Shahnaz Munni

1969 / Dhaka

Waiting Room

The English version below is a standard translation and not a direct result of the ‘Poets Translating Poet' Encounter.

The night cannot catch up with the day,
The winter never touches the summer,
Yet they write volumes on their distance and contrast.
Between the day and the night stands a waiting room,
And a never ending feud rages between the dawn and the dusk.

Between the winter and the summer
Two middle-class blokes, the Rains and Hemanta,
Are engaged in an eternal fray with
Autumn brokering a peace deal between them

Men cannot even guess that waiting could be endless,
The trees know better and they patiently wait
For the moment when the day will fade into the night
And there will be no distance left between the winter and the summer.

Translated by Harunur Rashid
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