ABU ZAFOR KHAN
A fallen night’s flow
Floats more nights,
A middle-aged moon goes down
In front of eyes.
Blindness of culture swallowed
The Behula’s country.
Our errors—
Our eyes carved on the door,
Look unwinking at the sights,
But see nothing.
Our eyes today printed
On the lorry’s bonnet,
Our eyes can’t be bumblebees!
Priest, Clergyman, Monk
Stopped head like the convicted
And going to the Forest.
This eye offers today glandular blindness.
Translated by: Sahidul Islam Nirab
[Abu Zafor Khan is a prominent poet, writer, humanist, physician and organizer. Standing on the bank of the river at ebb, Abu Zafor Khan, a word painter and worshipper of heavenly scenic beauty envisages an aura of the golden bird floating on the burning boat. He came of a decent family on the 31st January in the village Sayedpur of Sujanagar Upazilla under the District of Pabna. He spent his boyhood in close contact with nature and as an agile lad sitting by the rural lane of the field gathered an exotic experience of enjoying the coming back of the birds to their nests in the twilight. He discovered the appearance of pain brooding over the glow of the moon-blanched land. He lost himself in the far off unknown world of imagination. The tranquil beauty of the hills, the rivers, the seas and the melodies of the birds incessantly attract him. He has published twenty books till date, including nine novels, nine books of poetry and two books on stories. His published books, especially his novels and poems, have earned him huge popularity home and aboard – especially among the Bengali readers in India, England and USA. His writings have been reviewed and appreciated in various international journals.]
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