Poems  
Pioneers
Original in Bengali – 'Poem # 17 from Janmadine' by Rabindranath Tagore
Transcreation by Kumud Biswas

In times long, long ago
When history was not noisy with news
And fame was silent
Those who went on a journey
Full of dangers and death,
On the way of life's progress
To find a way beyond death
Not only for themselves but for all -
Of different tribes or clans
Or of distant lands -
Long before they reached their destination
One by one
They may have perished on dry desert sands
Or those who had hardly begun
Before their traces were effaced by the seas
None lived in vain -
They still live in the soul of life
They still give us vigor by their gifts
And each moment we are touched
By their kind and helping hands.
Before we begin our day
Let us remember them all
In our grateful salutation. 

January 1, 2006

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