The Divine Solitudeis the English transcreation of “Aparthiba Nirjanata” by Dr. Harishchandra Behera, a celebrated voice in Odia poetry whose work moves effortlessly between myth and lived reality, devotion and dissent, intimacy and vastness. Translating these poems has been less an act of linguistic transfer and more a journey of listening-listening to silences, pauses, symbols, and the emotional undertow that carries the poem beyond words.

The poems gathered here inhabit a space where the earthly and the divine overlap: rivers remember motherhood, boats become lives, feet turn into lotuses, and solitude itself acquires a sacred resonance. Mythological figures-Rama, Ahalya, Vishwamitra, the ferryman, the flute of the Kadamba grove-are not distant icons but breathing presences, entering daily life, desire, doubt, and ethical questioning. This poetry does not merely retell myth; it interrogates it, softens it, humanizes it.

The kaleidoscopic earth and sky saturated with colours, sounds and perfume, are packed into his capsule-like poems ever glittering, humming, exuding sweet fragrance. However, one can’t help noticing an elegiac tune thrumming at the heart of the poems, of some intimacy found and lost, some moments of togetherness gone with the wind, a longing for renewal of life in love beyond time and space. Many of the poems testify to an aching heart seeking the healing balm from the benign Nature. That is why, perhaps, the poet sings with birds, yet grieves at a falling one; smiles with budding blooms; grieves at the wilting ones; rejoices at a quiet dawn propping a young sun. He too longs to offer his life to the fire of love, to lose the self to win liberation. All these speak volumes for the mind and heart that shaped the poems. Some are earthy, some skyiee, heavenly and some are exquisite fusion of both.

ଓଡ଼ିଆ ହେଉଛି ପ୍ରଥମ ଭାରତୀୟ ଭାଷା ଯେଉଁଥିରେ ପ୍ରଥମେ ଏହା ଅନୁବାଦ କରାଯାଇଥିଲା। ଇଣ୍ଟରନେଟ୍]ରୁ ଦେଖିକରି ଏହା ସ୍ପଷ୍ଟ ହୁଏ ଯେ ୧୯୫୬ ମସିହାରେ, ପ୍ରଶଂସିତ କବି ଓ ଔପନ୍ୟାସିକ ଜ୍ଞାନୀନ୍ଦ୍ର ବର୍ମା ଟି.ଏସ୍].ଏଲିୟଟଙ୍କର ମହାନ ରଚନା ‘ଦି ୱେଷ୍ଟ ଲ୍ୟାଣ୍ଡ’ ସହିତ ଅନ୍ୟ କିଛି କବିତାର ଅନୁବାଦ ସଂଲଗ୍ନ କରି ‘ପୋଡ଼ା ଭୂଇଁ ଓ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ କବିତା’ ଶୀର୍ଷକରେ ଅନୁବାଦ କରିଥିଲେ, ଯାହା ପ୍ରଫୁଲ୍ଲଚନ୍ଦ୍ର ଦାସଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ପ୍ରକାଶିତ ହୋଇଥିଲା। ଦାସ ଅନୁବାଦ ସମ୍ପର୍କରେ ଏଲିୟଟଙ୍କ ସହିତ ପତ୍ରାଳାପ କରିଥିଲେ ଏବଂ ତାଙ୍କ ସମ୍ମତିରେ ସିଏ ଜ୍ଞାନୀନ୍ଦ୍ର ବର୍ମାଙ୍କୁ ଏଲିୟଟଙ୍କର ପ୍ରମୁଖ କବିତାଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ଅନୁବାଦ କରିବାକୁ ପ୍ରେରଣା ଦେଇଥିଲେ। ସମସ୍ତ ସମ୍ଭାବନାରେ, ସିଏ ଅନ୍ୟ ଭାରତୀୟ ଭାଷାରେ ଏହାର ଅନୁବାଦ ପାଇଁ କପିରାଇଟ୍ ଅନୁମତି ମଧ୍ୟ ପାଇଥିଲେ। କିନ୍ତୁ ଏହି ପୁସ୍ତକଟି ଏବେ ଉପଲବ୍ଧ ନ ଥିବାରୁ କେତୋଟି କବିତା ଆଉ କେଉଁ କେଉଁ କବିତା ଜ୍ଞାନୀନ୍ଦ୍ର ବର୍ମାଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ଅନୂଦିତ ହୋଇ ପ୍ରକାଶ ପାଇଥିଲା, ତାହା ଜଣା ପଡ଼େନି।

୧୯୫୬ ମସିହାରେ ଏହା ଜ୍ଞାନୀନ୍ଦ୍ର ବର୍ମାଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ଅନୂଦିତ ହୋଇଥିଲା, ତେବେ ଏହା ପ୍ରକାଶ ପାଇଥିଲା ୧୯୫୭ ମସିହାରେ, ଅର୍ଥାତ୍ ଏହାକୁ ନୋବେଲ୍ ପୁରସ୍କାର ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ ହେବାର ୯ବର୍ଷ ପରେ। ପୁଣି ୨୦୧୯ ମସିହାରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ଦ୍ୱିତୀୟ ଅନୁବାଦ ପ୍ରକାଶ ପାଇଲା ‘ତ୍ୟକ୍ତ ଉପତ୍ୟକା ଏବଂ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ କବିତା’ ନାମରେ ଦତ୍ତାତ୍ରୟ ଦାଶଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ଅନୂଦିତ ହୋଇ। ଏଥିରେ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ କବିତା ବିଭାଗରେ ମାତ୍ର ୨ଟି କବିତା ରହିଛି।

ମୋ ଦ୍ୱାରା ଓଡ଼ିଆରେ ଅନୁବାଦ କରାଯାଇଥିବା ଏହି ବହିଟିର ନାମ ‘ଦି ୱେଷ୍ଟ ଲ୍ୟାଣ୍ଡ’ର ୫ଟି କବିତାର ଅନୁବାଦ ସହିତ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ କବିତା ବିଭାଗରେ ୩୨ଟି ଅନୂଦିତ କବିତା ସ୍ଥାନ ପାଇଛି।

ମୋର ଏହି ଅନୁବାଦଟି ଯଦି ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ସୁଧୀ ପାଠକପାଠିକାମାନଙ୍କର ପସନ୍ଦ ହେବ, ତେବେ ମୋର ଶ୍ରମ ସାର୍ଥକ ହୋଇଛି ବୋଲି ମନେ କରିବି। –ଅନୁବାଦ

Contemporary Odia Poetry, unlike Poetry in other languages of India, exhibits a character that renders it untranslatable into a host language of non-sanskritic origin. The multiple openings, the verbal imageries, the inflections and the oralities subsumed by written words, often make it a translator’s nightmare. In that sense Bijay Mahapatra is a difficult Poet to translate into English. I am delighted to see that Prof. Kamala prasad Mahapatra in rendering BM’s Poetry into English succeeds in tiding over most of the obstacles posed by the typical knots and chains in which the Poet spins his metaphor laden content, often leaving his intent shrouded, opaque or playfully half done. As a translator of repute and a Professor of English, KP knows only too well that the route to meaning in highly metaphorized poetry is bedeviled by allusions, and extrapolations not quite amenable to the discipline of the English Language. He gets over the glitz by overflying the intended, the implied and What the River Says 5 the conjectured by sticking to the literal. That in fact is the route to reach the sensory subtext of fascinatingly illusory Poetry. Our thanks are due to both, the Poet and the Translator for setting this stage for us to show how the contemporary Odia poetry functions as a site for translation.

— Haraprasad Das, Eminent Poet