Sudden Encounter (Hatath Dekha) Translation From Bengali Poem By Rabindranath Tagore Poem by Malabika Ray Choudhury

I met her in the compartment of a train,

Never thought it would be possible!

I saw her before, many times, wearing a red saree,

radiant like a Pomegranate flower;

Today she is wearing a black silk saree,

covering her head with the end-part,

Surrounding her face, slim and light-complexioned -

a face which looks like the flower, Dolan-Chapa!

Felt like - by wearing black, she has created a deep distance around her,

The distance at the end of a field of mustard,

At the azure sky of the Shaal forest!

My heart stopped for a moment,

I found someone familiar in a dignified unfamiliarity!


All of a sudden she left the newspaper and greeted me with a Namaskar.

The societal manners opened the door for a conversation

We started with -'how are you', 'How is everyone? 'etc.

She remained watching outside by the window,

As if with the look of the intimate-days-which-ended.

Answered to one or two questions,

Didn't care to answer some.

Made me realize with the restlessness of her hands,

Why are we talking about this?

Much better to stay quiet!

I was sitting in another bench with her companions,

At some point, by the gesture of her fingers, she asked me to come closer,

I thought - she is quite brave!

Sat at the same bench with her.

Hidden behind the sound of the train,

She said, in a hushed voice,

'Please do not mind,

There is no time to waste,

I have to get off at the next station,

You are travelling far,

We will not meet ever again.

So, the answer to the question which has never been shared,

I want to know directly from you.

Are you going to tell me the truth? '

I said, ' Yes, I will'.

She looked at the sky outside, and asked,

' The days which are gone for us,

Are they really gone?

Is anything left? '.

I stayed quiet for a moment,

Then answered,

' All the stars in the night-sky remain

in the deep daylight.'

Felt a bit suspicious - did I make it up?

She said, ' Okay, go back to your spot now'.

All of them got off at the next station.

I continued my journey, Alone!