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Sri Aurobindo

Letters on Poetry and Art

SABCL - Volume 27

Part 2. On His Own and Others’ Poetry
Section 2. On Poets and Poetry
Comments on the Work of Poets of the Ashram

Nishikanta [1]

বহ্নিধারা

তুমি মোর সঙ্গোপন-উত্স হ’তে

উচ্ছলিয়া দিলে বহ্নিধারা;

ফুটে ত্তঠে বিহঙ্গের গোলাপের গভীর প্রবাল;

চন্দ্র-লোভী বাসনার মর্ম-পথে

দেখা দেয় অপ্রদূত-তারা,

দীর্ণ করি’ অঙ্কুরের জলদ-জঙ্গাল ।...

ছিন্নকরে তিমির-প্রন্হিলা;

স্বপনের তীরে তীরে তরণীর স্পর্শমণি লাগে ।...

মাতঙ্গের শুভ্র শির বহি’ আমে

বৃন্তহীন বৈদূর্য-কমল;

তুরঙ্গ যে দেয় দিশা ঊর্ধ্বপানে...

পূর্ণশশী আদিতোর আসঙ্গ-সন্ধ্যায় ।

bahnidhārā

tumi mora saṅgopana-utsa h’te

ucchaliẏā dile bahnidhārā;

phuṭe ttaṭhe bihaṅgera golāpera gabhīra prabāla;

candra-lobhī bāsanāra marma-pathe

dekhā deẏa apradūta-tārā,

dīrṇa kari’ aṅkurera jalada-jaṅgāla ...

chinnakare timira-pranhilā;

sbapanera tīre tīre taraṇīra sparśamaṇi lāge...

mātaṅgera śubhra śira bahi’ āne

bṛntahīna baidūrya-kamala;

turaṅga ye deẏa diśā ūrdhbapāne...

pūrṇaśaśī āditora āsaṅga-sandhyāẏa

The separate images are very usual symbols of the inner experience, but they have been combined together here in a rather difficult way. The fire of course is the psychic fire which wells up from the veiled psychic source. The bird is the soul and the flower is the rose of love and surrender. The moon is the symbol of spirituality. As the star is within it is described as piercing through the knots of the inner darkness and worsting the vital growths that are like clouds enwrapping it. The boat also is a usual symbol in the inner visions. The elephant is the spiritual strength that removes obstacles and the horse the force of tapasya that gallops to the summits of the spiritual realisation. The sun is the symbol of the higher Truth. The lotus is the symbol of the inner consciousness.

February 1937