The caged bird was in a golden cage,
The bird from the woods in the forest,
No one knew how, one day they got together,
Was it designed by the heaven!
The Bird from the Woods said, "Hello Bird in the Cage,
Let's go to the forest together",
The Bird in the Cage answered, " Come here, Bird from the Woods,
And live snug in the cage here".
The Bird from the Woods said, "No,
I don't want to be chained",
The Bird in the Cage replied, " Alas!
How can I fly to the forest? '
The Bird from the Woods crooned, settling outside,
All the songs from the forest,
The Bird in the Cage voiced everything he was taught -
The two birds sang two different ways.
The Bird from the Woods beseeched, " Hello my friend from the cage,
Please sing a song of the forest,
The Bird in the Cage answered, " Hello my friend from the woods,
Please learn the songs of the cage".
The Bird from the Woods refused, "No,
I don't want to master the songs which are taught",
The Bird of the Cage said, " Alas!
How do I sing the song of the forest? "
The Bird from the Woods said, "The sky is so blue,
There is no limit to the sky",
The Bird of the Cage replied, " How comfortable is the cage,
All four sides are covered".
The Bird from the Woods said, " let yourself free
in the midst of the clouds",
The Bird in the Cage answered, " live in a pleasant, tranquil space,
keep yourself secure".
The Bird in the Woods said, " No,
where do I fly? "
The Bird in the cage exclaimed, " Alas!
where do you perch in the sky? "
Two birds like this loved each other,
But never came very close,
Through the bars of the cage touched each other's beaks
And gazed at each other's eyes.
Two of them neither realized,
Nor could explain to each other,
Both of them were lonely, flapped their wings,
appealed to each other "come closer".
The Bird from the Woods said, "No,
They may fasten the door",
The Bird in the Cage responded, "Alas!
I don't have the strength to soar".
Hi Malabika, I have not seen this poem yet, in the collection named “Selected PoemsOf R. Tagore “, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri. Nor in the complete collected English writing by Tagore, published by Kendriya Sahitys Akademi, India. Not on the many collections in Malayalam I have, either. First time I am reading this most beautiful poem. Thank you.
This is a beautiful poem, although I haven't seen any translation, either! My aunt requested me to do a translation of this poem, because her granddaughter can not read Bengali, and she got a Cockatoo as a pet. I felt energized, and finished it in a short time. Thanks again and again for reading and giving me a lot of related information.
Wow! Wonderful translation of the poem by The Great Master.
Thanks, Dear Poet, so delighted to share with you! It's an honour to be able to translate Tagore's poems! Probably you are familiar with his poems in Bengali!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Simple, excellent translation