by Ankur Barua
O my Lord –
When the darkness falls on me thickly and my heart is heavy with history
Grant me a glimpse of your face that is wrapped in this world’s mystery
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
In every direction I turn I see signs of your abundant greenery
From every mosque streams out the truth of your celestial poetry
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
On all three sides I am now surrounded by a kingdom great in every way
Yet you abide as the one king of all kings and we are all under your sway
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
At this intersection of numerous nations from the Persians to the English
May I remain mindful of you while I cook this dish of rice with dainty fish
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
You once sent this orphan1 to the shelter of the nawab to learn his manners2
Indwelling my mortal breath at every moment you are the best of planners3
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
In the deafening midday silence on the broken banks of the old river4
Sitting at the roadside bazaar I patiently seek you through this prayer
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
Draped in the finest muslin5 with ruffles I lament my soul’s penury
Remember me as I call on you again and again in this great misery
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
Strolling through the gardens and palaces of this Venice of the east
Breaking the fast with sweets in your merciful embrace do we feast
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
On the way with many stages and stations I am caught in a tiresome traffic jam
In every morsel of my khichuri6 I discern your presence in a cosmic hologram
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
Of all believers the people of this land are the very salt of your earth
In springtime their songs of Lalon7 fill the blue sky with their mirth
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
Against the forces of darkness we strive strenuously in the war for independence8
For without digestion promoted by borhani9 there can be no talk of transcendence
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
This audacious wretch sends up to your majestic throne this humble plea:
“Draw me to paradise and speak to me one day in my own sweet Bengali!”
O Allah – on the perilous seas of the world you are this mariner’s compass.
1. Qur’ān 93:6.
2. Arabic: ādāb.
3. Qur’ān 8:30.
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buriganga_River
5. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210316-the-legendary-fabric-that-no-one-knows-how-to-make
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khichdi_(dish)
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalon
8. The independence movement in 1971; symbolically, the greater jihad.
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borhani
Cover image: Adnan Mahmud
Ankur Barua is University Senior Lecturer in Hindu Studies at Cambridge University. He read Theology and Religious Studies at the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge. His primary research interests are Vedantic Hindu philosophical theology and Indo-Islamic styles of sociality.
Project Noon 