"বিষণ্ণতা"(Sadness) by PRONAY PAL

মোটর গাড়ি রাস্তা জুড়ে, শব্দ দূষণ ছড়াচ্ছে মনে; 

Cars rushing down the streets, spreading noise pollution in the mind;

বৃষ্টি না আসায় চাতক পাখির জল জমেছে চোখের কোণে।

The Jacobin Cuckoo, with parched eyes, waits for the rain that doesn't come. 

চারিদিকে চিৎকার, হাহাকার, বিষণ্ণ জীবন, যৌবন 

Surrounded by cries, clamour, and despair, a gloomy life, youth recalled.

ফিরে দেখা শৈশব, ধোঁয়াশার মতন।

Looking back at childhood, like a haze.

বীরত্বের বীর কাহিনী, বোকাবাক্সতে দেখি, শুনি 

Stories of heroism, I watch and hear on TV

কিন্তু বুঝতে পারি না।

 

but fail to grasp.

মেকি মায়ার জাল বুনেছে সমাজ, সেই জালে জড়িয়েছি তুমি আর আমি, বন্দি দশায় মন।

Society weaves a web of deceit, ensnaring you and me, trapping the mind

এই আছি, এই নেই, জেগে আছি সারাক্ষণ।

Here one moment, gone the next, awake, endlessly aware.

নিভৃতে বনবাস, করছে সমাজ, চেঁচিয়ে চলেছে ছেলেটা, 

In silent,society exiles, a boy keeps shouting loud, 

আর মা করছে আর্তনাদ। 

while his mother cries in pain.

বিষণ্ণ এই জীবন-যৌবন, ফিরে দেখা শৈশব, ধোঁয়াশার মতন।

This melancholy life and youth, looking back at childhood, feels like a haze.

নামছে পৃথিবী তে অন্ধকার, আর জমছে মনে বুক জ্বালানো নীরবতা।

Darkness descends upon the earth,silent anguish persists.

 

সঙ্গী হলো কালি ফুরোনো পেন আর একটুকরো ছেঁড়া পাতা।

Companions are an inkless pen and a torn piece of paper,

 

এই ভাবে পৃথিবীতে নামবে অন্ধকার, আর শেষ হবে তোমার আমার গল্প।

Thus, darkness falls upon the world, And our story reaches its end.

বিষণ্ণতা (Sadness): A Poetic Reflection on Modern Discontent and Lost Innocence

The Bengali poem "বিষণ্ণতা (Sadness)" is a deeply emotional and reflective piece inspired by T.S. Eliot’s modernist classic "The Waste Land." This poem delves into the emotional turbulence of contemporary urban life—capturing modern discontent, environmental decay, societal disillusionment, and the aching nostalgia for lost childhood.

Using vivid imagery and symbolic expression, this poem crafts a haunting picture of a world spinning with noise yet sinking into silence, where human connection, creativity, and meaning slowly erode.

Themes and Symbolic Imagery in the Poem:

1. Urban Chaos and Modern Discontent

• The poem opens with the relentless noise of motor vehicles, reflecting the ever-hurried rhythm of city life.

• A powerful symbol—the Jacobin Cuckoo bird, perched and longing for rain—illustrates unfulfilled desires and the emotional toll of modernity. The heat and unrest mirror internal exhaustion.

      2. Societal Disillusionment

• Modern society is portrayed as a web of artificial charm, trapping people in cycles of superficiality.
• The poem also critiques meaningless heroism displayed on screens, emphasizing the gap between digital illusions and real-life struggles.

     3.  Nostalgia and Lost Innocence:

• The poet recalls mist-like childhood memories, soft and fading.

• These recollections contrast starkly with present-day confusion, drawing a sharp line between the innocence of youth and the complexities of adult life.

     4.  Constant Vigilance and Instability:

• Lines such as "Here one moment, gone the next, awake, endlessly aware" highlight the pressure of staying alert in a world that offers no rest or certainty

      5.  Silent Suffering and Emotional Isolation:

• Symbols like 'silent exile' and the image of a 'crying mother' convey deep, often invisible suffering. The poem emphasizes how emotional struggles often go unnoticed, contributing to societal detachment.

     6.  Exile and Emotional Turmoil:

• The motif of self-isolation appears repeatedly. As society slips into silence, individuals are left battling their internal grief.

• The recurring image of darkness descending echoes the heaviness of existential sorrow and the inevitability of endings.

     7.     Darkness and Finality:

• The poem concludes with "Darkness descends upon the earth," creating a strong visual image of the world being enveloped in darkness. This sets a somber and foreboding mood.

• “Silence burning deep in the chest” blends the sensory pain of silence with emotional intensity.

•  The "drained pen" and "torn piece of a paper" symbolize exhaustion and the end of creativity or communication. The pen being drained indicates that it can no longer write, and the torn paper suggests damage and incompleteness.

• These objects as "companions" imply a sense of loneliness and isolation, as the speaker only has a pen with no ink and a torn piece of a paper for company.

• "And our story reaches its end" signifies the finality of the situation. The use of "our" implies a shared experience, possibly referencing a collective or relational end, finality.

Conclusion: A Mirror to Modern Life

"বিষণ্ণতা (Sadness)" is not just a poem—it’s a quiet cry echoing in the soul of urban existence. It invites the reader to reflect on:

·        The chaos of daily life

·        The emptiness behind modern comforts

·        The lost joys of childhood

·        The unspoken grief we carry

Through evocative symbols and a somber tone, the poem captures how modern life disconnects us from peace, nature, and ourselves. It reveals how noise masks sorrow, and how silence, in the end, becomes our truest expression.

In summary, this poem paints a vivid picture of a bleak, silent world where creativity and communication have ceased, leading to an inevitable end. The imagery and symbols work together to create a strong emotional impact, highlighting feelings of despair and finality.

Inspiration Note: Echoes of T.s. Eliot's "The Waste Land"

The poem draws heavy inspiration from T.S. Eliot’s "The Waste Land," both in style and substance. Like Eliot, the poet presents a fragmented world, one where disillusionment is widespread and meaning is scarce. While Eliot responded to post-war Europe, "বিষণ্ণতা" responds to modern urban decay—the climate crisis, technological alienation, and emotional fragmentation.