Shabdaguchha
The International Poetry Journal in Bengali
Translated Poetry
9th Issue
July-Sept 2000
From Barishal to Briarwood:
Bengali Poetry in English
Humayun Azad (1947-)
A Lunar Strip
The moon is stripping tonight.
Unmindfully, she unwinds her
Violet sari, lets down her hair,
Slowly taking out.
Ten million blue hairpins.
These she casts on the earth.
They cover all that is dirt.
The lover picks up some hairpins
With trembling fingers.
The middle-aged gentleman picks up
The violet sari, holds it to his breast.
The little boy picks up the choli,
Delighted by his new balloon.
The drunk picks up the slippers,
Smothers them with kisses.
The factory workers go on strike
Demanding their shift.
I pick up the bare chaste, moon,
Slip her in my hip pocket
And bring her to my bedroom.
Translated by Farida Majid
Back to the Translated Issue
Back to Front Page
To subscribe this special issue, write to Shabdaguchha with a $6 money order.
Shabdaguchha, A Journal of Bengali Poetry, Published in New York, Edited by Hassanal Abdullah.