Change of season once again. A pair of morning doves (mourning doves, as corrected by Sherry) have stitched up a nest in the Hasna Hena (night blooming jasmine) bush at the back of my rented house and one of them is always sitting steadfast, warming two little eggs. Afternoons are getting to be hot, breathless and still. Turned to listening to the timeless songs of Tagore, for every change of season serves to remind one very gently of the March of Time!
One particular song, Tumi robey nirobey ( Remain you will, in my stillness) has been a favourite across the years, and a search of You Tube resulted in the pleasant discovery of Shubha Mudgal rendering an Urdu version. Since Tagore was no doubt influenced by both Sufi and Vedic philosophies, this one seemed apt.
Came upon some English translations too in the net, but I would prefer to attempt my own translation of the lyrics, which are truly haunting in its beauty ....
Remain you will, in stillness
in my heart
As the deep, lonesome night
aglow with the full moon
Remain you will, in stillness
All my life, my youth
and all my worlds
Suffuse with glory, ye will
As the deep, lonesome night
Remain you will, in stillness
Your eyes will keep awake
tinged with sadness
Cover me, ye will,
with the hem of your dress
My sorrows and my pain
All my fulfilled dreams
Fill with fragrance, ye will
As the deep, lonesome night
Remain you will, in stillness
As the deep, lonesome night
aglow with the full moon
Remain you will, in stillness
in my heart
Whew!
This song has found its way in Bengali cinema several times, but the most famous picturisation is from Kuheli (1971), and the song was performed by Hemanta Mukherjee and Lata Mangeshkar. A ghost story, with a twist as it is revealed later! Many singers have sung this song but the version by Srikanto Acharya is my favourite, for the passion with which he sings it -
The afternoon draws to a close, and the sun is way down the horizon. Not yet time for the birds to return to their nests, though and its time for some tea!
And yes, the mama dove is still sitting tight. Should hope to see her hatchlings soon, before the time comes for us to move once again, the coming week
