Theme: Satire

A Ruined Life

In learning by rote I never ranked first in class.
My teens didn’t cause me any broken heart alas.
In wholesome praise of erotic love, I never composed verse.
In tides of youth I didn’t swim, or in luxuries immerse.
No lofty court my oration skills considered more than farce.
A hashish addict I did not turn, to fight my motherland’s curse.
My offspring breed I sadly failed, annually to enhance
And I never shed a drop of tear inside a cocktail glass.


I failed to float in money, or receive titles great.
Books I did not write, to suit my reader's taste.


Moral dictums to the public, I couldn’t manage to preach.
At home or abroad, no one praised, my character out of way.
My hairs have greyed, though the mind, a wisdom’s yet to reach.
I do not aspire, to be an ascetic, till my terminal day.
_____________________ 

This is a translation of a Bengali poem titled "Byartho Jibon" by Pramatha ChoudhuryTo the extent that it has 14 lines, the poem was probably intended to be a sonnet. However, its metric structure differs from the classical Shakespearean iambic pentameter.The rhyme scheme too is unusual. I tried to remain as faithful as possible to the rhythmic structure the poet had employed. It was "a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a,b-b,c-d,c-d".


07-Jan-2013

More By  :  Dipankar Dasgupta

Views: 1385     Comments: 6

Comments on this Poem

Comment @ kumud biswas

Thank you Kumud babu. Your opinion matters a lot to me.

dipankardasgupta
13-Jan-2013 23:30 PM

Comment So well done, it appears to be an original composition - much more than a translation.

kumud biswas
13-Jan-2013 22:52 PM

Comment @ Rupradha

Thank you Rupradha.

dipankardasgupta
11-Jan-2013 06:48 AM

Comment beautiful..

Rupradha
11-Jan-2013 01:22 AM

Comment @ Soumyen

Thank you very much Soumyen.

dipankardasgupta
09-Jan-2013 09:12 AM

Comment This is very good indeed! I liked your Kurani too.
Soumyen

Soumyen Sikdar
09-Jan-2013 09:11 AM


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