Quamruzzaman Swapan

Por: Quamruzzaman Swapan

PROMETEO
Latinoamerican Poetry Magazine
No 81-82. July 2008.

LET THERE BE RAIN TODAY

Let there rain-today.
Let it be raining incessantly.
Let all branches of the tree
of life be taken away
by the storm
What´s the colour of life?
Is that red or green?
Whatever it may be, let it be washed away.
Let´s wet in rain
and your lips be soaked
                    along

Let it be raining today over every sound
whether it´ss raining on tin-shade, on foot-path
or on the verandah of a cinema hall-
So that none can listen to us
And none can understand us
That´s the art of our wetting in the rain.

Come here, let us sit face to face.
What makes you fear? We shall dare it
                     like lightening.

Let there be rain today
Be it raining incessantly.
Let my desired lips
           set on your lips.

QUAMRUZZAMAN SWAPAN was born in Bangladesh. He has published, among others, the poem books “Jharnar Kase Ak DIN” (1990), “Amar Protibimber Protk” (1994), “Mayabi Ovishar” (1998), “Nirbachita Kabita” (2007) and “Selected Poems”. In the words of Mizanur Rahman, "... Quamruzzaman Swapan is a fervent exponent of both romanticism and realism. He’s been writing poetry since 1980, and has published three books that have been widely welcomed by both public and critics. Though his poetry he has attacked the modernism of Dhaka and the evils of modern society. It is regrettable that the poems written by modern Bangladeshi are mostly incomprehensible. The common reader cannot understand the meaning of some poems that are, apparently, always inscrutable. Most of those poets don’t even know what their writings mean. Maybe they’re expecting the critics to clarify their obscurity. Long foreign words are now introduced in Bangladeshi as symbols or metaphors that mean nothing. I have great confidence in Qumruzzaman because he limits himself to be concrete. In name of expressionism, surrealism sensualism, one does not have to use incomprehensible words in poetry in order to generate pedantic applause instead of making the poem be understood because of it’s well used rimes and reasons. Even analysts get confused in the complex background of modern poetry. But Quamruzzaman poems have the necessary qualities to convince the readers that their task is not going to be vain. He is the promising young poet of Bangladesh that will be able to reflect with a clear perspective the images of our time and our land in the different ways and tones of his poetry."