Urboshi

An exquisite love poem by Bishnu Dey


A bedecked Urboshi of twenty-first century
 

 

 

I am not your Pururoba!  Hey, Urboshi,  
A realm I erected here at mortal Aloka  
Ephemeral, no doubt, inspired by my senses.  
Come; won’t you join me here?  
Unfurling the enthrallment the Kodombo offers.  
Stay a while there,  
The endless invitations your physique offers.  
Bereft of time – won’t you stay a while,  
In the fleeting moment of mirth  
In the darkness of sky's colloquium  
Burn, burn my body - the one lit by nudity  
In cadence, brightened by Dewali.  
Urboshi, won't you stay through the night?  
Million stars would lit up the sky  
in the deafness of night's silence.  
As if, engulfed by Rahu,  
Won’t you stay enveloped in my arms?  
Much the same as earth's nymph,   
Your tremulous figure quivers in awe filled with modesty!  
I am not your Pururoba!  Hey, Urboshi,  
The endless lovemaking, which I lust for  
Thus, I latch onto earth-sky,  
Our love is like a rainbow;  
that is all what matters to me.     
----------------- 
This exquisite Bangla poem was composed in 1929. 
Translated by A.H. Jaffor Ullah in 2003 
 

 

Some helpful notes to understand the simile and metaphor used by Bishnu Dey in this poem
Urboshi is the chief dancer of the heaven celebrated for her ageless youth and undying beauty.  :
 

  • Pururoba was the King who rescued Urboshi from demons
  • Aloka is the kingdom of Kuvera, supposedly near Manosaravar in the High Himalaya.
  • Kodombo flower blooms in monsoon season; a favorite of Krishna
  • Dewali, the festival of light celebrated on the day of new moon in the month of Kartik to honor Krishna who killed a demon to save the earth. 
  • Rahu is a truncated demon; an evil influence.