1. Warm up
activity:
□ What are
myths? Look up the meaning of the word in a dictionary or search Google.
□ Do you think
that there are myths to be found in Bangladeshi culture?
2. Now read the
following poem by Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) in an English translation and
then attempt to answer the questions that follow either by responding to your
classroom teacher in English or by trying to write down answers in your
notebook.
I Have Seen
Bengal's Face1
Because I have
seen Bengal's face I will seek no more; 1
The world has
not anything more beautiful to show me.
Waking up in
darkness, gazing at the fig-tree, I behold
Dawn's swallows
roosting under huge umbrella-like leaves. I look around me
And discover a
leafy dome-Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha trees- 5
All in a hush,
shadowing clumps of cactus and zedoary bushes.
When long, long
ago, Chand came in his honeycombed boat
To a blue Hijal,
Bat and Tamal shade near the Champa, he too sighted
Bengal's
incomparable beauty. One day, alas. In the Ganguri,
On a raft, as
the waning moon sank on the river's sandbanks, 10
Behula too saw
countless aswaths bats besides golden rice fields
And heard the
thrush's soft song. One day, arriving in Amara,
Where gods held
court, when she danced like a desolate wagtail,
Bengal's rivers,
fields, flowers, wailed like strings of bells on her feet. 14
1Translation
of Jibanananda Das's "Banglar Mukh Ami Dekbiyachhi" by Fakrul Alam
3. Write down
what you have guessed about the meaning of each of the following words from the
context in which they have been used:
fig tree;
roosting; dome; hush; honeycombed; waning; desolate; wagtail; wailed.
Now consult a
dictionary or search Google for the words to see if you have guessed the
meanings of the words correctly.
4. Discuss the
following questions with members of your group and carry on the discussion in
English as far as possible:
a. Have you
heard about Chand Saudagar and Behula before? If so, in what context? Where is
Ganguri and Amara?
b. Discuss with
your class friends the Manasamangal medieval epic. Do you know of any modern
Bengali versions of this epic?
c. Look up the
story of Behula and Chand Saudagar from Wikipedia or Banglapedia. Make a
summary in about 200-250 words.
d. How and why
does Jibanananda Das use this mythical story in his poem?
e. The poem has
fourteen lines and is divided into two thematic sections. What are such poems
called in English and in Bangla?
5. Which of the
following statements seem to be false and which true? Tick 'T' or 'F' after each
statement to register your response:
a. The speaker
saw the scene that he describes in his poem from a boat. T/F
b. The scene
that he came across was noisy. T/F
c. Both Behula
and Chand sailed down the river in a boat. T/F
d. The scene
described in the second half of the poem is a very sad one. T/F
e. The poem is
about a Bengal that is no more. T/F
6. Identify the
parts of speech of the following words:
leafy (line 5);
sighted (line 8); incomparable (line 9); besides (line 11); wagtail (line 13);
strings (line 14).
7. Write down
each answer in about 300 words:
a. What
connection can you make among the speaker of the poem, the scene that he sees
before him, and the story of Behula and Chand?
b. Line 9 offers
a new idea and divides the poem into two. What, do you think, are the
connections between the two sections?
c. Why does the
poet use the medieval Bengali legend in his poem?
8. What other
Bengali myths do you know about? Have you seen them represented in popular
culture?
9. Follow up
activity: Group Presentation
The Bangla poem
first appeared in Jibanananda Das's collection of poems called Ruposhi Bangla,
or in English, "Beautiful Bengal." As a group, find out more
information about the poet, the book of poems, and its publication history and
make group presentations on these topics in the next class in English.
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