Settlement-2010, 03 JAN., &amp BojhaparaOriginal

SETTLEMENT Original in Bengali: Rabindranath Tagore (1900)
English Translation from Bengali:

Subhas Chandra Ganguly (2001)
1
ANNOTATED ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF
RABINDRANATH TAGORES BENGALI POEM BOJHAAPADAA ; ;; ;
BY SUBHAS CHANDRA GANGULY

SETTLEMENT

Rabindranath Tagore
*

Tell your mind to brace;
Good or evil come what may
Accept the truth with grace

Some are likely to love you
Some just cannot chime;
Some are totally sold to you
Some again dont owe you a dime.
Partly it is their nature,
Partly yours too dear brother;
Partly world is so made
Where each is not made for the other.
Some deceptions you will suffer;
Some will be indulged by you.
Some of the goodies will come your way,
The rest will be others due

*
Rabindranath Tagore See on page 5 under the heading Translators Notes.

2
From the days of the yore
The world is so ordered.
Why should your fate be so fair
That all injuries you will be spared?

Tell your mind to brace;
Accept the truth with grace

After many a gales gone through
Harbour of happiness is in sight;
Rocks hidden under the waters
Hit your breast alright.
Ribs of the cage for a moment,
Quiver and break into a howl.
Have you to get into a rage for all that
And go into a quarrel or brawl?
If you can stay afloat
That, of course, is the best choice.
In case you cannot manage,
Just go under without much noise.
It is nothing like never seen,
And a non-event at the core.
For, ship-wrecks occur at the very places
Where none has a fear on that score.

3
So, tell your mind to brace;
Accept the truth with grace.

All are not up to your measure,
Nor do you measure up to all;
While you may choke under others pressure
You may press another into ball.
But come to think of it,
What is so wanting?
For, when you know how to get it,
A lot of happiness is a-waiting.
Nothing ever changes the azure sky,
Soft rays of dawn are as sweet as ever,
In a sudden encounter with death,
Not death but life that we prefer.
The wide world looks as wide
Even without the one,
Tears for whom from closed eyes
Created once an ocean.

If sitting under the setting sun,
You make your own shadow bigger,
And so, by your own doing
Darkness in your life you have to trigger,
4
You have to axe your own feet
By squabbling with your own fate,
Then for Gods sake,
Just go and do it, why wait?
Weep your hearts fill,
Shed your barrels of tear,
And thus settle with your mind
This way or that, somehow or other.
Then light your earthen lamp
And illumine your dark room.
Forget brother how much differences
You have with whom.

_________

[English translation of Rabindranath Tagores Bengali poem BOJHAAPADAA (.:+:+,:),
from his book of poems KSHANIKA (v|++:), (first published-1900). Translation by Subhas
Chandra Ganguly (June, 2001). Address for correspondence: B-22/8 Karunamoyee
Housing Estate, Salt Lake City, Kolkata -700091, INDIA. E-mail: subhas-
_ganguly@yahoo.co.in
The original Bengali poem, BOJHAAPADAA (.:+:+,:), can be downloaded from the
opening page of the website, Writings of Subhas Chandra Ganguly
(http://sites.google.com/site/subhascganguly/writings), where this translation by Subhas
Chandra Ganguly is introduced (under the sub-section TRANSLATION FROM BENGALI TO
ENGLISH in the section UNPUBLISHED IN PRINT MEDIA), by clicking the link, original in
Bengali.]
5
TRANSLATORS NOTES

Before putting this piece of writing on the website, Writings of Subhas Chandra Ganguly
(http://sites.google.com/site/subhascganguly/writings), the following notes were specially
prepared and added, at the suggestion of Sudipta Saraswati. Inclusion of Rabindranaths
own translation (later discovery of which by me was merely mentioned in my note first)
below as an APPENDIX was also at his suggestion.
TRANSLATOR, 26
th
February, 2010

Rabindranath Tagore (7 May, 1861 7 August, 1941): A Bengalee by language
and birth, he needs no introduction to any inhabitant of Indian subcontinent, who is able
to read this poem either in translation or in original (which also is being posted on this
website, for those who can read Bengali). And it is beyond self-perceived capacity of the
present translator to present, in such a short space, Tagores single-handed contribution to
a new phase of Bengali literature/language/culture, dating back roughly from middle of
the 19th century.

So, just to give an inkling of his place in Bengali literature, to those non-Indians, who
may not have heard of him, I am quoting from one very well known, widely regarded
critic/essayist/poet/novelist/scholar/teacher, Buddhadeva Bose (also spelt Buddhadeb
Bosu) (1908-1974), whose sparkling, deeply insightful essays, in both Bengali and
English, on language and literature has been of great help to me to enrich my own
understanding. A much junior contemporary of Tagore, he wrote with equal facility both
in English and Bengali. In one of his essays (1948) in English, this is how Bose presented
Rabindranath :
Rabindranath Tagore is a phenomenon. Rabindranath is our Chaucer and
Shakespeare, our Dryden, and our equivalent of the English translators of the
Bible. To describe him in terms of English literature one must name quite a
number of authors, for he compresses in one mans lifetime the development of
several centuries. He has created language both prose and verse.
6
[Rabindranath in An Acre of Green Grass: A Review of Modern Bengali
Literature, by Buddhadeb Bosu: Papyrus, Kolkata, first published by Orient
Longmans in 1948.]

For a brief sketch on Rabindranath and Buddhadeb, one may visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhadeb_Bosu, respectively. Search on Internet will yield considerable amount of
materials on both of them.

A personal note from the translator: I am far from a habitual translator of
poem(s), though in my lifetime, so far, I happened to have done a lot of translation work,
but all from prose to prose. Back in June 2001, i.e., about 9 years before, this translation
emerged, in a way, quite accidentally, while I had been helping for sometimes back, on
professional basis, a very likeable young Englishman, Andrew Preston (sent to me by my
friend Sanjay Mitra), while he was in Kolkata, to learn Bengali. He needed to learn
Bengali to do his professional job, which required him to interact with Bengalee
inhabitants in Kolkata and its suburbs, who were not conversant with English language.

To add some spice to this process of his learning a foreign language, one day suddenly I
was struck by the thought of translating one such poem of Tagore (my acquaintance with
composition of other Bengali poets their number is quite large being much more
limited), the original Bengali of which would appear simpler to follow by a foreigner, but
at the same time content will be appealing enough to an adult. So, that dictated the choice
of the present poem in its original, which, perhaps is more in the nature of verse than
poem. While original was metred in structure, I thought of translating the original in
simple prose. But while making such attempt, somehow, with some gradual alteration,
translated version, for better or for worse (readers, naturally, would be the best judge),
also turned out be metred.

Much later, I discovered that the poet himself, in a letter (in English) to another
Englishman of his time, Charles Freer Andrews (1871-1940), ten years his junior and
very close associate of him in many ways of his social endeavours, sent his own English
translation of the same verse, which however was in prose, and not metred. For interested
readers, this translation of the poet is added at the end as an APPENDIX.
7
Anyone, able to follow both the original and the translation, is unlikely to miss that in
places, his translation deviates from his original in terms of both alteration and deletion.
And deviations are such that perhaps these are not easily explainable by compulsions,
usually associated with any work of translation (particularly in case of poem/verse) when
the two languages in question are as dissimilar, in their structure, vocabulary and idioms,
as Bengali and English are. So, the poet must have had his own reason(s), which we do
not know. As to whether the deviations can be termed small or considerable, there
need not be any general consensus on such matters. It goes without saying that a mere
translator cannot take such liberty, open to the original composer. So, in my own
translation above, I have tried, within my capacity, to remain as close as possible to the
original.

Copyright of Subhas Chandra Gangulys Translation and Notes (c) 2010 by Subhas Chandra
Ganguly. This is an open access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative License (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/3.0/us/), which permits anyone (if he/she so wishes) to share this publication, provided (1)
the distribution is only for noncommercial purposes, (2) the original author and the source are
attributed, and (3) no derivative works including any alterations are made. For any distribution,
this copyright statement should also accompany this publication without any alteration and in its
entirety.

PUBLICATION HISTORY:

The translation was made in 2001 and the translators notes as well as the accompanying
APPENDIX were prepared in 2010. These writings were not published in print media. These are
now being published for the first time online as open access publication in the website,
Writings of Subhas Chandra Ganguly (http://sites.google.com/site/subhascganguly/writings):
August 11, 2010.

8
APPENDIX
Poets (Rabindranath Tagore) Own Translation (in English)
of His Own Verse/Poem (in Bengali) BOJHAAPADAA ; ;; ;
TAKING TRUTH SIMPLY

Whatever may come, my heart, take truth simply,
Though there be some who can love you, there must be others who never
can, and if you must know the cause, it is as much in you as in them,
and in all things around.
Some doors are closed against your knocks, while your doors are not
open always and to all comers.
Such has been and shall be for evermore; and yet if you must have peace,
my heart, take truth simply.
There is no need to be abusive if your boat founders by the shore, though
it sailed through the storm.
Keep yourself afloat by all means; but it is impossible to do so, then be
good enough to sink without noise.
It is a commonplace fact that things may or may not fit you and events
happen without asking for your leave.
Yet if you must have peace, my heart, take truth simply.
You press and are pressed hard in the crowd, but space there is enough
and to spare in this world.
When you have counted your losses to the last farthing, your sky remains
as blue as ever.
You find, when suddenly tested, that to live is sweeter than to die.
You may miss this and that and the other thing, but if you must have
peace, my heart, take truth simply.
Must you stand with your back to the rising sun and watch your shadow
lengthened before you?
9

Must you take pleasure in finding fault with your destiny and thus tease
your soul to death ?
Then for mercys sake be quick and have done with it; for if, with the
evening stars, you must light your lamp, my heart, take truth simply.

[Contained in a letter (from Rabindranath to C. F. Andrews), dated February 5th, 1916,
SHILEIDA LETTERS TO A FRIEND (first published in 1928 under the editorship of C. F.
Andrews himself). My own source: THE ENGLISH WRITINGS OF RABINDRANATH TAGORE,
VOLUME THREE (1996), Sahitya Akademi, Kolkata, p. 251-252.]

hTfs lhceb WL l

- 1 -
[THE ORIGINAL IN BENGALI (BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE) OF THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION 'SETTLEMENT' ]

hTfs hTfs hTfs hTfs

lhceb WLl

jel BS Lq k,
im jc kqC BpL
pal mJ pqS z

LE h aju imhp
LE h hpa fl e k,
LE hLu BR, LE h
pL fup dl e k z
LaLV k ih acl
LaLV k ajl iC,
LaLV H ihl NaL -
phl al eq phC z
aju LaL gyL ch
ajJ LaL ch gyL,
ajl iN LaL fsh,
fll iN bLh hL z
jalC Bjm bL
Qm BpR Hje lLj
ajl L Hje iN
hyQu kh pLm SMj ?

hTfs lhceb WL l

- 2 -

jel BS Lq k,
im jc kqC BpL
pal mJ pqS z

AeL T LVu hT
Hm p Ml hcla,
Sml am fqs Rm
mNm h Ll Acla,
jqa L fySlm
EWm Lyc Ba lh -
aC hm L phl p
TNs Ll jla qh ?
ip bLa fl kc
pCV phl Qu n u,
e fl a he hL
Vf Llu Xh ku z
HV LR Afh eu,
OVe pje MhC
n kbu Ll e LE
pCMe qu SqS-Xh z

jel aC Lq k,
im jc kqC BpL
pal mJ pqS z

hTfs lhceb WL l

- 3 -

ajl jf qu e phC,
ajJ qJ e phl jf,
aj jl Ll Wmu
LE h jl ajl Qf z
ah ih cMa Nm
Hje Lpl VeVe ?
aje Ll qa hsm
pM fJu ku AeLMe z
BLn ah p em bL
jdl WL ill Bm
jlZ Hm qWv cM
jll Qu hyQC im z
kql mN Qr hS
hqu cmj An pNl
aql hc cuJ cM
hn ihe j XNl z

jel aC Lq k,
im jc kqC BpL
pal mJ pqS z

hTfs lhceb WL l

- 4 -
eSl Ru j Ll
AQm hp hp
Bydl Ll am kc
She Me eSl co,
hdl p hhc Ll
eSl fu L sm jl,
cqC ah H LkV
ka nO fl pl z
Mh MeLV Lyc LV
An Ym Os Os -
jel p HL lLj
Ll e iC hTfs,
al fla By dl Ol
fcfMe Smu am
im k iC Lql p
LaVLe agv qm z

jel aC Lq k,
im jc kqC BpL
pal mJ pqS z

---------

[rZL(1900), lhc lQehm, f bj M, SmC,1980,
f : 873 fLnL : f: h plLl ]

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SETTLEMENT Original in Bengali: Rabindranath Tagore (1900)

English Translation from Bengali:

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