This poem is a tribute to Rabindranth Tagore's heart touching poem 'To Birds'

He wrote this poem in Bengali (an Indian language) and I was so touched that I decided to translate it into English.

Hope you like it!(^-^)


Once upon a time,

There lived a bird in the Forest;

And there was this another bird,

Who lived in an elegant Golden Cage.

And then by a miraculous twist of luck,

The two similar-yet-different looking birds came face-to-face;

What it was that Fate had in store for them?

Forest Bird says,' Caged Bird,

Let's go to the Forest together!'

Caged Bird says,' Forest Bird,

Let's stay in this Cage forever!'

Forest Bird cried,' No!

How can I ever be trapped down by chains?'

Caged Bird sighed,' Alas,

How would I ever venture into the unnamed?'

And so…

The Forest Bird sang,

Sitting outside the Cage,

All the song it had learnt from the Forest.

While the Caged Bird,

Read the language taught by its master—

Two individuals — two different dialects.

Forest Bird says,' Caged Bird, dear

Please sing me Forest song.'

Caged Bird says,' Forest Bird, dear

Would you like to learn one of my songs?'

Forest Bird cried,' No!

I don't want any artificial songs!'

Caged Bird sighed,'Alas,

I don't know how to sing any Forest songs.'

Forest Bird says,

'The Sky is blue and infinite;

In front of us there stand no bounds whatsoever.'

Caged Bird says,

'This Cage is so comfy and warm,

All closed and shut up from every side.'

Forest Bird says;

'Let loose your soul and wings

Into the infinite blue for once.'

Caged Bird says,
'Better keep yourself enclosed

In one of the empty corners.'

Forest Bird cried,' No!

The Cage has no place to fly!'

Caged Bird anguished,' Alas,

The Sky has nowhere to respite!'

So once upon a time,

There was a Forest Bird

And a Caged Bird;

Although madly in love

Yet separated by an unbreakable wall.

Between the cage bars,

Through the touch of their beaks,

They longed for each other.

Nobody understood the other one;

Nobody understood itself.

Desperately, they flap their wings,

Crying out in agony,' Come closer.'

Forest bird says,'No!

When will you break away from this Cage?'

Caged Bird anguishes,' Alas,

I don't possess the strength to fly again!'


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