Bengali Meaning of I Shall Return to This Bengal

 Bengali Meaning of I Shall Return to This Bengal

"Abar Asibo Phire" (I Shall Return to this Bengal) is arguably one of the most beloved poems in Bengali literature, written by the legendary "Poet of Senses," Jibanananda Das. Included in his posthumously published collection Rupasi Bangla (Beautiful Bengal), this poem is a profound declaration of the poet's eternal love for his homeland.

আবার আসিব ফিরে ধানসিঁড়িটির তীরে– এই বাংলায়

I shall return to this Bengal, to the Dhansiri’s bank

হয়তো মানুষ নয়– হয়তো বা শাঁখচিল শালিখের বেশে;

Perhaps not as a man, but mayna or fishing-kite;

হয়তো ভোরের কাক হয়ে এই কার্তিকের নবান্নের দেশে

কুয়াশার বুকে ভেসে এক দিন আসিব এ কাঁঠাল-ছায়ায়;

Or dawn crow, floating on the mist’s bosom to alight

In the shade of this jackfruit tree, in this autumn harvest-land.

হয়তো বা হাঁস হবো– কিশোরীর– ঘুঙুর রহিবে লাল পায়,

Or may be a duck- a young girl’s bells on my red feet,

সারা দিন কেটে যাবে কলমির গন্ধভরা জলে ভেসে ভেসে;

Drifting on kalmi-scented waters all the day:

আবার আসিব আমি বাংলার নদী মাঠ খেত ভালোবেসে

For love of Bengal’s rivers, fields, crops, I’ll come this way

জলাঙ্গীর ঢেউয়ে ভেজা বাংলার এ সবুজ করুণ ডাঙায়;

To this sad green shore of Bengal, drenched by Jalangi’s waves

Bengali Meaning of I Shall Return to This Bengal

Detailed Explanation

The Vow of Return: The poet makes an absolute promise to return to the lush landscapes of Bengal after his death, specifically mentioning the banks of the Dhansiri (a river in the Barisal region).

Embracing Non-Human Forms: He acknowledges the reality of mortality but rejects the finality of it by desiring reincarnation. He does not mind returning as a non-human entity—be it a Shankhachil (fishing-kite), a Shalikh (myna bird), or a crow braving the morning mist during the autumn harvest season (Navanna).

Intimate Rural Imagery: He imagines an incredibly peaceful, mundane existence, such as being a village girl's pet duck with red feet and ankle bells, spending entire days floating in ponds that smell sweetly of kalmi (water spinach).

The "Sad Green Shore": He returns simply out of an unconditional love for the physical elements of the land—the rivers, fields, and crops. Calling Bengal a "sad green shore" perfectly captures the duality of the land: overwhelmingly beautiful and fertile, yet steeped in an undeniable, quiet melancholy and poverty.

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Stanza Summary

In this opening stanza, Jibanananda Das expresses a profound, almost spiritual yearning to remain forever connected to his homeland. Rather than seeking a traditional heavenly afterlife, he views the rural, natural landscape of Bengal as his ultimate paradise. Through vivid sensory details—misty autumn mornings, the scent of waterweeds, the shade of jackfruit trees, and local rivers like the Dhansiri and Jalangi—he declares that his love for the land will pull him back after death, even if he must be reborn as a bird or a duck to experience it again.

Line-by-Line: Bengali to English

হয়তো দেখিবে চেয়ে সুদর্শন উড়িতেছে সন্ধ্যার বাতাসে;

Perhaps you’ll see a glass-fly ride the evening breeze,

হয়তো শুনিবে এক লক্ষ্মীপেঁচা ডাকিতেছে শিমূলের ডালে;

Or hear a barn owl call from the silk-cotton tree;

হয়তো খইয়ের ধান ছড়াতেছে শিশু এক উঠানের ঘাসে;

A little child toss rice-grains on the courtyard grass,

রূপসার ঘোলা জলে হয়তো কিশোর এক শাদা ছেঁড়া পালে

ডিঙা বায়;–

Or a boy on the Rupsa’s turgid stream steer a dinghy

With torn white sail –

রাঙা মেঘ সাঁতরায়ে অন্ধকারে আসিতেছে নীড়ে

দেখিবে ধবল বক; আমারেই পাবে তুমি ইহাদের ভিড়ে–

white egrets swimming through red clouds

To their home in the dark. You will find me among their crowd

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Detailed Explanation

The Subtle Signs of Presence: The poet tells the reader exactly how and where to look for him after he is gone. He aligns his future existence with the quiet, often unnoticed moments of evening in a Bengali village—such as a Sudarsan (a type of local insect or glass-fly) catching the evening breeze.

Rustic Sights and Sounds: He invokes the sound of a Lokkhi Pencha (barn owl, traditionally associated with the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi) calling from a Shimul (silk-cotton) tree. These elements are quintessentially Bengali, rooting his soul permanently in the local flora and fauna.

Everyday Village Life: He shifts from wildlife to human domesticity, imagining a child scattering khoi (puffed rice or rice grains) on the grass of a courtyard. He also envisions a young boy sailing a small boat (dinghy) on the muddy (turgid) waters of the Rupsa river. The detail of the "torn white sail" once again highlights the "sad green shore" motif from the first stanza—a blend of beautiful scenery and humble, poverty-touched reality.

The Final Reunion: The poem culminates with a breathtaking visual: white egrets flying across red twilight clouds as darkness falls. The poet leaves us with a comforting and powerful assurance: "You will find me among their crowd." He is no longer just a man; he has become the very essence of the landscape.

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Stanza Summary

In this concluding stanza, Jibanananda Das masterfully blends the boundaries between human existence and the natural world. By listing specific, highly atmospheric vignettes of rural Bengal at dusk—the flight of a glass-fly, the hoot of an owl, a child playing, a boy sailing a worn boat, and egrets flying home—he creates a timeless portrait of his homeland. His ultimate message is one of eternal presence: even after death, he will never truly leave Bengal. Instead, his spirit will dissolve into its rivers, skies, creatures, and people, rendering him immortal within the landscape he loves so deeply.

আবার আসিব ফিরে / I Shall Return to This Bengal

By Jibanananda Das

আবার আসিব ফিরে ধানসিঁড়িটির তীরে– এই বাংলায়

I shall return to this Bengal, to the Dhansiri’s bank

হয়তো মানুষ নয়– হয়তো বা শাঁখচিল শালিখের বেশে;

Perhaps not as a man, but mayna or fishing-kite;

হয়তো ভোরের কাক হয়ে এই কার্তিকের নবান্নের দেশে

Or dawn crow, floating on the mist’s bosom to alight

কুয়াশার বুকে ভেসে এক দিন আসিব এ কাঁঠাল-ছায়ায়;

In the shade of this jackfruit tree, in this autumn harvest-land.

হয়তো বা হাঁস হবো– কিশোরীর– ঘুঙুর রহিবে লাল পায়,

Or may be a duck- a young girl’s bells on my red feet,

সারা দিন কেটে যাবে কলমির গন্ধভরা জলে ভেসে ভেসে;

Drifting on kalmi-scented waters all the day:

আবার আসিব আমি বাংলার নদী মাঠ খেত ভালোবেসে

For love of Bengal’s rivers, fields, crops, I’ll come this way

জলাঙ্গীর ঢেউয়ে ভেজা বাংলার এ সবুজ করুণ ডাঙায়;

To this sad green shore of Bengal, drenched by Jalangi’s waves

হয়তো দেখিবে চেয়ে সুদর্শন উড়িতেছে সন্ধ্যার বাতাসে;

Perhaps you’ll see a glass-fly ride the evening breeze,

হয়তো শুনিবে এক লক্ষ্মীপেঁচা ডাকিতেছে শিমূলের ডালে;

Or hear a barn owl call from the silk-cotton tree;

হয়তো খইয়ের ধান ছড়াতেছে শিশু এক উঠানের ঘাসে;

A little child toss rice-grains on the courtyard grass,

রূপসার ঘোলা জলে হয়তো কিশোর এক শাদা ছেঁড়া পালে

Or a boy on the Rupsa’s turgid stream steer a dinghy

ডিঙা বায়;– রাঙা মেঘ সাঁতরায়ে অন্ধকারে আসিতেছে নীড়ে

With torn white sail – white egrets swimming through red clouds

দেখিবে ধবল বক; আমারেই পাবে তুমি ইহাদের ভিড়ে–

To their home in the dark. You will find me among their crowd

The Meaning Behind the Lines

In this masterpiece, Jibanananda Das transcends the fear of death by embracing the idea of reincarnation within the natural world of Bengal. He doesn't seek a heavenly afterlife; instead, his heaven is the misty, melancholic, and deeply beautiful rural landscape of his homeland.

• Nature as Rebirth: He vows to return as everyday wildlife—a crow, a duck, a fishing-kite, or even a glass-fly.
• Sensory Imagery: The poem is heavily visual and olfactory, capturing the specific scent of kalmi (water spinach) and the sight of white egrets against red evening clouds.
• The Melancholy: Describing Bengal as a "sad green shore" perfectly encapsulates the bittersweet reality of rural life—strikingly lush and beautiful, yet touched by poverty and the quiet sorrows of daily existence.