Bengali thread

[bradrn]

Could you say more? This is something I’ve been wondering about for a while — namely, what happened to the sandhi rules in modern Indic languages.

Thanks for asking. This is a difficult subject: https://www.ebanglalibrary.com/lessons/ ... %E0%A6%BF/ There could be mistakes below.

Thank you!

[hwhatting]

Just to say that I find this very interesting; I don't have much to comment, but I'll keep reading along what you'll be posting.

rɔtʃʰ,

chariot

Skt. ratha, as in the name Dasaratha 'ten chariots'

And of course cognate to German Rad, Latin rota "wheel" -> English rota, rotary, etc.

[Travis B.]

Just to say that I find this very interesting; I don't have much to comment, but I'll keep reading along what you'll be posting.

Same here.

[Ares Land]

Same; I don't think I'm competent enough for good remarks or questions, but I'm following this with great interest!

[rotting bones]

Thanks for the interest.

Generally seen as a loan from Scythian to Proto-Germanic.

Interesting. The Buddha was said to have been born in a Scythian family.

Apparently, this is a fringe theory. However, there was an Indo-Scythian Kingdom with an Eastern Scythian language, Saka: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Scythian_Kingdom

[rotting bones]

Same; I don't think I'm competent enough for good remarks or questions, but I'm following this with great interest!

No question is too dumb. As a native speaker, I can understand difficult sentences and bizarre dialects, but I don't know the answers to many basic questions.

[Raphael]

Same; I don't think I'm competent enough for good remarks or questions, but I'm following this with great interest!

No question is too dumb. As a native speaker, I can understand difficult sentences and bizarre dialects, but I don't know the answers to many basic questions.

As a general rule, no matter what your first language is, if you ever start reading an introduction to that language directed at speakers of other languages, chances are that you might sooner or later end up asking yourself how you ever managed it to understand that language.

[rotting bones]

Same; I don't think I'm competent enough for good remarks or questions, but I'm following this with great interest!

No question is too dumb. As a native speaker, I can understand difficult sentences and bizarre dialects, but I don't know the answers to many basic questions.

As a general rule, no matter what your first language is, if you ever start reading an introduction to that language directed at speakers of other languages, chances are that you might sooner or later end up asking yourself how you ever managed it to understand that language.

I still remember my mother correcting me. lol

[Axas mlö]

Hi! This is an interesting thread.

I think this is what misleads Hindi speakers into thinking they can use /atʃʰe/ like hai at the end of every sentence.

What else do Hindi speakers tend to get wrong? E.g., in phonology?

[rotting bones]

Hi! This is an interesting thread.

I think this is what misleads Hindi speakers into thinking they can use /atʃʰe/ like hai at the end of every sentence.

What else do Hindi speakers tend to get wrong? E.g., in phonology?

Thanks for asking. Dialogue from the film Jaatishwar (streaming on Hoichoi):

A Hindi speaker desperately trying to convince a Bengali supremacist girl to date him. (Although he is shown as a sympathetic character, according to Bengali media, all Indians to the west of Bengal, often lumped together as "Hindustanis", speak Hindi. In this case, the speaker should be a Gujarati speaker. In other media, I have seen inhabitants of Bangalore being depicted as speaking Hindi.)

আপনার সাথে একটু কথা ছিল।

apnar

2s.gen.resp

sat̪ʰ-e

with.loc

ek-ʈu

a.little

kɔt̪ʰa

speech

tʃʰilo

be.3.past

"I wanted to speak to you (respectful)."

This sentence is structurally correct and idiomatic AFAICT. /sat̪ʰe/ should be /ʃat̪ʰe/. But he could be Bangladeshi at this point.

*আপনি জদি বাহার আসেন...

apni

2s.resp

dʒod̪i

if

bahar

outside

asen

come.2

"If you would please step outside..."

Now in addition to /asen/ instead of /aʃen/, he's using Hindi words like /bahar/ instead of /baire/.

কোথা হচ্ছে...

kot̪ʰa

speech

hotʃtʃʰe

be.cont

"I mean to say..."

This is a correct use of a "be" verb. Unfortunately, there's /kot̪ʰa/ instead of /kɔt̪ʰa/.

*হামি পুরা বাঙ্গালি আছি

hami

1s?

pura

full?

baŋgali

Bengali?

atʃʰi

be.1?

"Me full Bengali, yes."

Every word in this sentence is wrong:

1. Eastern Hindi often uses /ham/ instead of /me/. *hami seems to be a chimera born of /ham/ and /ami/.

2. পুরা is not Standard Bengali. পুরোপুরি or সম্পূর্ণভাবে could be used in this context, but "full" is unidiomatic in Bengali.

3. Bengali is /baŋali/, not /baŋgali/. If there's a /g/, I can't hear it. It's also not spelled: বাঙালি, not বাঙ্গালি.

4. Zero copula by default.

The sentence should be:

আমি খাঁটি বাঙালি।

ami

1s

kʰãʈi

pure

baŋali

Bengali

"I'm pure Bengali."

(Bengalis typically don't say such things, but that's a different matter.)

*আমি fish ভি ভালোবাসি।

ami

1s

fiʃ

fish

bʱi

also

bʱalobaʃi

love.1

"I love fish too."

ভি /bʱi/ is a particle meaning "also" in Hindi. A Bengali replacement (though its use is optional) would be ও:

আমি মাছও ভালোবাসি।

ami

1s

matʃʰ-o

fish-also

bʱalobaʃi

love.1

"I love fish too."

আমি বাঙ্গালি poetry ভি পড়ি... stories. I read Tagore.
ami baŋgali poetry bʱi poɽi... stories. I read Tagore.

ভি /bʱi/ "also" again. I would say বাংলা /baŋla/, not বাঙালি /baŋali/ (let alone বাঙ্গালি /baŋgali/), but maybe he wanted to emphasize the ethnic group. /poɽi/ is the correct verb for read.1 used correctly. (Except the "... stories" part.)

(Educated Bengalis do a lot of code switching too, but this is crazy.)

আমি তো রোহিত আছি।

ami

1s

t̪o

but

rohit

Rohit

atʃʰi

be.1

"But I am Rohit."

Copula আছি again. I'm not sure why /t̪o/ is used. Is this idiomatic in Hindi?

---

The girl's response to the last line in incredibly characteristic of Bengali literature:

আমাকে রহিত থাকতে দাও।

ama-ke

1s.obj

rohit̪o

alone

t̪ʰakt̪e

stay.part

d̪ao

give.2

"Leave me be."

A pun. Hilarious.

---

*আমি বাঙলা গানাও জানি।

ami

1s

baŋla

Bengali

gana-o

song?-also

dʒani

know.1

"I know Bengali songs too."

This sentence is off by one syllable. It should be /gan-o/, not /gana-o/.

ওই তো তোমারি জন্য...
oi t̪o t̪omar-i dʒonjo

It should be /dʒon:o/, not /dʒonjo/. This is a reference to this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVc3ZZ20OAg

হয়তো তোমারই জন্য
hɔit̪o t̪omar-i dʒon:o

I don't know whether /oi t̪o/ is really what a Hindi speaker would say or this is the actors playing up the character's non-fluency. /dʒonjo/ is quite believable for a Hindi accent.

---

In the end, the girl tells him to write an original song and sing it for her in correct Bengali. That's the plot of the movie. (The girl is incredibly annoying, but I also don't like how the movie later shows her needing someone to complete her.)

---

For simple sentences like these, Bengali is quite close to Hindi. For more complex sentences, the languages diverge more. In my experience, Hindi speakers tend to be intimidated by Bengali (which is, again, a grammatically genderless language related to Hindi!). I have never heard them confidently rattle off long sentences. They tend to break off mid-sentence like this dialogue shows.

---

Dialogue from a Feluda film available on YouTube:

Apart from the vowels being all wrong and the /s/ instead of /ʃ/, here we mainly see Hindi words being inserted into Bengali sentences.

https://youtu.be/qIdorn-aI8o?t=511

*বাজারে তোমার কত দেনা সেও ভি জানি।

badʒar-e

bazaar.loc

t̪omar

2s.gen

kɔt̪o

how.much

d̪ena

debt

ʃe-o

that-also

bʱi

emph

dʒani

know.1

"I also know how much debt you have."

A rampant ভি /bʱi/ "also" strikes again. I would replace /ʃe-o bʱi/ with /ʃe-ʈa-o/ that-obj-also to be idiomatic.

https://youtu.be/qIdorn-aI8o?t=538

তোমার সঙ্গে আমি খোলাখুলি কাম করছি।

t̪omar

2s.gen

sɔŋge

with

ami

1s

kʰolakʰuli

openly

kam

work

kortʃʰi

do.1

"I'm openly doing business with you."

/kam/ should be /kadʒ/ in Standard Bengali, but /kam/ will be understood and is common in some dialects.

https://youtu.be/qIdorn-aI8o?t=3347

*গদিতে বসুন ইয়া সোফায় বসুন।

god̪i-t̪e

cushion.loc

bosun

sit.2.resp

ija

or

sofa-j

sofa.loc

bosun

sit.2.resp

"Please sit on a cushion or a sofa."

/ija/ should be /ba/, /nahɔj/, /nohile/ or any other Bengali word meaning "or".

https://youtu.be/qIdorn-aI8o?t=3358

*সচ্চি কথাই বলুন।

satʃ:i

true

kɔt̪ʰa-i

speech-emph

bolun

say.2.resp

"Tell the truth."

/satʃ:i/ should be /ʃot̪:i/.

https://youtu.be/qIdorn-aI8o?t=3403

*...সে খানা হজম হয়ে গেছে।

se

that

kʰana

food

hɔzom

digestion

hoje

be.part

gese

go.perf

"That food has been digested."

Should be:

/ʃe kʰabar hɔdʒom hoje getʃʰe/

However, in Eastern Bengali (like in Bangladesh), /tʃʰ/ can be pronounced /s/.

...

[bradrn]

The girl's response to the last line in incredibly characteristic of Bengali literature:

আমাকে রহিত থাকতে দাও।

ama-ke

1s.obj

rohit̪o

alone

t̪ʰakt̪e

stay.part

d̪ao

give.2

"Leave me be."

A pun. Hilarious.

…what’s the pun?

[rotting bones]

The girl's response to the last line in incredibly characteristic of Bengali literature:

আমাকে রহিত থাকতে দাও।

ama-ke

1s.obj

rohit̪o

alone

t̪ʰakt̪e

stay.part

d̪ao

give.2

"Leave me be."

A pun. Hilarious.

…what’s the pun?

Rohit is the guy's name. Rohit̪o means free.

[bradrn]

The girl's response to the last line in incredibly characteristic of Bengali literature:

আমাকে রহিত থাকতে দাও।

ama-ke

1s.obj

rohit̪o

alone

t̪ʰakt̪e

stay.part

d̪ao

give.2

"Leave me be."

A pun. Hilarious.

…what’s the pun?

Rohit is the guy's name. Rohit̪o means free.

Ah, thanks!

[rotting bones]

Speaking of Rohit̪o, the third song here uses a transformation of that word, birohi.

Songs by Tagore:

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে /dʒod̪i t̪or ɖak ʃune/ by Rabindranath Tagore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLwheCzwLSw, marching song of the artists in Bangladesh whose buildings were torched by extremists (and many other protesters besides them). This is one of the most iconic songs in Bengali. It has been translated into Hindi.

যদি তোর ডাক শুনে কেউ না আসে

dʒod̪i

if

t̪or

2s.gen

ɖak

call

ʃune

hear.perf.part

keu

anyone

na

neg

aʃe

come.3

"If no one comes hearing your call,"

তবে একলা চলো রে,

t̪ɔbe

then

ækla

alone

tʃɔlo

go.2

re

emph

"then walk alone."

একলা চলো একলা চলো একলা চলো একলা চলো রে

ækla

alone

tʃɔlo

go.2

ækla

alone

tʃɔlo

go.2

ækla

alone

tʃɔlo

go.2

ækla

alone

tʃɔlo

go.2

re

emph

"Walk alone, Walk alone, Walk alone, Walk alone."

যদি কেউ কথা না কয়,

dʒod̪i

if

keu

anyone

kɔt̪ʰa

talk

na

neg

kɔi

talk.3

"If no one talks to you,"

ওরে ও অভাগা কেউ কথা না কয়,

o-re

oh-emph

o

oh

ɔbʱaga

unlucky.one

keu

anyone

kɔt̪ʰa

talk

na

neg

kɔi

talk.3

"Oh unlucky one, if no one talks to you,"

যদি সবাই থাকে মুখ ফিরায়ে

dʒod̪i

if

ʃɔbai

everyone

t̪ʰake

stay.3

mukʰ

face

pʰiraje

turn.away.3

"If everyone turns away,"

সবাই করে ভয়,

ʃɔbai

everyone

kɔre

do.3

bʱɔi

fear

"If everyone fears you,"

তবে পরান খুলে ও তুই

t̪ɔbe

then

pɔran

life

kʰule

open.perf.part

o

oh

t̪ui

you.inf

"then open your heart,"

মুখ ফুটে তোর মনের কথা একলা বলো রে,

mukʰ

mouth

pʰuʈe

pierce.perf.part

t̪or

2s.gen

mon-er

mind.gen

kɔt̪ʰa

speech

ækla

alone

bɔlo

say.2

re

emph

"speak up and tell your story by yourself."

যদি আলো না ধরে,

dʒod̪i

if

alo

light

na

neg

d̪ʱɔre

retain.3

"If your light doesn't take,"

ওরে ওরে ও অভাগা আলো না ধরে,

o-re

oh-emph

o-re

oh-emph

o

oh

ɔbʱaga

unlucky.one

alo

light

na

neg

d̪ʱɔre

retain.3

"Oh unlucky one, if your light doesn't take,"

যদি ঝড়-বাদলে আঁধার রাতে দুয়ার দেয় ঘরে

dʒod̪i

if

dʒʱɔɽ-bad̪ol-e

storm-hurricane.loc

ãd̪ʱar

dark

rat̪-e

night.loc

d̪uar

door

d̪æj

give.3

ɡʱɔr-e

house.loc

"if in a dark and stormy night, they close their doors in your face,"

তবে বজ্রানলে আপন বুকের পাঁজর জ্বালিয়ে নিয়ে একলা জ্বলো রে।

t̪ɔbe

then

bɔdʒranɔl-e

lightning.loc

apon

2s

buk-er

chest.gen

pãdʒor

ribcage

dʒol-ije

burn.part

nije

take.perf.part

ækla

alone

dʒolo

burn.2

re

emph

"Then use the lightning to set fire to your ribcage and burn alone."

---

বড় আশা করে এসেছি গো by রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEymjxFNvIE This is an example of his devotional music. Bengal is the center of goddess cults in Hinduism. The spectrum between human and divine mothers is one of inconceivable sameness and difference. (Or as I would put it, the divine mother is an idealized aspect of the human mother.)

বড় আশা করে এসেছি গো

bɔɽo

big

aʃa

hope

kore

do.part

eʃetʃʰi

come.1.perf

go

dear

"I have come with hope,"

কাছে ডেকে লও

katʃʰe

close

deke

call.part

lɔo

take.2

"Keep me close,"

ফিরাইও না জননী।

pʰeraio

send.away.2

na

neg

dʒɔnoni

mother

"Don't send me away, mother."

দিনহীনে কেহ চাহে না

d̪in(o)-hin-e

poor-feeble.obj

keho

who

tʃahe

want.3

na

neg

"Nobody wants the poor and the feeble,"

তুমি তারে রাখিবে জানি গো।

t̪umi

2s

t̪ar-e

3s.obj

rakʰibe

keep.3

dʒani

know.1

go

dear⌈

"I know you will keep me."

আর আমি যে কিছু চাহিনে

ar

and

ami

1s

dʒe

emph

kitʃʰu

some

tʃahine

want.1.neg

"I don't want anything else,"

চরণও তলে বসে থাকিব,

tʃɔron-o

feet-emph

t̪ɔl-e

below.loc

boʃe

sit.part

t̪ʰakibo

stay.1.fut

"only to sit at your feet."

আর আমি যে কিছু চাহিনে

ar

and

ami

1s

dʒe

emph

kitʃʰu

some

tʃahine

want.1.neg

"I don't want anything else,"

জননী বলে শুধু ডাকিব ।

dʒɔnoni

mother

bole

say

ʃud̪ʱu

only

ɖakibo

call.1.fut

"only to call you 'mother'."

তুমি না রাখিলে গৃহ আর পাইব কোথায়

t̪umi

2s

na

neg

rakʰile

keep.2.part

griho

home

ar

and

paibo

get.1.fut

kot̪ʰaj

where

"If you don't keep me, where else will I live?"

কেঁদে কেঁদে কোথা বেড়াব

kẽd̪e

cry.part

kẽd̪e

cry.part

kot̪ʰa

where

bæɽabo

wander.1.fut

"Where will I wander, crying?"

ওই যে হেরী

oi

there

dʒe

emph

heri

see.1

"There I see"

তমশ ঘন ঘোরা

t̪ɔmoʃ(o)

tamas

ɡʱɔno

dense

ɡʱora

turn

"deep sleep"

গহন রজনী ।

gɔhɔno

dark

rɔdʒoni

night

"and dark night."

---

সঘন গহন রাত্রি: https://youtu.be/qk_S__UzRxo (Edit: I replaced it with a better recording.), an example of Tagore's nature music. This one might be untranslatable. For some reason, it's indescribably beautiful in Bengali.

সঘন গহন রাত্রি,

ʃɔɡʱɔno

deep

gɔhɔno

dark

rat̪ri

night

"Deep dark night;"

ঝরিছে শ্রাবণধারা–

dʒʱoritʃʰe

shower.3

srabon(o)-ɖʱara

Srabon-stream

"there showers streams of Srabon-"

অন্ধ বিভাবরী সঙ্গপরশহারা ॥

ɔnd̪ʱo

blind

bibʱabori

night

ʃɔŋgo-pɔroʃo-hara

friend-touch-lost

"Noctural blindness without friendly touch."

চেয়ে থাকি যে শূন্যে অন্যমনে

tʃeje

see.part

t̪ʰaki

stay.1

dʒe

that

ʃun:-e

nothingness.loc

on:o-mɔn-e

other-mind.loc

"I stare at the nothingness absentmindedly"

Note: The word for nothingness is the one for zero.

সেথায় বিরহিণীর অশ্রু হরণ করেছে ওই তারা ॥

ʃet̪ʰaj

there

birohi-ni-r

separated.lover.fem.gen

osru

tear

hɔron

steal

koretʃʰe

do.3.perf

oi

that

t̪ara

star

"there, a separated lover's tears have been stolen by that star."

Note: Poetic Bengali has a handy word for separated lover. It comes from Radha-Krishna music.

অশত্থপল্লবে বৃষ্টি ঝরিয়া মর্মরশব্দে

ɔʃot̪ʰ:o-pɔl:ɔb-e

fig-leaf.loc

briʃti

rain

dʒʱorija

shower.part

mɔrmɔro-ʃɔbd-e

murmur-sound.loc

"Murmur of the rain on the fig leaves"

নিশীথের অনিদ্রা দেয় যে ভরিয়া।

niʃit̪ʰ-er(o)

night.gen

ɔ-nid̪ra

neg-sleep

d̪æj

give.3

dʒe

emph

bʱorija

fill.part

"fills the night's sleeplessness."

মায়ালোক হতে ছায়াতরণী

maja-lok

illusion-land

hot̪e

ablative

tʃʰaja-t̪ɔroni

shadow-boat

"A shadow boat from the land of illusions"

ভাসায় স্বপ্নপারাবারে–

bʱaʃaj

float.3.cont

ʃɔpno-parabar-e

dream-sea.loc

"is floated on the sea of dreams"

নাহি তার কিনারা ॥

nahi

be.neg

t̪ar

3s.gen

kinara

shore

"that has no shore."

---

One of Tagore's many songs of morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z54QVQgsPI It's a more positive note to end on. It's even less translatable. I'm fascinated by a repeated use of the copula.

এ দিন আজি কোন্‌ ঘরে গো খুলে দিল দ্বার।

e

this

d̪in

day

adʒi

today

kon

which

ɡʱɔr-e

house.loc

go

dear

kʰule

open.part

d̪ilo

give.3

d̪ar

door

"Today which house opened its doors?"

আজি প্রাতে সূর্য ওঠা সফল হল কার।

adʒi

today

prat̪-e

morning.loc

ʃurdʒo

sun

oʈʰa

rise.part

ʃɔpʰol

successful

holo

be.3

kar

who.gen

"This morning, whose sunrise was successful?"

কাহার অভিষেকের তরে সোনার ঘটে আলোক ভরে।

kahar

who.gen

obʱiʃek-er

worship.gen

t̪ɔre

for.that

ʃona-r

gold.gen

ɡʱɔʈ-e

pitcher.loc

alok

light

bʱɔre

fill.3

"For whose worship do they fill the golden gourd with light?"

উষা কাহার আশিস বহি হল আঁধার পার।

uʃa

dawn

kahar

who.gen

aʃiʃ

blessing

bohi

carry.part

holo

be.3

ãd̪ʱar

darkness

par

across

"Carrying whose blessing did the dawn cross the darkness?"

বনে বনে ফুল ফুটেছে,

bɔn-e

forest.loc

bɔn-e

forest.loc

pʰul

flower

pʰuʈetʃʰe

burst.perf

"Flowers bloom from forest to forest,"

দোলে নবীন পাতা--

d̪ole

sway.3

nobin

new

pat̪a

leaf

"new leaves sway,"

কার হৃদয়ের মাঝে হল তাদের মালা গাঁথা।

kar

who.gen

hrid̪ɔj-er

heart.loc

madʒʱ-e

middle.loc

holo

be.3

t̪ad̪er

3p.gen

mala

garland

gãt̪ʰa

prick.cont

"In whose heart was their garland placed?"

বহুযুগের উপহারে বরণ করি নিল কারে।

bohu-dʒug-er

many-age.gen

upohar-e

gift.loc

bɔron

welcome

kori

do.part

nilo

take.3

kar-e

who.obj

"Who was welcomed as a gift of many ages?"

কার জীবনে প্রভাত আজি ঘোচায় অন্ধকার।

kar

who.gen

dʒibon-e

life.loc

probʱat

morning

adʒi

today

ɡʱotʃaj

dispel.3

ɔnd̪ʱokar

darkness

"In whose life does the morning dispel the darkness?"

[rotting bones]

Now I'm moving towards works that are even less translatable.

Famous works by my great grand-uncle Kazi Nazrul Islam, taught in schools as বিদ্রোহী কবি /bid̪rohi kobi/, The Rebel Poet.

1. The kind of poem about the Indian independence struggle that got him labeled a terrorist.

কাণ্ডারী হুঁশিয়ার

kanɖari

helmsman

hũʃijar

beware

"Helmsman, beware!"

দুর্গম গিরি,

d̪urgɔm(o)

forbidding

giri

mountain

"Forbidding mountains,"

কান্তার-মরু,

kant̪ar-moru

deadly-desert

"deadly deserts"

দুস্তর পারাবার

d̪ust̪ɔro

treacherous

parabar

sea

"and treacherous seas,"

লঙ্ঘিতে হবে

loŋɡʱite

cross

hɔbe

have.to

"we must cross"

রাত্রি-নিশীথে

rat̪ri-niʃit̪ʰ-e

night-deep.loc

"in the dead of night,"

যাত্রীরা হুশিয়ার!

dʒat̪ri-ra

traveller.pl

hũʃijar

beware

"travellers beware!"

দুলিতেছে তরি,

d̪ulit̪etʃʰe

sway.cont

t̪ori

boat

"The boat is swaying,"

ফুলিতেছে জল,

pʰulit̪etʃʰe

swell.cont

dʒɔl

water

"The waters are swelling,"

ভুলিতেছে মাঝি পথ,

bʱulit̪etʃʰe

forget.cont

madʒʱi

boatman

pɔt̪ʰ

path

"The boatman is forgetting the way,"

ছিঁড়িয়াছে পাল,

tʃʰĩɽijatʃʰe

tear.perf

pal

sail

"The sail is torn,"

কে ধরিবে হাল,

ke

who

d̪ʱoribe

catch.3.fut

hal

oar

"who will hold the oar,"

আছে কার হিম্মৎ?

atʃʰe

have

kar

who.gen

himmɔt̪ʰ

chutzpah

"who has the balls?"

কে আছ জোয়ান

ke

who

atʃʰo

be.3

dʒowan

youth

"Who is a youth"

হও আগুয়ান

hɔo

be.imp

agowan

forward.moving

"come forward"

হাঁকিছে ভবিষ্যৎ।

hãkitʃʰe

call.cont

bʱobiʃ:ɔt̪ʰ

future

"the future trembles."

এ তুফান ভারী,

e

this

t̪upʰan

typhoon

bʱari

heavy

"This heavy typhoon"

দিতে হবে পাড়ি,

d̪it̪e

give.part

hɔbe

have

paɽi

go.through

"we must go through"

নিতে হবে তরী পার।

nit̪e

take.part

hɔbe

have

t̪ori

boat

par

across

"taking the boat across."

2. A poem about struggle that would have gotten him labeled an Islamophobe and strident atheist.

বিদ্রোহী

bid̪rohi

rebel

"Rebel"

বল বীর –

bɔlo

say.2

bir

hero

"Speak, hero,"

বল উন্নত মম শির!

bɔlo

say.2

un:ɔt̪o

upraised

mɔmo

1s.gen

ʃir

head

"say, 'Upraised is my head!"

শির নেহারি’ আমারি নতশির ওই শিখর হিমাদ্রির!

ʃir

head

nehari

see

amar-i

1s.gen-this

nɔt̪o-ʃir

lowered-head

oi

that

ʃikʰor

peak

himad̪ri-r

Himalaya.gen

"My head sees no pride in the Himalayan peaks.'"

বল বীর –

bɔlo

say.2

bir

hero

"Speak, hero,"

বল মহাবিশ্বের মহাকাশ ফাড়ি’

bɔlo

say.2

mɔha-biʃ:-er

great-universe.gen

mɔha-kaʃ

great-sky

pʰaɽi

shred.part

"say, 'Tearing outer space asunder,"

চন্দ্র সূর্য গ্রহ তারা ছাড়ি’

tʃɔnd̪ro

moon

ʃurdʒo

sun

grɔho

planet

t̪ara

star

tʃʰaɽi

leave.part

"'leaving behind the moon, sun, planets and stars,'"

ভূলোক দ্যুলোক গোলক ভেদিয়া

bʱulok

earth

d̪ulok

heaven

golɔk

sphere

bʱed̪ija

burrow.part

"'burrowing through the earth and heavenly spheres,'"

খোদার আসন ‘আরশ’ ছেদিয়া,

kʰod̪a-r

lord.gen

aʃon

seat

aroʃ

Arsh

tʃʰed̪ija

pierce.part

"'piercing the Lord's seat Arsh'"

উঠিয়াছি চির-বিস্ময় আমি বিশ্ববিধাতৃর!

uʈʰijatʃʰi

rise.1.perf

tʃiro-biʃ:ɔj

ever-wonder

ami

1s

biʃ:o-bid̪ʱat̪ri-r

universe-creator.gen

"'I have arisen, an everlasting wonder of the Creator!'"

মম ললাটে রুদ্র ভগবান জ্বলে রাজ-রাজটীকা দীপ্ত জয়শ্রীর!

mɔmo

1s.gen

lɔlat-e

forehead.loc

rud̪ro

Rudra

bʱɔgoban

god

dʒɔle

burn.3

radʒ-radʒ-ʈika

king-king-tilak

d̪ipt̪o

blazing

dʒɔj(o)-sri-r

victory-goddess.gen

"'On my forehead, an a stormy god burns, a blazing tilak of Victory!'"

বল বীর –

bɔlo

say.2

bir

hero

"Say, hero,"

আমি চির উন্নত শির!

ami

1s

tʃiro

ever

un:ɔt̪o

upraised

ʃir

head

"'Always raised is my head!'"

Note: Nazrul Islam was popularly called দুখু মিয়া, The Sad One. Everything in his life was a tragedy. Nietzschean overtones here.

3. A song about Mohammed that would have gotten him labeled an Islamist fanatic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHhmFood8gw

মোহাম্মদের নাম জপেছিলি বুলবুলি তুই আগে।

moham:ad̪-er

monammad.gen

nam

name

dʒopetʃʰili

chant.2.perf

bulbuli

bulbul

t̪ui

2s

age

first

"Mohammad's name was chanted, Bulbul, by you first,"

তাই কিরে তোর কণ্ঠেরি গান, (ওরে) এমন মধুর লাগে।।

t̪ai

so

ki-re

why-emph

t̪or

2s.gen

kɔnʈʰ-er-i

throat.gen-emph

gan

song

(o-re)

(oh-emph)

æmon

so

mod̪ʱur

sweet

lage

touch.3

"is that why your song is so sweet?"

ওরে গোলাপ নিরিবিলি নবীর কদম ছুঁয়েছিলি —

o-re

eh-emph

golap

rose

niribili

alone

nobi-r

prophet.gen

kɔd̪om

feet

tʃʰujetʃʰili

touch.3.perf

"Oh rose, when alone, you touched the prophet's feet-"

তাঁর কদমের খোশবু আজো তোর আতরে জাগে।।

t̪ãr

3s.form

kɔd̪om-er

feet.gen

kʰuʃbu

scent

adʒ-o

today-emph

t̪or

2s.gen

at̪or-e

perfume.loc

dʒage

wake.up.3

"That scent, even today, rises in your perfume."

Note: Despite the Sufi trope of the Nightingale and the Rose, this is a mourning song for Nazrul's dead son, Bulbul.

[rotting bones]

Bengalis love the poem Bid̪rohi. Here's my attempt at reciting the part of it I glossed: https://voca.ro/1bnGPFoscsMU

Here's a professional recitation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29X1GFso6y0

[Lērisama]

I'd just like to say I really like this thread, even if I don't have much to say.

[Raphael]

I'm not sure I understand why the second poem would have gotten your great grand-uncle labelled an Islamophobe.

[rotting bones]

Thanks for the interest.

I'm not sure I understand why the second poem would have gotten your great grand-uncle labelled an Islamophobe.

This line is heretical:

খোদার আসন ‘আরশ’ ছেদিয়া,

kʰod̪a-r

lord.gen

aʃon

seat

aroʃ

Arsh

tʃʰed̪ija

pierce.part

"'piercing the Lord's seat Arsh'"

BTW, /kʰod̪a/ "lord" is a Farsi word.

[rotting bones]

In case it's still not clear, the line is literally talking about breaking and going through the Throne of God.

---

I hope I got all the typos by this point.