The Rebel (Bidrohi)

 

By Kazi Nazrul Islam

Say, Hero— Say: High is my Head! Looking at my head, the peak of the Himalayas bows down in submission! Say, Hero— Say: Ripping through the great sky of the universe, Surpassing the moon, the sun, the planets, and the stars, Piercing through the earth and the heavens, Pushing through the seat of the Almighty’s throne— Have I risen, I, the eternal wonder of the Creator of worlds! The angered God shines on my forehead like a royal victory mark. Say, Hero— My head remains ever high!

I am the eternal, the uncontrollable, the cruel, I am the dancer of destruction, the cyclone, the devastation! I am the supreme terror, the curse of the earth. I am irresistible, I grind all to dust! I am distinct; I obey no law. I sink the fully laden boats, I am the torpedo, I am the floating mine! I am the Dhurjati (Shiva) of the sudden storm, the untamed summer tempest! I am the Rebel, the chaotic son of the Mother Earth!

I am the creation, I am the destruction, I am the habitation, I am the cremation ground, I am the end, the termination of the night! I am the son of Indrani, with the moon in my hands, and the sun on my brow, I hold the flute of the bamboo in one hand, and the war trumpet in the other!

I am the Bedouin, I am the Chengis, I salute none but myself! I am the thunder, the sound of the great Omrainhorn of Ishan, I am the mighty call of Israfil’s trumpet. I am the Pinak-Pani (Shiva), the holder of the Trident, I am the staff of the Truth-King, I am the Chakra of the Great Void.

I am the unmanageable, I am the impulsive, I am the great excitement, I am the fire of the volcanic pit, I am the wild fire of the forest! I am the feverish breath of the Centaur, I am the noise of the ocean’s upheaval!

(Yet) I am the tender heart of the pining lover, I am the trembling adoration of the secret kiss, I am the nervous glance of the veiled maiden. I am the pain of the light-hearted, the sorrow of the indifferent. I am the throbbing in the heart of the secluded widow.

I am the sacrificial fire of the ascetic, the protector of the innocent. I am the frantic speed of the lightning, I am the sound of the heavy steps of the terrifying chaos! I am the ecstasy of the creation’s first dawn.

I am the Rebel Bhrigu, I stamp my footprint on the chest of God! I will kill the creator and cleave the chest of the whimsical Spirit— I, the Rebel Bhrigu, will stamp my foot upon the chest of Vishnu! I will rip apart the chest of the whimsical Vidhata!

I am the Great Rebel, tired of war. I shall only rest and become quiet on that day— When the cry of the oppressed shall no longer ring in the sky and air, When the sword of the tyrant shall no longer rattle in the fierce battlefield— Only on that day shall I, the Rebel, tired of war, be at peace.

I am the Rebel Bhrigu, I am the eternal rebel, Rising beyond the universe, alone, with my head held high!