Bengali Songs

Singer Suman (Chatterjee/Kobir) was a fresh air in early '90s in urban Bengal. Here are two translations of his lyrics (translator - Sudipto Chatterjee).

#1

Where Morning, at the cross roads,
Via Afternoon, into Evening corrodes--
Where City, just across a by-lane at the border,
Assumes the evening suburban order--
Where Evening, in search of Nocturne
Upon Chronos' prod, decides to sojourn--
Where the Stars, at the sky's borderline,
Turn into a silent harmony unconfined--
Where Sky, in an envelope of watery Cloud,
Sends you a letter with Rain's shroud--
In the flood of your tears, where Rain
Tells stories of someone else's pain--

That's where on my own
I shall meet with you alone.

#2

Familiar sorrow, familiar happiness
That all too familiar smiling face
Familiar dark and familiar light.
Familiar grounds, your familiar block
On a familiar road the door you knock
Familiar cries in a familiar night.
Familiar lips and familiar eyes
Familiar groups of neighborhood boys
The familiar gang where the roads meet.
Familiar roads in smithereens
Familiar houses, familiar greens
The familiar jungle made of concrete.
Familiar buses, familiar circuits
Familiar bread, familiar biscuits.
The all too familiar tea-glasses.
Familiar cigarettes that you puff
Walks down a familiar turf
Familiar images--dream-corpses.
Familiar anger, familiar rages
All too familiar vengeful revenges
Familiar knife and vindication.
Familiar disdain, abomination
Familiar shame--this our nation
Familiar fears, unknown reconciliation.

Song of the day - the Immigrant (Nitin Sawhney)