Syair Rabindranath Tagore
Madhu si juru perahu, perahunya
ditambatkan di dermaga Rajgunj.
Perahunya dimuati rami, sia-sia
sebab perahunya sudah lama ada
tertambat di sana, tak kemana.
Kalau saja, dia pinjamkan perahunya,
akan kupasangi dengan seratus dayung,
kubentang layar, lima atau tujuh tiang.
Aku tak kan pernah mengemudikannya
untuk singgahi pasar-pasar bodoh saja.
Aku harus melayari tujuh samudera,
dan tiga belas sungai di negeri mimpi.
Tapi, ibu, jangan tangisi aku di sudut itu.
Aku tidak pergi ke hutan seperti Ramachandra,
untuk balik setelah hanya empat belas tahun.
Kelak aku akan jadi pangeran dalam dongeng,
dan mengisi perahuku apa saja yang kumau.
Akan kuajak Ashu, sahabatku. Lalu kami
berlayar bersuka cita, mengarungi tujuh samudera
dan tiga belas sungai di negeri mimpi.
Lalu kami memasang layar di pagi dini hari.
Bila naik pasang malam, engkau mandi di kolam,
kami saat itu ada di negeri asing, raja yang asing.
Kami mengarungi samudera Tirpuni, dan
di belakang kami, padang pasir Tepantar.
Bila kami kembali, hari mulai gelap, maka
kukisahkan padamu, apa yang kami temu.
Aku telah menyeberangi tujuh samudera, dan
tiga belas arus sungai di negeri mimpi.
* Syair ke-20 dalam rangkaan 40 syair The Crescent Moon.
THE SAILOR
The boat of the boatman Madhu is moored at the wharf of Rajgunj.
It is uselessly laden with jute, and has been lying there idle
for ever so long.
If he would only lend me his boat, I should man her with a
hundred oars, and hoist sails, five or six or seven.
I should never steer her to stupid markets. I should sail the
seven seas and the thirteen rivers of fairyland.
But, mother, you won't weep for me in a corner.
I am not going into the forest like Ramachandra to come back only
after fourteen years.
I shall become the prince of the story, and fill my boat with
whatever I like.
I shall take my friend Ashu with me. We shall sail merrily
across the seven seas and the thirteen rivers of fairyland.
We shall set sail in the early morning light.
When at noontide you are bathing at the pond, we shall be in the
land of a strange king.
We shall pass the ford of Tirpurni, and leave behind us the
desert of Tepântar.
When we come back it will be getting dark, and I shall tell you
of all that we have seen.
I shall cross the seven seas and the thirteen rivers of
fairyland.
