AMINUR RAHMAN was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1966 and graduated with an M-PHARM[acy] degree. At present he is considered to be one of the most well known poets in abroad from Bangladesh. He has published six collections of poems in Bangla. His work has been translated in more than twenty five languages and has poetry books in English (4), Spanish (3), German, Japanese, Mongolian (chapbook), Arabic, Chinese, Bahasa Malay and Russian. He is a renowned writer and art critic and has three prose books in his credit. As an accomplished translator he has translated twelve books of poetry and edited few poetry magazines and books including SAARC Anthology of poems and short stories. As an invited author, Aminur Rahman has read his work world-wide at various international arts & literary festivals, universities and cultural venues. He has represented Bangladesh in the Poetry Festival in Colombia, Malaysia, Mongolia, India, Iraq, Japan, Sri Lanka, Spain, Nicaragua etc. He was Awarded Chinggish Khaan Gold Medal (2006), Heaven Horse Award (2015) in Mongolia, Numera World Award of Letters (2016) in Malaysia, Contribution Award for International Poetry (2016) in Taiwan, Poet Dinesh Das Award (2019) in India, Menada Award (2019) in Macedonia.
The Dimensions of a Poem
Aminur Rahman
As I search in the dark
I have finally caught hold of my poem.
I am not ashamed to say that
I have been looking for a month at least
before it came into my grasp.
This poem in my hand
Has the dimensions of my
loosely wrapped fingers and
I can feel within it’s cool touch.
I have always seen a poem dancing with the wind,
spreading fragrance all around.
Sometimes melting as moonlight on the body of the leaves
But I have never been able to grasp them in my fingers.
A poem has been around me like the tinkling sound of anklets.
I have searched so but could never find it.
In the middle of the night having suddenly woken up
Hearing cries I went anxiously looking for my poem.
All I found was a salty water drenched pillow
but not a single trace of any poem.
As I hear to the resonance of the music
I am looking for it in the music of this song
I have searched all around alas! could never find one.
Now finally after many days
I have got a poem in my grasp.
And I wonder how long I can hold
This poem in my closed palms?
As I opened my palms to gaze at them
But where? Where is the poem?
All I found is the fossil of love
in the hungry shape of my hand.
Translated by Dr Paramita Mukherjee Mullick
