"I Have Seen Bengal's Face" By Jibonanando Das
I have seen Bengal’s face, that is why I do not seek Beauty of the earth any more: I wake up in the dark And see the dawn’s magpie-robin perched under the parasol-like huge leaf Of the fig tree – on all sides I see mounds of leaves of Black plum – banyan – jackfruit – oak – pipal lying still; Their shadows fall on the spurge bushes on zedoary clumps; Who knows when Chand near Champa from his madhukar boat Saw such oaks – banyans – gamboge’s blue shades Bengal’s beauty incomparable.
Behula too someday floating on raft on Gangur’s water – When the fullmoon of the tenebrous twelfth night died on the river’s shoal – Saw countless pipals and banyans beside the golden corn, Alas, heard the tender songs of shama – and one day going to Amara. When she danced like a torn wagtail in Indra’s court Bengal’s river field, wild violets wept at her feet like anklet bells.
Theme: The poem is about the beautiful nature of Bengal and the poets deep love/affection for his motherland. The poet expresses that as he has seen the the face of Bengal, so he does not wish to see the rest of the world. He beautifully describes local trees, birds and rivers to show that Bengal is like a paradise. The poem also mixes natural beauty with old bengali myths and stories with a simile. Ultimately, the poem highlights the eternal and soul satisfying bond between human beings and their motherland.