"Light, oh where is the light? Kindle it with the burning fire of desire!"
অনুবাদ: কোথায় আলো, কোথায় ওরে আলো! বিরহানলে জ্বালো রে তারে জ্বালো।
"There is the lamp but never a flicker of a flame,—is such thy fate, my heart! Ah, death were better by far for thee!"
অনুবাদ: রয়েছে দীপ না আছে শিখা, এই কি ভালে ছিল রে লিখা—ইহার চেয়ে মরণ সে যে ভালো।
"Misery knocks at thy door, and her message is that thy lord is wakeful..."
অনুবাদ: বেদনাদূতী গাহিছে, "ওরে প্রাণ, তোমার লাগি জাগেন ভগবান..."
"...and he calls thee to the love-tryst through the darkness of night"
অনুবাদ: "...নিশীথে ঘন অন্ধকারে ডাকেন তোরে প্রেমাভিসারে।"
"The sky is overcast with clouds and the rain is ceaseless."
অনুবাদ: গগনতল গিয়েছে মেঘে ভরি, বাদল-জল পড়িছে ঝরি ঝরি।
"I know not what this is that stirs in me,—I know not its meaning."
অনুবাদ: এ ঘোর রাতে কিসের লাগি পরান মম সহসা জাগি, আমি যে কারে শুধাব না জানি।
"A moment's flash of lightning drags down a deeper gloom on my sight..."
অনুবাদ: বিজুলি শুধু ক্ষণিক আভা হানে, নিবিড়তর তিমির চোখে আনে।
"...and my heart gropes for the path to where the music of the night calls me."
অনুবাদ: সকল গান টানিছে পথপানে।
"It thunders and the wind rushes screaming through the void. The night is black as a black stone. Let not the hours pass by in the dark. Kindle the lamp of love with thy life."
অনুবাদ: ডাকিছে মেঘ, হাঁকিছে হাওয়া... নিবিড় নিশা নিকষঘন কালো। পরান দিয়ে প্রেমের দীপ জ্বালো।
Summary of the Poem
In this song from Gitanjali, Rabindranath Tagore explores the theme of Spiritual Longing (Viraha). The poet finds himself in deep spiritual darkness, searching desperately for the "Light" of God.
The poem begins with a cry of despair. The poet possesses the "lamp" (his body or life), but it lacks the "flame" (faith or divine love). He feels that death would be better than living such an empty existence. However, his misery is actually a messenger; it tells him that God is awake and waiting for him to join a "love-tryst" (Abhisar) in the dark, stormy night.
The storm outside—thunder, wind, and rain—reflects the turmoil inside the poet's soul. Flashes of lightning only make the darkness seem deeper afterwards. Yet, amidst this chaos, the poet realizes the solution: he cannot wait for an external light. To find God, he must kindle the lamp of love with his own life. It is a call for total self-surrender and burning one's own ego to create the divine light.
Light, Oh Where is the Light? (Gitanjali 27)
Original Bengali Song: Kothay Aalo, Kothay Ore Aalo (কোথায় আলো, কোথায় ওরে আলো)
"Light, oh where is the light? Kindle it with the burning fire of desire!"
কোথায় আলো, কোথায় ওরে আলো।
বিরহানলে জ্বালো রে তারে জ্বালো।
বিরহানলে জ্বালো রে তারে জ্বালো।
Explanation: The poet cries out in spiritual darkness, seeking the divine light. The "burning fire of desire" refers to Biraha (বিরহ)—the intense pain of separation from the Divine. He suggests that if the light isn't visible, one must ignite their soul using the very heat of this painful longing.
"There is the lamp but never a flicker of a flame,—is such thy fate, my heart! Ah, death were better by far for thee!"
রয়েছে দীপ না আছে শিখা, এই কি ভালে ছিল রে লিখা--
ইহার চেয়ে মরণ সে যে ভালো।
ইহার চেয়ে মরণ সে যে ভালো।
Explanation: The body/heart is compared to a lamp (দীপ) that exists but has no flame (shikha/faith/enlightenment). A life without this spiritual connection feels so futile that the poet feels death would be preferable to this empty existence.
"Misery knocks at thy door, and her message is that thy lord is wakeful, and he calls thee to the love-tryst through the darkness of night"
বেদনাদূতী গাহিছে, "ওরে প্রাণ, তোমার লাগি জাগেন ভগবান।
নিশীথে ঘন অন্ধকারে ডাকেন তোরে প্রেমাভিসারে...
নিশীথে ঘন অন্ধকারে ডাকেন তোরে প্রেমাভিসারে...
Explanation: Suffering is personified as a messenger (Bedonaduti). Pain is not a punishment, but a signal that God (Bhagaban) is awake and waiting. The "love-tryst" (Abhisar) is a classic Indian poetic trope where a lover braves the dark storm to meet the beloved—here, the soul braving life's darkness to meet God.
"The sky is overcast with clouds and the rain is ceaseless. I know not what this is that stirs in me,—I know not its meaning."
গগনতল গিয়েছে মেঘে ভরি, বাদল-জল পড়িছে ঝরি ঝরি।
এ ঘোর রাতে কিসের লাগি পরান মম সহসা জাগি...
এ ঘোর রাতে কিসের লাগি পরান মম সহসা জাগি...
Explanation: The external weather (clouds, ceaseless rain) mirrors the internal turmoil. The soul feels a sudden stirring or awakening but is confused about its source. This represents the subconscious call of the Divine that the conscious mind cannot yet understand.
"A moment's flash of lightning drags down a deeper gloom on my sight, and my heart gropes for the path to where the music of the night calls me."
বিজুলি শুধু ক্ষণিক আভা হানে, নিবিড়তর তিমির চোখে আনে।...
সকল গান টানিছে পথপানে।
সকল গান টানিছে পথপানে।
Explanation: Lightning illuminates the path for a split second, but when it vanishes, the darkness feels even deeper (intensified gloom). Yet, the "music of the night" (the divine flute/call) pulls the heart forward, urging it to find the path despite the blindness.
"Light, oh where is the light!... It thunders and the wind rushes screaming through the void. The night is black as a black stone. Let not the hours pass by in the dark. Kindle the lamp of love with thy life."
ডাকিছে মেঘ, হাঁকিছে হাওয়া... নিবিড় নিশা নিকষঘন কালো।
পরান দিয়ে প্রেমের দীপ জ্বালো।
পরান দিয়ে প্রেমের দীপ জ্বালো।
Explanation: The storm reaches its peak ("wind rushes screaming"). The night is described as "black stone" (Nikosh-ghono kalo)—impenetrable. The final instruction is the solution: Do not wait passively. Sacrifice your own life/ego ("Paran diye") to kindle the lamp of love. Self-surrender is the only way to light the lamp.
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