Nari Jibon: “Street Children”

Global Voices contributing author Aparna Ray has translated a poem by Nari Jibon blogger Naoshin Tushil entitled “Street Children.” You can read more about tokai, or street children, in Banglades on the blogs of Sujon and Jesmin.

tokai

The Nari Jibon Flickr account has several photographs of young street children living in and around Dhaka. For some ideas and reflections on what can be done to counter youth poverty, don't miss the round-up of posts for Blog Action Day on Poverty.

পথের শিশু
একটা শিশু পথের মাঝে
দাড়িয়ে থাকে একা
কেউ করেনা খোঁজ যে তার
কেউ বোঝেনা ব্যাথা।
এই শিশুটির পেথই জন্ম
পেথই হলো বড়।
জানেইনা যে অদৃষ্টে কি
দুঃখ আছে আরও !
মা বলে,ডাকেনি যে
ফোটেনি প্রথম কথা,
সেই শিশুটি না পেয়ে মাকে
পায় যে মনে ব্যাথা।
মায়ের আদর বঞ্চিত এই
হতভাগ্য ছেলেটি,
বাবার স্নেহ ভালোবাসাও
ভাগ্যে কখনও মেলেনি।
পথের মাঝে সেই ছেলেটি
দাড়িয়ে থেকে একা,
প্রশ্ন করেও নিরুত্তর সে
কেন এ বেঁচে থাকা?

Alone stood the little child
In the middle of the road,
The searing pain in his young heart
Waiting to implode.

His life began on the roadside
And that is where he grows,
Wondering often of his fate–
What's in store? What woes?

Not old enough to form his words,
Too young to call out “mum”
His heart can only search in vain
And slowly become numb

Bereft of his mother's love
The child now seeks his dad
But his daddy too is missing
His plight is, oh so bad!

The orphan now stands on the road
Filled with pain, misgiving.
Then quietly he asks of fate –
“Tell me, why should I go on living?”

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