Ma Chérie A Long Romantic Poem Poem by Dibakar Purkayastha

Part -I

Celestial romance is the only panacea of a poet's fervour

When amaranthine fragrance from heaven is bestowed over

Ma Chérie! Your physical presence would be an elixir of nectar

Would enamour my days, both soothing and brighter

Remembering the morning was bright and scintillating

It was effulgent with a heavenly fountain of spring

When I looked at thine face, full of heavenly beauty and bright

The gorgeous attire you donned was honey dew white

Meanwhile, a cuckoo cooed from the branch of a mango tree

All those cattle in the backyard of thine home were set free

A herd of goats in the rear field of your home bleated aloud

My arbour towards you soared high up towards the cloud

All those flowers in your terrace garden were in bloom

Hibiscus, Lily, Daisy, Tuberose, Dalia and marigold

Celestial incense that rose from your Garden may

Instantly mesmerised me and drew me towards thine anyway

Long hair braid plait I saw on your back was lustrously dangling

Looked to me like a venomous snake whose tail was swinging

Before I could react, it suddenly spewed its venom at me straight

That turned me languid, and I couldn't avoid your upright

It drew me immediately toward your appealing attraction

I banged hard time and again the closed door of your bastion

A giant kingfisher flew high above the sky, spreading its wing

Murmuring river beside your hamlet continued to sing

Tall trees from faraway mountains swaying in the cool breeze

And I quothed to you, "Can I open my mind now, please?

In this breezy morning, I would be forced to go away

"Well, it's enough for me now, and I beg to refuse", if you say.

Parting the misty cloud over the mighty sky to a land

Far away from here, and for me there will be no friend

Hundreds of years as a crestfallen in solitude

I will spend, unless you change your mind and attitude

The fall of Cupid's curse might be there on my head

I will wait for you forever on the bank of the Lethe riverbed

In the midst of all these, there lies an unspoken love

Tagore's songs would be singing a doe-eyed dove

"Behold your beauty, dear"! I cried for you in my sleep

Aletheia fetched me to you, and now I would leap

When the night sprouted from the womb of the day

I desired your rendezvous but lost my way

Eros gave me the torch, but you, ruthless, gave me no light

Thus, I lost your credence in the darkness of night

An old owl cried out from the top of the Lebbek tree

Silence itself even shivered to trespass in your territory

Cupid welcomed the dawn with the twang of his bow

And was waiting to pierce your heart with a pointed arrow

At last, the window of thine heart quietly unbolted

My Psyche was shimmering there, lately responded

I looked at her parted eyebrows and her dark eyelid

Her rosy cheeks, perspiring labial, her nose bid

A bird's-eye view of her cleavage would enrage her

A sanguinary heart lies behind her bosom, tender

She looked straight at me; I saw her aquiline nose

In midst of all those, I eyed her and found my muse

She stood near the arbour of the garden with pouty lips

I wished to grasp her tight and would stamp my kiss

Aphrodite with love and passion rose from white foam

Floated ashore on a seashell, arrived near her home

Whipping wind blew around along with white mist

Of Paradise, or heaven, carried her off without resist

A melancholy soared to the horizon with pounding pain

Timeless moment stalled to see her silhouette again

Languorous morning passed away towards the noon

With fathomless pain in heart, I waited near lagoon

The sun was setting behind the hillock to my right

Hovering moon rose over horizon in somnolent night

‘Ma chérie, Ma chérie' lamenting rose over night sky

I would yearn for thy rendezvous once before I die

Laments echoed in rocking silence of starry night

Abysmal time, and you were sleeping behind the door tight

Not to defer powerful persuasion, I was so keen

Tempted by thine alluring love, for that I had been

Of reasons in my inward power and power of my speech

Longing, and envying stood, but could not reach

Day born from womb of night, my hope was not over

I longed for your vista only, and there was no other

Oh, my eternal offspring! May you be good or bad

Expected to hear all the confessions that I withheld

Only time would speak what I undertook

Heaven and Earth, thou art the only one whom I look to

I shall share with you all my bliss and woe

You may also share with me your full joy and sorrow

Thus, I raised her all attention I recalled

Dear me, now open thine eyes, and first behold

My endless laments made her heart now unbolted

She opened her sleepy eyes and beheld

Paradise showered all petals on my ardour queen

Rustling wind murmured in the ear, ‘let your story begin'

My muse shivered immediately and took a hiatus breath

Her heart leapt up to begin herewith

A lonely heron was standing near the swamp

Am I to start my love story now with a revamp?

I would now sail over torrent with my heart throb

She would hold the hull and I the orb

We would gallivant far away, forget where we belong

Then we would drift over and sing our cherished song

Breezy sprinkle began, soon turned into tempest at River Bay

Folk of birds above the sky twittered and flew astray

Both of us lost our orb and hull and were adrift over water

When we began our initial concupiscence together


Part II

Oh lord of heaven! Abysmal time came near us

Nature had played its catastrophe trick, dangerous

Meanwhile, the south-west wind rose with dark wing

All the clouds jammed together, wild, hovering

From horizon to hill, supply of vapour accelerated

From thick ceiling of cloud, rainfall has started

No sooner did it turn into a wild tempest, heavier

Within a blink of an eye, it tore our boat asunder

Strong wind moved with impetuous force again

Thundering and lightning came down amain

Both fell apart, swam adrift, holding a piece of wood

Until all river and vale overflow, rain continued

Oh, treacherous time! Oh, sadness of parting my luck

The amaranth of paradise always I wished to pluck

Unkind hand of providence has bludgeoned my love

I am falling back to my destiny like a wounded dove.

Day sank inside the veil of night while we were still adrift

Darkness veiled the horizon, and we had nothing to eat

Chilling wind was whipping on my drenched body

Oh lord of Eden! Praying to save the life of my fair lady

But God over paradise was not ready for listening

Oblivion squeezed the cloud, and it was melting

Dawn sprouted from night, and the Lord at last responded

He ordered his angels, and cherubim had descended

They brandished the sword, and water started receding

Vapour and mist began to parch, and the sun peeped in morning

We kissed a barren land when our log piece stuck aside

She woke up from her sleep on this lonely riverside

"Are we alive or dead? " She quothed, covering her breasts

Moved forward, leaving greyish ochre of her wide footsteps

I had to follow her footsteps to her Achilles heel

Insipid time turned our predestination now, as I feel

I watched the Sun peeking through the morning dimness

The murky morning gradually turned into brightness

A cool breeze from the faraway mountain was blowing

Unruly, soaked hair from her back was gently fluttering

When she looked back and smiled on the dreaded day

My heart leapt up with joy; my agony instantly went astray

I grasped the hand of my ma chérie tightly near my breast

Far away I saw a vista of a ship and a man on the crow's nest

Land came up, sediment went down, and rainwater receded

I was happy to see an untrodden place that we have landed

We'll find the home of Lucy, the muse of great Wordsworth

She might be receiving the warm compress near the hearth

We walked to reach the vale and found a small hutment

But to our utter astonishment, inside, Lucy was absent

This had dampened our efforts, and both became languid

But the empty hutment in the solitude made us intrigued

Both reclined there the entire day without any food and drink

The sun went behind the mountain, and stars started to blink

Silence in the stilly night, barring the shrill sound of cricket

Nippy air from outside reminded us of the need for a blanket

Solitary hutment in the chilly night drew both of us near

I clasped her tight to my chest, and we were worn out together

Clumsy night winged away before the peeping of the dawn

I moved away from her proximity and stepped out to the lawn

Meadows around the hutment blossomed with daisies and daffodil

Spread up to the narrow stream next to the faraway hill

Horizon above, I saw clearly there was no chance of rain

Hope rose in my heart to return to our hamlet back again

‘Ma chérie ma chérie'! I tried to wake up my ardour queen

She was in a celestial dream, and I had to try hard again

Her soft footsteps echoed behind, rustling the dry leaves

She twirled my unruly hair and embraced me with a morning kiss

I looked at her plated eyebrow, and also at her dark eyelids

Widened a little, and I missed the mystic smile on her lips

Infant wind blew from meadows, careless butterflies flew

I suddenly beheld the canvas of my return voyage anew

Horizon came down and drew a curtain on our globe-tottering

Our stormy escapade in solitude is now destined for an ending

We trudged on the meadow up to estuary to look for a transit

Blazing sun above us slanted to west, we decided to retreat

She pounced back quickly with zeal and signalled me to wait

Her outstretched finger beyond estuary located a steamer passing

I peeled my shirt off and spread my hand above the shirt whirling

Angel and cherubim bestowed their bliss and steamer marked us

Both were rescued to the upper deck, and all crews sang in chorus

Giant capstan moved, anchor lifted, helmsman turned steering

Shrill whistle dampened their spirit, and steamer started moving

My queen was returning home from intentional banishment

She was leaning forward, and shadow falling on the basement

Now, allow me to borrow some sweet poesy from great R. N. Tagore

His long poem ‘Golden Boat' reminds me of the farmer and sailor

After the great flood, the poor farmer could only salvage his yield

All he could load in the small boat, and the sailor left him on the field

We could, however, check in the steamer; the sailor didn't decline

Uploaded with passion, hope, despair and others in our Racine

Day passed away and night peeped with shawl chador of star

Melancholy of setbacks and tiredness sent her in deep slumber

I looked over; the shadow fell on her bosom, and a gleam of light

Sneaking on her narrow naval button while she was sleeping tight

"Eros is peeking at thine forbidden beauty", I murmured

Deep in her sleep she drew a breath and languorously uttered

"Lock the door and take some rest"; she turned to her right

A piece of cloud covered the sky, and Eros went away affright

At dawn the vista of green appeared faraway beyond water

A flock of egrets lassoed overhead as the shore was near

My heart leapt up when the steamer was nearing the land

Both waited on the deck to disembark, clutching our hand

Shore was near; we could hear people in the port exulting

But to our utter surprise, there, the Bangladesh flag was fluttering

Both were arrested there for wrongful entry into a foreign nation

My lord! We lost our path again in the course of our wild passion.



Part-III

Oh Bangla, thine beatitude, riverine banks and Dale

All thine meadows and Moor, I yearned to see without fail

God has taken time to adorn this land with a laurel on its head

Koptakhsha, Satkhira, Senergati, I wished to take a promenade

The silhouette of lovely land receding fast as we are moving on

Inside the prison van, both are taken away to a place forlorn

Oh, the imprisoned liberty! We requested them to restraint

"Release us, and let us get freed to enjoy our ephemeral stint

Our destiny and future lay now in your executive hand

Allow us to take a tour to your land, mountain, river up to the end

Effulgent Khulna with Rupsa, Bhirab and Padma barrage

Mountains of Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet in our entourage

We'll complete and cross the border and return to our Union

Will remember your land and serenity if you free us from prison"

Telling them I waited and gazed at the face of both officer

My fair lady looked anxiously and clutched my hand harder

Calamitous adventure carried a fresh scar in our minds

Yet, we were wrongfully made prisoners; they kept us confined

Inside a dark prison van covered with thick moulded panel

Both officers sat with murky faces, like attending a funeral

We were made to disembark about an hour later

And taken inside a hall where we saw a chattering dozen other

"Foreigner deportation centre"; this was uttered by somebody

A thin ray of hope sprouted in our mind for a return may be

In this hall we breathed fresh air, but to our amaze

Long day passed away, and the sun stopped to blaze

Long night became monotonous for both in an alien land

We huddled up with no cover in a corner, clutching our hand

Marshals appeared in the morning enarmed with iron cuff

Handcuffed all of us for trial in the Court with stern rebuff

Our passion for this land vanished abruptly into oblivion

The freedom from this abysmal plight is visibly blown

Oh lord of heaven! Send an angel from your garden

We want to see the vista of our homeland as early as we can

Thus, we lamented to our deity for an entire night, umpteen time

Our nocturnal serenade hardly made an effect on the celestial divine

Day sprouted from night, and those Marshals reappeared

Reached the Court with cuffed wrists, and the judge ordered

"Release both innocent lovebirds; I heard their entire story

Our team rescued them from their homeland near the estuary

They had not crossed the international border of their own

Reason for confining them as an unauthorised intruder is unknown"

Pronouncing the verdict to release us, the judge asked the bailiff

I cuddled and hugged ma chérie, exhaled a sigh of great relief

"Oh, dear! That reminds me of our home, thine small territory

Those climbing tendrils on arbour, and the weeping tree

Those amorphous hills behind thine hamlet and your realm

Cattle and goats rearing field, and thy murmuring stream

Forgotten face of thy parents after this hiatus tour

Rising smoke up to sky from hearth of your rear door"

As I said to her, she leapt up to behold the vista of her home

Soon both were released by the bailiff and made free to roam

We abandoned the idea to return to our homeland by sea voyage

Reminded us of the broodiest tempest of our previous entourage

Sun opened eyes with blazing in another infant morning

We woke up with rubbing eyes and saw marshals entering

They picked both of us to embark in an armoured car

Leaving all trees, swamps, and rivers behind, we reached the border

They took us to the land route border, and shifting would resume

We entwined our arms tightly till the process was over to send us home

At last, we encompassed the route to reach our own homeland

Our journey to an unknown destination thus saw an end




Part IV

Oh, treacherous time! At last, we could set our feet in our homeland

Despite all odds, we felt safe, and our happiness had no end

Oh, my homeland! I bow to you, my beautiful mother

There your presence is my only elixir from the nectar

Oh dear! Thou remind me of our hamlet, thine small territory

Your all tendril creepers on arbour, and the weeping tree

Thine aroma enamours my days, soothing and brighter

Your field, Dale, thine green forest and murmur of thy river

Thine amorphous hills behind our hamlet and thy morning

Bright, scintillating and spread with heavenly fountain of spring

Remembering our courtyard and all domestic breeds

The mooing of domestic cattle and those herds of goat bleats

The melody of song rises from your pristine herbs and flowers

The aroma of green leaves and fruits wafts while sitting in the bower

I would walk with Ma Chérie under thine blazing sun

We will watch in your dale, those herons and white swans

All those we beheld were symbols of your mighty completeness

We clutched our hands under your fullest power and sweetness

We submitted to almighty when crossed over the river of fire

All our guffaw, hope, melancholy, tear and all our despair

We feel like both fallen angels, and our romance was worn

Akin to those two uprooted cherubim who were never born



Part V

And they say, in the wintry night we traverse on your purple moor

Ribbon road will kiss the horizon, moon peek through bolted door

Our ballad will rise to the windy sky and travel through your territory

Will pass over the small hamlet to recite all our love story