By morning's light

(865)  Alor sagare dheu jagayecho

In the ocean of effulgence, waves You've raised;
Heavenly nectar, You've made rain.
Wiping away the gloom of fog,
You've ushered in the crimson light of dawn.

In the thrice-scorched^[1] heart of humankind,
Thirst for the infinite You've imbued.
In mute and unaware human minds,
You've proclaimed liberty's truths.

Making men forget their social bias
That all might move unitedly,
For the start of an enlightened era,
You've painted a portrait of novelty.

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Not The Way

(864)  Tumi nikate thekeo dure acho

Though I approach, You stay remote,
Keeping afar when I come close.
To many holy sites, at cities and wayside,
My onerous rambling, it has been futile.

Blowing a conch shell I've made arati;^[1]
Pounding a kettledrum, I've invoked Thee...
Everything I do, and yet I've seen
In my heartsphere You don't appear.

Lighting fire, the homa I have done;
Lamps with five wicks I've held forth;^[2]
Pouring with a special spoon;^[3] Your idol I have bathed;
And tearfully I've also prayed...
But You've just gone further away.

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Puppet on a string

(863)  Rager madhurii haraye phelechi

Music's sweetness I've let drop;
With but its trace in memory I soldier on.
Tuning my lute to the melodic octave,
Fixedly I gaze in Your direction.

Those tunes once stored within my throat;
Today, they're all removed, very remote.
Their lingering resonance, its power to enchant,
Even now, in song and dance, I know.

By the rhythm You roused in the heavens,
You've deluged me with what palpitation?
In its very pulse and beats,
I dance incessantly, according to their oscillation.

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Frustration

(862)  Manera upavane malaya pavane eso

Come into my mental garden with a gentle breeze;
For You I am waiting.
On a moonlit night, abide with me in love complete,
I have strung a garland for Thee.

How much You have given, how much You have loved!
Yet embrace You don't give, You don't come close enough;
So this time please draw near, sit within my heart's core.
From its sweetness Your dais I've fashioned.

What sort of love is this, smiling only from a distance!
You've embodied all of my ambitions,
Playing tunes on Your flute, filling heart's horizons.
With my lamp alight, I've kept waiting.

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In His vision

(861)  Akhanda mane anidra dhyane

With mindful introspection and resolve unflagging,
On the eastern skyline You appeared.
Sunbeams and a gentle breeze,
Not even they were present on that morning;
On that morning only You were there.

Heaven's nectar or just a speck of dust,
Fruit on plants or flowers' loveliness,
Riverstreams or any form of sweetness...
Nothing was upon earth's surface;
So, with Your own hues, You did paint it.

Unadorned was this Creation–
Undressed in Your vision.
With lustrous golden decoration,
You have covered everything.

Attentive was Your austerity,
New moon's dense gloom cleaving.
With sunbeams and a gentle breeze,
You've made the flowers bloom, swaying.

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Is one glance too much to ask?

(860)  Hiyara gahane barek jadi takao

Should You once look in Your heart deep,
You'd see one small heart settled there.
Or Lord, would You continue to forget
The one who far away is kept?

Thinking of You, his^[1] days, they come and go;
Recalling You, restless even now he grows.
But if You choose to keep spurning this fact,
That also he can stand;
For, by Your grace, such trait he has.

In his life the six seasons^[2] still pass;
With fresh flower arrays wrapping his life, he laughs.
And yet his life sails on a stream of tears;
His every smile fades into mental agony.

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His greatest gift

(859)  Arup sagar par haye ele

Crossing over the formless ocean,
You were filled with light of beauty.
You came Like bee into a flower garden,
You begot sweetness in the honey.

What was undone, You completed it;
What could not be done, You also did.
Above both progress and existence,
For Your own glory, You came in person.^[1]

The silent penance that had been done,
Your advent it was yearning for.
Upon a world in gloom absorbed,
A bit of heaven You did pour.

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Or else

(858)  Esecho hiya jinecho, tarpar gecho je cale

You came and won my heart;
Then You went away.
You laughed, You loved,
And You forgot the one for whom You'd cared.

My song, it is for You only;
My love stays constantly aroused.
You left, taking what You'd received,
All I gave, my heart poured out.

My eyes, they shed tears for Your sake;
Ever calling, night and day I stay awake.
I've understood, it's been explained...
You had loved me by mistake.
Once Your blunder was laid bare,
So You went away.

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Hear and repeat

(857)  Tumi je path dekhaye diyacho

The path that You've unveiled
Before my eyes,
I'll traverse just that lane.
The lamp that You've held raised
On my dark night,
That light I'll make my aim.

You are my life's guiding star;
Never You're amiss.
The message You've delivered
In my hearing,
Those words I'll remember.

On the dark sea, only You are there;
Well and truly You have loved me.
By Your fond touch my heart You waked;
That very warmth I will disseminate.

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Singing His song

(856)  Phuler suvase eso

With floral fragrance, please do come,
Filling the life of everyone.
Come with distilled nectar in sky and air,
Bringing to mind alluring strains.

Tuning Your lyre to melody's octave,
With beat and tune in divers music...
Flooding the earth, its sky, and paradise,
You shake our cosmic airship.

All mantras are the sound of You only;
With Your pulse runs each machine...
Per Your will all move along,
Singing Your song.

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Give me strength

(855)  Jariye achi dekho prabhu

Master, see how I'm enmeshed
In great maya's worldly web;
What is it that You did?
Armed with what thought will men contend
Against the countless billowing waves?
Oh Lord, please give me strength.^[1]

I am Your tiny molecule;
Huge and original are You.
You make love-games ever new,
While keeping out of public view.

Only should a speck of grace descend
Can we reach this ocean's end.
All creatures would shine bright,
Cheering with triumph's delight.

I don't want wealth or happiness;
Your kindly face I want to see.
Smiling sweetly, please come near,
Ignoring faults and sins.

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Room for one

(854)  Ke tumi hrdaye ese

Who are You that in my heart appeared,
Always gently smiling.
My assorted, blind attachments,
You drenched with divine affection.
Your eyes full of love
And coated with sweetness divine,
Call to me time after time,
As You race toward the sky.

Nothing do You request,
And nothing do You take.
Should it come to gifts, You declare:
"If you want, then give yourself."

You don't reveal Yourself;
When invited, You don't speak.
You say my identity,
That You know; then You go and forget.

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The meaning of life

(853)  Maner kone ke elo

Who appeared in a niche of my psyche?
He appeared, He appeared!
Who's the unknown deity that my heart reveres?
He stretched His two rosy feet...
He indulged me, He indulged me.

Mind and intellect, they cannot comprehend Him;
But, nonetheless, He surely won my heart.
Only His goodwill, His immortal song,
It imbued everything with beauty and affection.
He fulfilled, He fulfilled.

This grand experience I cannot hide;
Heart's passion I can't conceal.
Just His smile, His flute so enchanting,
It awakened the appeal of moonlight in my life;
He inspired me, He inspired me.

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Come what may

(852)  Ami aro vyatha saite pari prabhu

Master, more pain I can sustain
If You show me grace;
So, with Your eyes embrace me,
Even if You offer no relief.

Amorous sport You make, that I know;
Your games infuse both happiness and sorrow.
I know Your cosmic play is boundless;
And just because I know, I will never cower.

You are vast, and You are great;
With Your games this world You've made.
Within Your mind is the whole universe;
And in that same cosmos, I also exist.
Oh Lord, this fact I cannot dismiss.

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Notice me

(851)  Apan mane base base

Long occupying Your own mind,
Whose story do You study?
You may consider whatever You like;
I know You don't think of my plight.

Neglected, my days, they have gone by,
Many a dawn unto the fall of night;
I've endured so much travail...
Do You not know my pain?

A flower's unfolded in conditions right,
Body touched by golden light;
That flower now withers under searing heat...
Do You not feel its misery?

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Your light

(850)  Amar andhar gharer alo tumi (850)

You're the light of my dark room;
The light of my dark heart is You.
On a lampstand without oil,
You burn bright in Your own right.

Edged with sky's blue is Your dhoti;
It's spangled with the stars.
Beckoning are the nebulae;
Of sandalpaste is Your girdle.
Sprinkled amid everybody
Is a light greater than any...
It's the light of Your beauty.

From the Luminous One come myriad lights;
You apply bright bindis that You've lit.
In every heart You lift up
Amity's promontory.
You remove dark spots, blacker than black...
It's the light of Your love.

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Even if

(849)  Pranam pathanu gane gane

In song we offer humble greetings;
Please have mercy and receive,
Don't push away with Your feet
A song that blends heart's yearning.

When rainstorms clamor mid new-moon gloom
And fearsome Nature creates shivers,
In that darkness, trusting You,
Painstakingly I've made my hymns.

In this song, my love's entwined;
In this song, Your thought abides.
Composing song with You in mind,
On my side, I get satisfied.

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In perpetuum

(848)  Jhainjhar buke dekhechi tomake

I've seen You in the heart of thunderstorms;
Therefore I get no fear, not one jot.
I've found You in the light of meteors;
Oh Lord, there's no place where You are not.

Each thing in the world is subject to decay
Only You stay young and fresh always.
Having been within the frightful dark of night,
Riding sun's chariot at dawn You rise.
You drop to the ground with winter's leaves;
In spring I find You've returned green.

In the very state You were ere time began,
In that same state forever You will last.
My indestructible Supreme Being,
In this universe Your like does not exist.

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Helpmate

(21)  Tumi alojhalamal purnimadiip

You're the glittering full-moon light,
On a cloudy night;
You're the Cynosure for those who've gone astray,
On a lonesome way;
And You're the sweet liniment for every affliction,
Within reach of all.

I have yearned for Thee in every deed,
Amid unspoken agonies.
In the same way as the wretched pray,
Yourself have I craved.
Day and night, You are there,
In happiness, in misery.
On every journey, to assuage my grief,
You are always with me.

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In our darkest hour

(847)  Sei andhar bhara bhay dharano rate

On that same night, fearful and gloomy,
You were there;
You were there with me.
With a maddening, breathtaking melody,
You did sing;
A song You did sing.

In that darkness so very tight,
Nobody was nearby.
Mid that sleepless plight,
Suppressing all my grief,
You did smile;
Sweetly You did smile.

The darkness was dense outside,
But it was darker in my mind.
With the gold lamp in Your hand,
You brought light;
The light You did ignite.

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Come what may

(846)  Ami tomakei niye achi go

Lord, I follow You only;
Toward Your face I gaze.
Like lotus I unfold with the rays of morning;
I sing out in refrains of a nightingale.^[1]

In my private garden home
There's a seat for You alone.
With my restless swarm of bees
Circling round about Thee,
Of nothing else do I think;
With delight I keep on dancing.

When impending thunderbolts and meteors
Fall down on me from above,
When raging hurricanes and tempests
Render me as if homeless,
On those dark days, I do not vacillate;
With Your music and Your love, I give chase.

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Lonely and afraid

(845)  Aji badal ghana gahan rate

Tonight the rain-clouds are heavy;
Sleep falls not upon my eyelids.
Lord, why do You stay silent...
Won't You speak with me?

Your ankle bells ring out inside my mind
And fill my heart with melodic strains.
Please come to me dressed in august attire
So that my wretchedness will not remain.

Like the honeybee inside a blossom
Please keep Yourself close by my side,
Oh my nearest, dearest Intimate One,
On this stormy night, drowsiness-deprived.

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To see or not to see

(844)  Tumi sabar nayane varasa enecho

In the eyes of all, You've brought rain
That they will swim in bliss.
In the lives of all, You've lent faith
That they will gain self-consciousness.

When a spring breeze is gently blowing,
Caressing my body,
Body and mind, as one they thrill
In streams of unruly feelings.

Under bright, snow-white moonlight,
The mind wants to forsake its shrine.
My stoic eyes gaze toward the sky
To get a fleeting glimpse of Thee
And pay respect to their Supreme.

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Getting close

(960)  Tumi dhara dile

You let Yourself be held
Within this my heart;
You infused hope
Into despair's abode.

What was once covered in darkness,
It's become glazed with effulgence;
So why have You still bound me
With a finite identity?

What was once concealed by petals,
That nectar is smeared with love;
So what now still remains
In my consciousness exchange?

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Purified

(843)  Tomare dekhinu jabe manera kone

When I noticed You in a niche of my mind,
There was an odor then inside my garden.
I went toward You with open eyes,
But suddenly Your door was shut.

Well I know that God never grows callous;
His heart is softer than the heart of humans.
What was my sin for which Your gate was closed?
I see that in my heart both fear and shame lay low.

Today, all my fear and shame are cast aside;
With light divine, come reside inside my mind.
Today, free am I from filth of sin;
With heaps of love, kindly descend.
Now that earthly form and radiant consciousness have wed.

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Primordial flame

(842)  Pradiip jvaliya giyacho caliya

Lighting a lamp, You walked off;
Then You forgot about me.
You trod upon my psychic blossom;
You ignored my tears.

Thereafter, many ages came and went,
Many a wailing, pain-filled chest.
Many futile nights elapsed,
Stuck at the foot of Your altar.

The lamp You lit with Your own hand,
Till now its flame remains resplendent.
From its blaze countless candlewicks I light,
Day and night, evening and morn.

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Only one thing

(20)  Dur akasher tara ogo

Oh Lord, my star of distant sky,
You I don't know;
No, I don't know, I don't.

Come stately and sit by my side;
Yourself, please don't cloak;
No, please don't cloak, please don't.

Many days and many pains,
Many words stored up to say...
To You I would speak everything;
Please don't remain deaf to me...
No, don't stay deaf, don't please.

Everyone's very own, everyone's beloved,
For everybody reverend...
One and all want You close,
Don't keep Yourself remote...
No, don't keep far, please don't.

Whatever the scholars might say,
Whatever scripture may explain...
I am Yours, and You are mine;
Other words I won't abide...
No, I don't mind, don't mind.

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Just see

(841)  Alora sayare sahasa samiire

With a sea of light on a breeze that smiles,
Who are You that came, oh, Who came?
On Your inbound path, You smeared sandalpaste;
On Your outbound path, You left blooms behind.

I'd grown tired of calling You time after time;
Lost thereby were many nights and days of mine.
Despite my countless invites, You did not come;
But, now, unbidden and on Your own You came.
Simply by coming, You took my breath away.

In a playful flow You've made the cosmos, that I know;
And divine sport You like, that too I own.
Nonetheless, grant my appeal and see my grief;
Today, this humble plea I submit, tearfully.

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Fulfilling

(840)  Ke go tumi ele amari mane

Who are You that in my mind appeared;
In what part hard-to-reach had You been hiding?

The sky, the air, they're filled with ecstasy;
The moon's smile, it yields fantasy.

Today, with a gentle Chaitra^[1] breeze,
My restless heart pays heed only to Thee.

Through sweet whispers in a mind that's lonely,
With my heart Your heart keeps company.

Now, casting off all ties, ignoring smiles and tears,
In Your vibrant melody, with my song ready I will please.

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You know

(19)  Naviina prate ei arun alote

In this crimson splendor on a fresh morning,
With form's rhythm, You entered my psyche.

You know how to make me laugh, You know how to make me weep;
You know how to play diverting games of hide-and-seek.
Today You came to fill my life with Your lustrous beauty.

You know how to play the lute, You how to compose melodies;
You know how to make the world dance to Your tune and beat.
You know how to love us all in happiness and suffering.

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My dot of light

(839)  Andhar sagar tiire base base

Seated on the shore of the stygian sea,
I think about when You'll be here,
Steering a ship of light with Your own hand,
Having traversed that vast ocean.

I'd come here to carry out some feats;
Instead of work have been misdeeds.
My days have passed, my nights elapsed;
Gone too are all my companions.

With me was the lamp of life,
On gloom's brow, a dot of light.
Even now that flame, I've kept it lit,
In hope of Thee, my trove of ambrosia.

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