Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, writer, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Known simply as Nazrul, he is regarded as one of the greatest poets in Bengali literature. Bidrohi (The Rebel) is his most famous poem. Legend has it that he wrote it in one night at the age of 22. Clearly it was written in the inspired state that all lucky writers sometimes know, where it feels like they are taking dictation from God (even if they are atheists). It is quite possibly the greatest battle rap poem written in any language. One of my Welsh friends told me how much it reminds her of the great declamations in the Welsh bardic tradition.
When I first heard it read in Bengali and in translation at a Saudha Arts event, I was blown away. I decided to memorise and perform it, but the English translations I found online, although each beautiful in their way, did not have the rhythm and drive that I heard in the original Bengali. So I decided to make my own translation.
I don’t speak Bengali, but I do speak “internet”. I wrote this by consulting every online dictionary from Google translate, to Microsoft translate, to ChapGPT. Each told me a different story. This was a challenge, but also very useful for poetry.
Aside from my linguistic ignorance, there were other challenges:
The poem is full of rich allusions to other religions and mythologies, especially to Hindu myths. This works as a kind of shorthand in the poem, but can’t be transformed into another language in a straightforward way. For example, one line goes…
I am Hambir, I am Chayanot, I am Hindol
These are the names of ragas, each conveying a particular kind of meaning or feeling. Simply listing them in English will not do, but explaining them in depth is beyond my competence and would have destroyed the flow. So I have tried to find a way of telling the basic content of the myths in shorthand. I think this has enriched the translation – I hope so anyway – but it has definitely made the poem longer.The basic rhythm of English is iambic:
da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH
The basic rhythm of Bengali feels different. I am guessing from the outside here, but to me it feels trochaic:
DAH-da DAH-da DAH-da DAH-da
I hope my translation has the same rhythmic power as the original, but it definitely has a different kind of rhythm.
Overall, I have tried to make the translation as accurate as possible, but my first goal was to be faithful to the spirit and meaning of both the poem and the poet. Any criticism is very welcome.
If you would like to hear the poem live, it will be getting its world premiere on the opening night of the Saudha International Literature Festival, at Rich Mix, London, on Sunday, June 4:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/saudha-international-literature-festival-rich-mix-london-tickets-627633457567?fbclid=IwAR3fWNenBXms_aSUKF-qynUOhZf0rZRL7-VD8fDneKSXynzK63AuKzp9jVY
Here is a link to another translation, which includes explanations of many of the poems allusions – and also, more information about Nazrul.
https://shuddhashar.com/the-rebel-an-introduction-and-translation/
I’ve listened to many versions of the original poem online. This was my favourite:
https://youtu.be/xTSrkHGuasA
And finally, here is my translation:
THE REBEL
1.
Say hero, say I
Raise my head high
Before me bow down the mighty Himalayas
Say hero, say I
Tear open the sky, I rise
Over the moon, over the sun, planets and stars
I slice through heaven and earth, cosmos and universe
I pierce the throne of the almighty
I rise, the eternal wonder of all creation
The fury of Shiva glowing on my forehead
I am a lighting bolt of victory
Listen to me
Say hero, say I
Raise my head ever high
2.
I am arrogant, feckless and cruel
I am Nataraja, the Dance King
Destruction, the whirlwind
I am fear, I curse the earth
I break it into pieces
Nothing can stop me
No law, no discipline, no inhibition
I am a high flying deep dive
Down into the tornado
Cargo ship doom
I am a floating bomb, a torpedo
I am Bhima going into battle
I am a rebel
A rebel yarn of the universe
Say hero, say I
Raise my head ever high
3.
I am vortex , I am chaos
Driving all before me
Crushing it out of existence
I am a dance-crazy rhythm
I am the beat of your heart
My own true raga, free as an evening breeze
I am a joker on the road, a fidget spinner
Give me a good three swings
And I can be nimble forever
4.
I choose
I embrace my enemy
Lock horns with death
I am batshit crazy
I am the plague
I am the cold grip of terror
The shiver of ice cracking
I am sunlight, I am sparkle
I am warm and loving
Say hero, say I
Raise my head ever high
5.
I am endlessly wicked
I am the golden cup of time
Full to the brim with life and love
Bad luck and good wine
I am the smouldering embers of hearth and home
I am Jámadagni, the warrior, guardian of the flame
I am fire, singer and song
Worship and devotion
Betrayal and seduction
Creation and destruction
Everything and nothing
I am the house of the living, I am the ashes of the dead
I am Indrani’s child, moon and sun on my shoulders
And in my hands, her bamboo flute and battle spear
I am blue throated Shiva, drinking poison and pain down to the last drop
The river Ganges, calmed, and filtered through my matted locks
Say hero, say I
Raise my head ever high
6.
I am a soldier and a monk
I am a prince in astonishing finery
I am Bedouin, I am Genghis
I bow down to nobody
I am the thunder of broken bones, I am the birth of OM
I am Israfil’s trumpet, sounding at the end of the world
I am Shiva’s damaru, the heartbeat of creation
I am Shiva’s trident, meting out justice
I am the Chakra and the Great Conch
I am the Pranav breath of Brahma-Shiva-Vishnu
I am Dúrbasa the furious
I am the fire that will burn you to ashes
I am your soul-deep, smiling joy and the horror that will crush it
I am the death of the twelve suns
I am turbulent and calm
I am a hot blooded killer and a lover of justice
A son of the wind and the monkey king
Faithful and true, star bright
Dancing in the roar of the ocean tides
7.
I am you, sister, in your braided hair
Sixteen, wide awake, full of hope
I am you, mother, alone in your grief
I am the ghost of your lost love
I am hunger staring into your eyes
I am your courage staring back
I am forever homeless
I beg on the street
I am you, scorned, poison burned, heart broken
I am your anger, I am your pride, I am your pain
Forever
I am the dream of a stolen kiss, of a first trembling touch
A secret love, a hidden smile, the glow of lust
I am the music of your wedding bangles
I am forever a child, forever a teen
Forever a shy village maiden
I am the north wind
I am the wind of the warm southern seas
I am the bored east wind
I am the breath of song
I am the blazing sun
I am desert clear
I am shadow green
I am the sudden awakening at the foot of the master
After centuries of study
All channels open
Floodgates down
I am total insanity
I am me
8.
I am asleep and awake
I live in the instant, I live in forever
I am a festival of light and thunder
The glory of the world, the triumph of humanity
I am a rider of Borbak, the seven headed horse
I revel in its shrill cry of freedom as we streak across the sky
I burrow down into the volcano and spit out molten lava
I am earthquake, I am hellfire, I am forest flame, I am ocean madness
I am desire, I sink my claws into Vasuki, the snake king, coiled around Shiva’s neck
I seize Gabriel’s fiery wing
I am a child god, a monster
I gnash my teeth and bite into the womb of mother earth
9.
I am the flute of Orpheus
I calm the raging sea
I kiss the world to sleep
I am the flute of blue black Shyam’s hand
When I rise up in anger
The seven fire’s recoil in fear and even hell is damned
I am a song sung to the earth and sky
A cry of never-ending revolution
10.
I am the mighty flood
I sweep away palace and hut
I bless and I curse the earth
I steal the treasured twins from Vishnu’s breast
I am injustice, I am lightning, I am Saturn
I am the comet’s fiery tail
I am poison’s deadly grip
I am Chandi, the destroyer, the fury of woman
I cut off my head and drink my own blood
I sit in the fires of hell and smile like a flower
11.
I am earth, I am clay
I am spirit, I am eternal
I am endless misery
I am a spectre haunting the earth
Feared by human, god and demon
I am truth everlasting, the creator of all
I am mad, crazy mad
I know who I am and nothing can stop me
I am the battle axe of Parashuram
I kill killers
I war against warlords
I am a bringer of peace, a destroyer of caste and class
I am Balaram the strong, my weapon is the plough
I dig up the roots of injustice – and unleash the joy of creation
12.
Battle weary, I will know peace
When the cry of the oppressed does not rend the sky
When the tyrant’s sword will strike no more
Battle weary, I will know peace
I am Bhrigu, the rebel sage
I will stamp my footprint on the chest of god
I will shatter his indifference to the pain of the world
I am Bhrigu, the rebel sage
I will stamp my footprint on the chest of god
I will change everything
I am the ever rebellious hero
Alone, I have risen beyond this world
Head held ever high
Thank you. I will come in September to do it in Seattle... and in Bangladesh in November.
Great! Love your work! Great!