The Story Of A Dream And Liberation Poem by Matin Bairagi

Long ago I dreamt a strange dream,
A late evening dream: I remember its every detail,
That dream recurred throughout the night
As if I dreamed the same dream all night.
Ages have gone by after that
I am telling that story now after long.
Some people were talking about their feelings
In an excited agitated mood,
They did not even notice my presence.
They were telling each other: come let us go and touch the sun,
Touch its dazzling surface and feel its melting heat
And see its radiance through which the night travels,
Let us go to the door of the dawn.
Some looked up in disbelief: is that possible?
It is millions of miles away, how shall we get to its source?
‘ Nothing is impossible for man it they will to get over the mountains'
A brave heart yelled.
Man congregated with a vow to conquer the sun.
All the demons and the spirits took alarm
And attacked man: the cannons roared and the bullets pierced the hearts
And water turned into poison.
The habitations were reduced to ashes,
The fields were littered with corpses,
Yet the bright souls did not pause; they came back with a
Flag of victory: A bottle green and red sun fluttered in the south sea breeze.
Then they saw the demons were running in glee with that flag
Beating cruel drums, and the victory flag lay on the ground in mud and soil,
And those sun blanched men became mere memory - in the pages of sick and tired history.

Translated by Prof. Dr. M Harunur Rashid