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English / Re: Short stories in translation
« on: April 08, 2016, 12:15:44 AM »
Nibedita Sarker
131-10-850
Verdant Shade
Hazy noise awakens her. She can’t breathe some moments. It happens if Rahima awake suddenly. She feels extremely thirsty and sweats her body, it seems very bad today. With fear, Rahima asked in a trembling voice, “Mazid Mia? Oh Mazid Mia?”
Mizid sleeps in a corner. It’s hard to reach her voice there. Yet Rahima feels Mazid is coming. Door cracks open and a sound of cough. Rahima asked in a soft voice for second time, “Mazid Mia? Oh Mazid Mia?”
But no one comes. It means Mazid didn’t hear. Rahima is crying. She waits some time panting and suddenly the pain disappears. Breathing is now normal. She can’t feel the feelings of dying that she felt earlier.
She comes down from the bed silently and put on the lamp with a firebox. Taking a long time she slowly opens the door. Mazid feels irritated if the door cracks much. It’s very cold outside, freezing wind is blowing. Winter has come earlier this year. With a careful step Rahima comes in front of Mazid’s room. She looks through the window and sees Mazid is still awake. Keeping a pillow under his chest he is reading a book. Cigars ashes are on the floor. Bad smells of cigar is coming. Rahima doesn’t make any noise. She stands behind the window silently and starts to tremble.
Rahima can’t make out what the boy reads awaking at night. Study for exams have been finished a long ago. Rahima stands a long holding the lamp. While standing she feels asleep and then she asks in a low voice, “ oh Mazid Mia?”
Keeping his eyes on the book, Mazid replies, “Call in a right way Mother. Why you call just ‘Mia’?”
Rahima feels embarrassed. (Mazid minds if she calls him Mazid Mia. But she always forgets that.) Rahima says, “Go to bed Mazid”.
“You better sleep, don’t make noise here”.
Rahima says in a low voice, “should I close the window? It’s cold outside.”
Mazid doesn’t reply this time. He starts to overturn the pages. Yet Rahima stands there. She was not willing to sleep then. Who knows, may be sleep will go again. She may feel the pain again. Mazid says in an angry voice, “Go Mother, don’t stand over there.”
Rahima comes in a distant place. She fears Mazid. But he was very little at the time of his birth. Whole day and night he cried. His father used to say, “This boy will not live long. Don’t feel the boy much or you will repent much.”
“What are you saying, being a father how can you say that?” The man is like that, he has no sense of his words.
Rahima comes and goes to bed. She feels tired of sleeping. So she thinks of many things to avoid sleep. She hasn’t mush things to think awaking at night. She thinks of same things every night. She is sitting in a well decorated room alone. There is very noise outside. Her mind isn’t very well. She feels a bit fear and a little tear coming in her eyes. Mean while elder sister in law comes with her husband and says, “Take your husband. Now enjoy you together”. Saying this she locks the door from outside. Rahima wearing a new shari sitting in a corner. She can’t raise her eyes in shame. Can’t think what she should say. At that time what the man has done is beyond thinking. Bleach over the bed. Keeping shame aside, Rahima comes to help him. Thinking these Rahima’s eyes fill with tear. What a shame the man gets at that incident! It’s a long time from today yet it seems as yesterday.
Rahima wake up from bed. She brings out bettle from bettle box nd prepares that. Taking that in her mouth she again goes beside Mazid’s window. He is still waking. She can’t understand anything about Mazid. If a boy of an un-educated family gets scholarships and pass MA then he becomes enigmatic. Once Mazid looks through the window.
“What is this mother? You still walking outside. Why don’t you sleep?”
“Yeah I’m going”.
Rahima feels very helpless. She comes to balcony and sits alone. Half moon in the sky, everything comes to eyes slightly. She feels lonely at night. Her soul cries up. She doesn’t feel that much helpless at day time. She has to do a lot of household works at day times. There is no maid, so her times go on very easily. In a shop, songs are playing in a high sound, sometimes half song. She enjoys that very much
Mazid’s father also liked songs, sometimes he cried out saying “first class”.
. Mazid’s father loved to enjoy life. But that was not in his fate. Some days he went to movie, but return home in a pale face. Either he had no money or someone picked his pockets. In some invitation of a wedding ceremony he went happily but didn’t get anything to eat. Food has been finished before his turn. His son becomes service man but he left the world. Sometimes Rahima said, “Would you like tea?”
Rahima sighs thinking of the ill fated man. He is such an ill fated man that no one was present at the time of his death. Mazid was then nowhere. He has gone somewhere to attend a meeting. All the ritual has been done when Mazid returns back. Foolishly asked, “What happened?”
The man has suffered a lot in his life. He has a very little earning by his mechanic profession. Lands have been sold to bear the cost of Mazids study. Mazid now has chosen a wrong way. In the evening, his friends come. They do their meeting. Tread union, fishing policy blah blah. What are working in his mind who knows? Rahima told his father to forbid him, police may catch her son. His father only said, “Son is a learned man, he is a illiterate person, what can I say?”
Rahima feels cold and went into the room. She had a resistant in the darkness on her way. Metallic something went on somewhere. Mazid says, “Who’s there?” in a sleepy voice. Rahima says, “I’m here”. There was no more voice. Rahima was thinking of sleeping again but at that time Mazid laugh out. What is the matter? Rahima asked, “Oh Mazid Mia”.
“What?”
“Why do you laugh?”
“Nothing, go and sleep. Don’t speak unnecessarily”.
Rahima really can’t understand what Mazid says. Not only he but also his friends are unfamiliar to her. They come just in the evening. They have some peculiarities, sometimes speak in a low voice, posing. Hours go on their meeting. Smokes of cigar cover the room. Teas are ordered several times from side by tea stall. What about they talk? Rahima tries to hear.
“No, election will not happen. Clearly I can see.”
“But what should we do if there is no election.”
“We need to know what Shekh Shaheb is thinking.”
“Shekh Shaheb will compromise. It’s clear.”
“Sadek is doing much wrong. If he is not carefull…”
Rahima can’t understand anything. Yet everyday she tries to hear. Again if Shikha comes, Rahima must hear what they are discussing. Rahima stand just beside the door. Shikha comes hanging a nice bag in her neck. She never does much makeup but she looks very pretty. She pushes the door laughing. Mazid says in a rough voice, “Who’s there?” (Yet Mazid guessed from the sound of her laugh that it is Shikha, he makes this mode.)
“I’m Shikha”
“Is it fire flame?”
“No, I’m a flame of a lamp.”
Saying so the girl outburst in laugh. Mazid comes out opening the door.
His face seems a bit different that time. Rahima doesn’t like that face. Who knows, Mazid may likes Shikha. May be has decided to marry her while his father wished to get him married with the black girl of Sutakhali. (He has also bought a shari for Hasina. Rahima didn’t see her but listened that she is a very nice and calm girl.) Poor man couldn’t arrange the marriage.
Rahima seen many times that Mazid became impatient when Shikha comes. Laugh out for nothing. He himself goes to bring snacks and tea for her. In the middle of the meeting he says, today ends here. Today will discuss something else. Then laughter comes out of the room. How a woman can laugh so loudly she can’t understand. Not only laughter but also songs sometimes. Mazid’s father was not so fool. Though he remained silent he understood all about the world. Rahima can remember of many times when the man had a chance he used to talk in English. But he was ill fated. Rahima again gets up from the bed and put on the lamp. She can’t the darkness any more. After the war the price of the oil has increased and a few can put the lamp on all night. Mazid again cough from that room. Winter is coming. Rahima several times said to shut the windows but he didn’t listen. He feels disgusted in a locked room. His father also had that bad habit. He kept open the window in the middle of the winter. If Shikha hasn’t come in Mazid’s life he would have been married that girl of Shutakhali. And if once he get married he can’t go to the war. He would have disguised himself with his wife in the village and have returned when the war is ended. But that didn’t happened. Shikha has continued to come with her colorful side bag and becoming beautiful day by day. The war got started. People gathered in Mazid’s home. Shikha was not like before. Rahima understood that time was very bad. But what Rahima would do with the situation? She only sees that her fate is bad. If that’s not true how mazid could say to his father to go in village? His father said if you go only then we will go.
“What nonsense! How can I go? I’ve lot of works to do here. You decide when you will go. I’ll make the arrangement”.
Mazzid’s father avoided the matter and smokes. Mazid says in this chance, “If I marry Shikha, do you mind?”
His father didn’t surprise and said, “When will you marry?”
“That will be later. Do you have any problem?”
“No, why should we? If you marry early that is better for us. Don’t worry for money. I have kept money in post office for your marriage.”
But the man could not see his marriage. When Rahima came from the kitchen saw all ended. Everything is His wish. Later on the war started. Mazid vanished from the village keeping his mother there. Lots of news comes to her. Somewhere hundreds of freedom fighters are imprisoned. Somewhere four freedom fighters are burned alive. Rahima only prayed for her son, “I only want the life of my son.”
Rahima can’t sleep at night. She passes her nights without sleeping. At that time she was attacked by the disease. If suddenly she wakes up her heart beat goes very high. She feels very thirsty and feels of dying. The war ends. One day Mazid comes walking with a stick and call his mother, “Mom, I’m alive. Can you see me, I’m alive.”
The disease increased at that time. When Mazid walks on one foot and makes noise Rahima’s heart beat increases. What a pain! She then starts to think like her son, “This loss is nothing in front of the freedom achieved.” Mazid says nothing but Rahima knows that Shikha got married with someone else. That boy must not walk on one foot. “This loss is nothing in front of the freedom achieved” Rahima tries to think like Mazid. But she can’t. Life hasn’t extended its long hand toward her. So she can’t sleep.
At the late night, when the stars are more lightening than the moon, then she comes near Mazid’s window. She asks in a trembling voice, “Mazid Mia! Oh Mazid Mia!” That little voice can’t awake Mazid. May be his higher study could not let him awake.
The End
131-10-850
Verdant Shade
Hazy noise awakens her. She can’t breathe some moments. It happens if Rahima awake suddenly. She feels extremely thirsty and sweats her body, it seems very bad today. With fear, Rahima asked in a trembling voice, “Mazid Mia? Oh Mazid Mia?”
Mizid sleeps in a corner. It’s hard to reach her voice there. Yet Rahima feels Mazid is coming. Door cracks open and a sound of cough. Rahima asked in a soft voice for second time, “Mazid Mia? Oh Mazid Mia?”
But no one comes. It means Mazid didn’t hear. Rahima is crying. She waits some time panting and suddenly the pain disappears. Breathing is now normal. She can’t feel the feelings of dying that she felt earlier.
She comes down from the bed silently and put on the lamp with a firebox. Taking a long time she slowly opens the door. Mazid feels irritated if the door cracks much. It’s very cold outside, freezing wind is blowing. Winter has come earlier this year. With a careful step Rahima comes in front of Mazid’s room. She looks through the window and sees Mazid is still awake. Keeping a pillow under his chest he is reading a book. Cigars ashes are on the floor. Bad smells of cigar is coming. Rahima doesn’t make any noise. She stands behind the window silently and starts to tremble.
Rahima can’t make out what the boy reads awaking at night. Study for exams have been finished a long ago. Rahima stands a long holding the lamp. While standing she feels asleep and then she asks in a low voice, “ oh Mazid Mia?”
Keeping his eyes on the book, Mazid replies, “Call in a right way Mother. Why you call just ‘Mia’?”
Rahima feels embarrassed. (Mazid minds if she calls him Mazid Mia. But she always forgets that.) Rahima says, “Go to bed Mazid”.
“You better sleep, don’t make noise here”.
Rahima says in a low voice, “should I close the window? It’s cold outside.”
Mazid doesn’t reply this time. He starts to overturn the pages. Yet Rahima stands there. She was not willing to sleep then. Who knows, may be sleep will go again. She may feel the pain again. Mazid says in an angry voice, “Go Mother, don’t stand over there.”
Rahima comes in a distant place. She fears Mazid. But he was very little at the time of his birth. Whole day and night he cried. His father used to say, “This boy will not live long. Don’t feel the boy much or you will repent much.”
“What are you saying, being a father how can you say that?” The man is like that, he has no sense of his words.
Rahima comes and goes to bed. She feels tired of sleeping. So she thinks of many things to avoid sleep. She hasn’t mush things to think awaking at night. She thinks of same things every night. She is sitting in a well decorated room alone. There is very noise outside. Her mind isn’t very well. She feels a bit fear and a little tear coming in her eyes. Mean while elder sister in law comes with her husband and says, “Take your husband. Now enjoy you together”. Saying this she locks the door from outside. Rahima wearing a new shari sitting in a corner. She can’t raise her eyes in shame. Can’t think what she should say. At that time what the man has done is beyond thinking. Bleach over the bed. Keeping shame aside, Rahima comes to help him. Thinking these Rahima’s eyes fill with tear. What a shame the man gets at that incident! It’s a long time from today yet it seems as yesterday.
Rahima wake up from bed. She brings out bettle from bettle box nd prepares that. Taking that in her mouth she again goes beside Mazid’s window. He is still waking. She can’t understand anything about Mazid. If a boy of an un-educated family gets scholarships and pass MA then he becomes enigmatic. Once Mazid looks through the window.
“What is this mother? You still walking outside. Why don’t you sleep?”
“Yeah I’m going”.
Rahima feels very helpless. She comes to balcony and sits alone. Half moon in the sky, everything comes to eyes slightly. She feels lonely at night. Her soul cries up. She doesn’t feel that much helpless at day time. She has to do a lot of household works at day times. There is no maid, so her times go on very easily. In a shop, songs are playing in a high sound, sometimes half song. She enjoys that very much
Mazid’s father also liked songs, sometimes he cried out saying “first class”.
. Mazid’s father loved to enjoy life. But that was not in his fate. Some days he went to movie, but return home in a pale face. Either he had no money or someone picked his pockets. In some invitation of a wedding ceremony he went happily but didn’t get anything to eat. Food has been finished before his turn. His son becomes service man but he left the world. Sometimes Rahima said, “Would you like tea?”
Rahima sighs thinking of the ill fated man. He is such an ill fated man that no one was present at the time of his death. Mazid was then nowhere. He has gone somewhere to attend a meeting. All the ritual has been done when Mazid returns back. Foolishly asked, “What happened?”
The man has suffered a lot in his life. He has a very little earning by his mechanic profession. Lands have been sold to bear the cost of Mazids study. Mazid now has chosen a wrong way. In the evening, his friends come. They do their meeting. Tread union, fishing policy blah blah. What are working in his mind who knows? Rahima told his father to forbid him, police may catch her son. His father only said, “Son is a learned man, he is a illiterate person, what can I say?”
Rahima feels cold and went into the room. She had a resistant in the darkness on her way. Metallic something went on somewhere. Mazid says, “Who’s there?” in a sleepy voice. Rahima says, “I’m here”. There was no more voice. Rahima was thinking of sleeping again but at that time Mazid laugh out. What is the matter? Rahima asked, “Oh Mazid Mia”.
“What?”
“Why do you laugh?”
“Nothing, go and sleep. Don’t speak unnecessarily”.
Rahima really can’t understand what Mazid says. Not only he but also his friends are unfamiliar to her. They come just in the evening. They have some peculiarities, sometimes speak in a low voice, posing. Hours go on their meeting. Smokes of cigar cover the room. Teas are ordered several times from side by tea stall. What about they talk? Rahima tries to hear.
“No, election will not happen. Clearly I can see.”
“But what should we do if there is no election.”
“We need to know what Shekh Shaheb is thinking.”
“Shekh Shaheb will compromise. It’s clear.”
“Sadek is doing much wrong. If he is not carefull…”
Rahima can’t understand anything. Yet everyday she tries to hear. Again if Shikha comes, Rahima must hear what they are discussing. Rahima stand just beside the door. Shikha comes hanging a nice bag in her neck. She never does much makeup but she looks very pretty. She pushes the door laughing. Mazid says in a rough voice, “Who’s there?” (Yet Mazid guessed from the sound of her laugh that it is Shikha, he makes this mode.)
“I’m Shikha”
“Is it fire flame?”
“No, I’m a flame of a lamp.”
Saying so the girl outburst in laugh. Mazid comes out opening the door.
His face seems a bit different that time. Rahima doesn’t like that face. Who knows, Mazid may likes Shikha. May be has decided to marry her while his father wished to get him married with the black girl of Sutakhali. (He has also bought a shari for Hasina. Rahima didn’t see her but listened that she is a very nice and calm girl.) Poor man couldn’t arrange the marriage.
Rahima seen many times that Mazid became impatient when Shikha comes. Laugh out for nothing. He himself goes to bring snacks and tea for her. In the middle of the meeting he says, today ends here. Today will discuss something else. Then laughter comes out of the room. How a woman can laugh so loudly she can’t understand. Not only laughter but also songs sometimes. Mazid’s father was not so fool. Though he remained silent he understood all about the world. Rahima can remember of many times when the man had a chance he used to talk in English. But he was ill fated. Rahima again gets up from the bed and put on the lamp. She can’t the darkness any more. After the war the price of the oil has increased and a few can put the lamp on all night. Mazid again cough from that room. Winter is coming. Rahima several times said to shut the windows but he didn’t listen. He feels disgusted in a locked room. His father also had that bad habit. He kept open the window in the middle of the winter. If Shikha hasn’t come in Mazid’s life he would have been married that girl of Shutakhali. And if once he get married he can’t go to the war. He would have disguised himself with his wife in the village and have returned when the war is ended. But that didn’t happened. Shikha has continued to come with her colorful side bag and becoming beautiful day by day. The war got started. People gathered in Mazid’s home. Shikha was not like before. Rahima understood that time was very bad. But what Rahima would do with the situation? She only sees that her fate is bad. If that’s not true how mazid could say to his father to go in village? His father said if you go only then we will go.
“What nonsense! How can I go? I’ve lot of works to do here. You decide when you will go. I’ll make the arrangement”.
Mazzid’s father avoided the matter and smokes. Mazid says in this chance, “If I marry Shikha, do you mind?”
His father didn’t surprise and said, “When will you marry?”
“That will be later. Do you have any problem?”
“No, why should we? If you marry early that is better for us. Don’t worry for money. I have kept money in post office for your marriage.”
But the man could not see his marriage. When Rahima came from the kitchen saw all ended. Everything is His wish. Later on the war started. Mazid vanished from the village keeping his mother there. Lots of news comes to her. Somewhere hundreds of freedom fighters are imprisoned. Somewhere four freedom fighters are burned alive. Rahima only prayed for her son, “I only want the life of my son.”
Rahima can’t sleep at night. She passes her nights without sleeping. At that time she was attacked by the disease. If suddenly she wakes up her heart beat goes very high. She feels very thirsty and feels of dying. The war ends. One day Mazid comes walking with a stick and call his mother, “Mom, I’m alive. Can you see me, I’m alive.”
The disease increased at that time. When Mazid walks on one foot and makes noise Rahima’s heart beat increases. What a pain! She then starts to think like her son, “This loss is nothing in front of the freedom achieved.” Mazid says nothing but Rahima knows that Shikha got married with someone else. That boy must not walk on one foot. “This loss is nothing in front of the freedom achieved” Rahima tries to think like Mazid. But she can’t. Life hasn’t extended its long hand toward her. So she can’t sleep.
At the late night, when the stars are more lightening than the moon, then she comes near Mazid’s window. She asks in a trembling voice, “Mazid Mia! Oh Mazid Mia!” That little voice can’t awake Mazid. May be his higher study could not let him awake.
The End