A Bird In a Cage
A Strange Bird in a Cage
By Lalan Fakir
(A Bengali Baul Sung)
“Khachar Bhitor Achin Pakhi”
? © Translated by: Snehendu Kar
?I see a strange bird in a cage,
And wonder how she enters
and leaves her cage.
If only I knew her well,
And could suppress my own ego,
I would beg her for her secret.
I see a strange bird in a cage
And wonder how she enters
and leaves her cage.
I see rows of majestic mansions,
With their sturdy gates and tall columns,
Holding up decorated walls
With dazzling display opulence.????????????
Humble huts of squalid souls??
Hide deep in their dark shadows.
?I wonder why
The bird is destined
To fly in and out of her cage.
And why is she destined
To keep mending her cage
Made of fragile cane.
Lalan Fakir weeps and whispers
To those who care to hear:
?"A day will come for sure
When the cage will be no more??
And the bird will fly away forever-
Who knows to where???
?
(July 18,2020)
Note: Lalan Fakir is the most revered "Baul" Saint ( like Sufi masters) from Bengal (India). The Bauls are wandering bards who reject all social constructions ( e.g. race, religion, caste/class, ) and roam around the country singing Baul Gaans ( Baul songs which are very rich in metaphors and melodies) to spread their spiritual wisdom.
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