অনুদিত কবিতা
Poet: Joanna Svensson, Sweden
Poem: In Another Time
Translated into Bengali by Khyam Quader, Bogura, Bangladesh

অন্য এক সময়ের কথা

যাদুমুগ্ধ প্রাচীন প্রাসাদের মাঝে
মায়াময় এক পুরাতন আয়না রয়েছে
মনে হয়
কোনভাবে সেখানে সেটা থাকতই যদি

অস্তমিত সূর্য যখন আমার
অতি ক্ষুদ্র শান্তির কুটির ঘিরে নেয়
আবারো একবার মনে হয় তখন
ঠিক তার সমুখেই যেনো দাঁড়িয়েছি আমি

এবং সহসাই অনুভব করি
আমি সেই প্রাসাদ রানীতে
রূপান্তরিত হয়ে গেছি,হয়ে গেছি
অন্য এক সময়ের নারী

সময় থমকে আছে ঠায়
আয়নাটা ঘুরে গেছে চতুর্দিকে
সামনে চলার বদলে ঐ
ঘড়ির কাটা টিক্ টিক্ ঘুরছে পেছনের পথে

এখন সময় দাঁড়িয়ে গেছে এবং
গ্রহন করছে গভীর নিঃশ্বাস
-এ যে বড় মধুর সময়! সে বলছে
কিছুটা সময় আমি থেকে যাব এইখানে
এখন এখানে আমি বিশ্রাম নিতে চাই
যদি অতি খুদি এক মুহুর্ত মাত্রও হয়

আলোকিত এক অন্তঃকক্ষ থেকে
আমি কর্কশ কণ্ঠের কথা শুনি
চিরায়ত পুরোনো ভাষায় তারা তর্ক করে
যে কথার স্বরগুলি আমি বড়বেশী চিনি

সে ভাষার ছন্দলয়
আমার শৈশব ফিরে আনে
পশ্চাৎপটে তার এক পলকা বেহালা
বাজিয়ে যাচ্ছে আমার বাল্যের গান

এবং গোলাপের প্রগাঢ় সৌরভগুলি
আমার স্মরণে ফিরে আসে
অতি সঙ্গোপনে প্রাসাদ বাগান থেকে
ছিঁড়ে আনতাম সেই ফুল

আমি আমার বাহুতে চিমটি কাটি
আর তখনি দেখি সময়ের উল্টানো
আয়নার ভেতরে আমি-প্রাসাদ আর্শির মুখোমুখি
হ্যাঁ,এখানেই আমি-তবে অন্য এক সময়ের কালে।

A short review of the poem By Khyam Quader

It's a dream-poem speculating an utopian portrayal of life of the remote past, by which she endeavors to draw up an imaginary link with life's present state. Here she shows the forward, backward and even the motionless journey of time. In other words, the poet in this poem has illustrated some mysterious movements and deportments of time that is psychologically as well as philosophically connected to human vision. At one time she finds time moving forward, at another retreating backward, and at other stopping still. Thus the poet has designed a complex psychological posture of human mind, which, to a little extend, may get weighed as 'stream of consciousness ' here.At the same time, she also employs an other exertion to establish a cognitive relation between the nonage and maturer spheres of human existence.The poet says, the husky words, uttered in debating mood inside the castle, bring back her childhood to her.At another location of the poem, she remembers how secretly she would pluck up roses from the castle garden. And even the poet has experienced an enchanting and magical process of transmogrification of physical entity,as she finds herself transformed into the Lady of the old enchanted castle. Furthermore she also feels haunting and debating in the lighted inner room of the castle. It,in fact, refers to knowledge, science, charms and beauty of the ancient time to which the modern soul feels fascinated and attracted ; and with which, the poet thinks, the neoteric human situations may get endowed, enriched and magnified.In addition to this, it can once again be thought that here the poet has treated nostalgia as a symbolical reference to her love for historical and traditional heritages of man's civilization,that supplies spirit to enhance and improve the modern motion of life. That is,the poet has discovered a unification of legendary fantasy and actual realism. Thus the poem appears to be a very serious and reflective one having the power of pushing readers into the realm of deep and penetrative thoughts.

In Another Time

In the old enchanted castle
There is an old enchanted mirror
Anyway it feels
Like if there was

When sunset tips around
My little peaceful cottage
Once again I feel
Like standing right in front

And all of a sudden
I sense I am transformed
Into the Lady of the castle
A Lady in another time

The time has totally stopped
The mirror has turned around
Instead of moving forward
The clock is ticking backward

Now the time has stopped
It takes a deep breath
-Such a lovely time it is!it says
I think I'll stay a little while!
I want to rest here and now.
If just for a tiny moment.

From an illuminated inner room
I hear husky voices speak
In old dialect they are debating
Its voices I know so well

The rhythm of the language
Brings my childhood back to me
In its background a brittle cembalo
Is playing childhood melodies

And the fragrances are so intense
Of roses I do remember
From the garden of the castle
Plucked in utmost secret up

I pinch my arm-at once I see
In the reversed mirror of time
I am there - facing the castle mirror
Yes, I am here - but in another time!

A short life sketch of Joanna Svensson

Joanna Svensson is a Swedish poet, writer and novelist. She has 8 books of poetry published in three different languages, two large fiction-novels and a third almost ready as well as a book with short stories. She has participated in many different anthologies over the years. Her first novel won 1st prize in prose at the Bucharest Festival of World Poetry in 2019.She is very active member.