Friday, January 2, 2015

The Gifts of this New Age (notun juger upohar-নতুন যুগের উপহার)


(translation of Notun Juger Upohar-নতুন যুগের উপহার)
    
The Gifts of this New Age
     
They’re polite, on the surface, but cruel within.
They hide, beneath their cultured phrases,
their sharp and poisoned daggers.

Civility and barbarism have combined
to make such beings – they, who sit
in suits in offices – and type
upon their screens,
so that, each day,
our slavery increases.

They’ve forgotten right and wrong –
but they know, very well,
how to count the dollars.
  
In the place of learning,
they sell
their wares of ignorance.
 
The lords and serfs of old have left.
We have, instead, these beings
and their servers –
the gifts of this new age.
 
Yeshua and Gotama, see…
 
Tell us, Kabir,
how can we escape
from this?
 
Give us counsel.
 
Whisper, in our ears,
your song…
 
2014 30th December, Tue (Bengali original)
(translated into English, 2015 Jan. 2nd, Fri.)
Brooklyn, New York
 

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