Tonight Poem by Jibanananda Das

Had you been around tonight we could talk;
—a world of Hijal Shirish stars grass breeze all surround.
But all our thoughts feeling emotions are filtered
through reasons and logic, and made to the point

I have been through all those protocols and their consequence
Seen India London Rome New York China's chronicles
The story of tonight and the extinct mammoths
All are covered by fierce discipline.

Where are you lost—which dice to cast in hand?
What keeps you engaged? Not all pursuits prove gainful;
Our daily dawn and dusks, river and stars—that I have known profoundly
Archived therein all those eternal truths.

[Translated by Faizul Latif Chowdhury]