Longing for the Motherland

21

Longing for the Motherland

I seek not a place in the heavens, O Lord,
but hold within my heart the pull of the earth and homeland.
I witness the hardships, the famines of the land,
I see the fasting and the starving,
let not life be a tale of indulgence.
Hold within my heart the pull of the earth and homeland.

All the pomp and display, the talk of grandeur—
who stands among the destitute? Who truly cares?
See that village burning—what sorrow!
Because it seems small, it is dismissed,
yet the heartless feel no pain, who are not compassionate.
Hold within my heart the pull of the earth and homeland.

5 Bhadra, 1424 — D.C. Road, Chattogram