I found some old letters today
With utmost care
You had secretly treasured them like toys
As some tokens of your life
Lived in affection and love
In its devastating flow
Time sweeps everything -
The sun, the moon and the stars -
From that all devouring flood
With a timorous heart you saved them
And tucked them up in a secret place
Saying, they belong to none
They are exclusively mine.
Since you are gone
Where will they get a shelter now
For there is none in this wide world
To put up a claim
Who has kept you now
As you kept these letters in your bosom?
Translation of poem 14 - Dekhilam khankoy puratan chithi - from the collection Smaran by Rabindranath Tagore. Written after the premature death of his wife. The original is at http://www.rabindra-rachanabali.nltr.org/node/11708.
