Of all the losses experienced in personal relationships, ambiguous loss is the most devastating because it remains unclear, indeterminate.” – Pauline Boss
If love is about happy endings — could Rabindranath and Nazrul have written all the sad love songs? Would these songs resonate with millions? A reader can relate to the expressions depending on what she / he had experienced as a way of personal interpretation when listening to such a song. In this song, pain is the greatest incentive. In some of Nazrul’s songs, the element of pain is omnipresent. Poets and writers go through heartaches, longing, and loneliness as they hurt for someone — just like anyone else. They write poems and songs from their aching hearts.
They write songs and poems because they individually had gone through rejection, pain, sorrow, and sometimes even a feeling of being unlovable. I assume the essence of romantic love lies in the connection and shared experience based on trust between two people. The final outcome in love is not always important. Over the course of time we read zillion tragic love stories, and they are valued for a deep range of emotions by reflecting on the complexities of man/woman relationships, loss, and sacrifice. Love is often based on impermanence and loss. While reading such stories we feel a sense of catharsis by relating with the characters. Such characters help us to retain faith and see the beauty in love. Therefore, let us not despair, and compare whether the “after” story is harder or “bleaker” than the before. Let us not feel hopeless, instead, rejoice in the fact that either we have or had love in our lives.
From the practical standpoint one can say love is not infinite. But there are others who believe in “infinite love.” I believe Love is infinite, and it does not have to be about having that person in your life. Love can be a metaphor for many things – a deep and endless connection, a source of force, a passionate comfort. You do not necessarily have to be with that person to realize that love’s force is greater than that. In the context of romantic love it can be seen as everlasting. But the love for the divine also is an amazing opportunity to connect with the higher power.
This translation was also done keeping in mind to honor all those people whose love did not end in happily ever after. Does every story have to have a happy ending? If you are not lucky when it comes to love, want to refresh, and invigorate your soul with love by all means try again with someone else.
Dedication: This piece is dedicated to all those who celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14, and also to those folks who are alone on Valentine’s Day. Never worry about the achievement and external validation whether you have love for or from a person. Give yourself the love, care, and attention that you freely give to others. Self-recognition by no means is a selfish act. It is essential for your well-being, and also those who are around you. Valentine’s Day is not necessarily about romantic love. You can be your own Valentine by treating yourself with self-care and appreciating who you are the same way you would if you were with a partner. If one can put oneself over anything else, and treat you with love, and compassion, then that is the best gift over chocolate and roses. Such items have come to symbolize love and affection on Valentine’s Day to enhance romantic moods.
“May Your Dreams Come True, and when they do not / May New Dreams Arise.” And remember, life does not always come to us wrapped in a neat and sparkly red and pink combination bow. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Zeenat Khan writes from Maryland, USA
