Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Jit Narain

Working all day, dreaming at night

Working all day, dreaming at night –
Aja’s appearance is something like mine.

My ship was not called Lalla Rookh
and my country’s name became Holland, meneer.

I flew KLM, I left Surinam.
When the memory of you arose,
I went in search of history.

The sap of this story is not sacred nectar,
the feeling it gives holds my mind in its grip.

Why he left India, that I can fathom;
that India never left him, is the burden I bear.

Working all day, dreaming at night

Din ke ham kám kari, rát ke dekhi sapná,
ájá ke surat láge, thorá-thorá apná.

Hamár jahajwá ke nám ná Lálá Rookhwá
deswá ke nám bhail Nederland, babuá.

K.L.M. se urli ham chorli Sarnamwá
yád jab tor áil khoje calli itihaswá

Ekar kathá ke ras ná hai pancámritwá
kathwá ke kassak kas ke kasle bá mor citwá

Káhen u Bhárat choris, ito ham samjhilá
Bhárat oke náhi choris, uto ham sahilá
Close

Working all day, dreaming at night

Working all day, dreaming at night –
Aja’s appearance is something like mine.

My ship was not called Lalla Rookh
and my country’s name became Holland, meneer.

I flew KLM, I left Surinam.
When the memory of you arose,
I went in search of history.

The sap of this story is not sacred nectar,
the feeling it gives holds my mind in its grip.

Why he left India, that I can fathom;
that India never left him, is the burden I bear.

Working all day, dreaming at night

Working all day, dreaming at night –
Aja’s appearance is something like mine.

My ship was not called Lalla Rookh
and my country’s name became Holland, meneer.

I flew KLM, I left Surinam.
When the memory of you arose,
I went in search of history.

The sap of this story is not sacred nectar,
the feeling it gives holds my mind in its grip.

Why he left India, that I can fathom;
that India never left him, is the burden I bear.
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