Poetry
The Rebel
বিদ্রোহী
Kazi Nazrul Islam · 1922
Synopsis
An “I” rises up and names itself, its head held so high that the summit of the Himalayas bows before it. It calls itself cyclone and whirlwind, dancer of destruction, and takes on in turn the figures of the gods and heroes of the Hindu and Muslim traditions, mingled with images of nature and love. It declares itself the enemy of all oppression and promises to rest only when the sky no longer carries the cry of the oppressed.
Context
The poem was written in Calcutta, in the last days of December 1921, in pencil so as not to interrupt himself, in the room he shared with Muzaffar Ahmed, who received it without the expected enthusiasm. It appeared on 6 January 1922 in the weekly Bijli, a date that others place on the 5th, then in The Moslem Bharat, Prabasi and other magazines, before opening in October 1922 his first collection, twelve pieces under a cover by Abanindranath Tagore. The poem was immediately parodied in the magazine Shanibarer Chithi.
Who it is for
One hundred and thirty-nine hammering lines, made to be spoken aloud, whose internal rhymes resist translation. No published French translation.
Prizes and reception
The poem earned its author the nickname of the rebel poet and is among the most recited in the Bengali language.
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