British Bilingual Poetry Collective (BBPC) is thrilled to announce the publication of Home and Belonging, a new poetry collection edited by Eeshita Azad and Mike Raggett. This anthology features the work of 12 poets from diverse linguistic backgrounds, reflecting the rich tapestry of multilingual expression.
You can read a sneak preview and learn more about the launch below:
Poem by Milton Rahman
Original language: Bengali:
ইট ইজ হার্ড টু সে গুডবাই
রাম বাবুর বিশুদ্ধ নিমতলা থেকে রাজ্যের শুরু
সবুজ ধানি মাটি দুধেল ঘাসের সুগন্ধ ছাপিয়ে
ভোর হলে পাহাড় টপকে নেমে আসতো বাতিওয়ালা
চিরল পাতা থেকে টুপ করে নেমে যেতো কুয়াশার ঘর
মোলায়েম নিশ্বাসেরা বাতাসের সৌরভে ঢেলে দিতো বেলী মাধবীর কোরাস
এ রাজ্যে ভালোবাসা ছাড়া বিপরীত কোন শব্দ ছিলনা।
কি করে ফিরে যাবো, চোখে উপসাগরের রক্তজোয়ার আর মৃত্যুর মচ্ছব
আমরা হেসে উঠি, অভ্যস্ত হয়ে গেছি উদ্যানের কচি বৃক্ষ হত্যায়
আর আমাকে নেবে না ঐ বিশুদ্ধ রাজ্য
কিন্তু আমি বলতেও পারি না যাই, ইট ইজ হার্ড টু সে গুডবাই
মাইকেল ওর্তেগা এখন আমি কী করি?
It is hard to say goodbye
Inspired by the piano solo ‘It’s Hard to Say Goodbye’ by Michael Ortega
From the shadow of the neem tree spreads out the kingdom of Ram Babu
the fragrance of the milky rice crop wafts over the fields
At dawn the sun leaps over the hill.
The mist-wrapped house sends drops from the gossamer leaf
that melts into the grass.
The gentle breath of every soul sings a chorus among the beli-madhobi flowers.
In this kingdom there are no other words but love.
How can I go back there when I see the tsunami of blood and death?
Now we give a hollow laugh, accustomed to culling innocently growing plants.
Who will bring me to that lovely kingdom that is no more?
But I can’t say goodbye – it’s so hard to say goodbye.
What do I do now Michael Ortega?
© Milton Rahman, BBPC
Over the course of 2022 and 2023, BBPC organized twelve translation workshops, where poets, translators, writers, and people with no previous creative experience worked together to craft the English versions of the poems. In these sessions, each original poem was discussed and translated with input from the wider group, culminating in a thoughtful and authentic representation of the poet’s voice. These workshops were supported by Tower Hamlets Council’s Covid Recovery Loneliness Fund and hosted by BBPC’s Translation Circle.
One of the poets, Opu Islam, described his experience: “After Covid, this project was a great relief for us mentally and physically. We had the opportunity to meet poets and translators from different countries and languages and share our own thoughts about how culturally and demographically different we are but our poems are not. We easily appreciated the language, thoughts and feelings of each other’s poems.”
Home and Belonging is proudly published by Palewell Press, an independent publisher handling poetry, fiction and non-fiction books that foster justice, equality and sustainability We invite you to join us for the official launch event on October 13th, 4 PM at the Kobi Nazrul Centre, 30 Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR. The event will bring together a vibrant gathering of poets, translators, writers, and journalists. BBPC extends a warm welcome to all literary enthusiasts to celebrate this cross-cultural exchange of poetry.