The field of the embroidered quilt

– by Jasimuddin

Spreading the embroidered quilt,

She works the livelong night,

As if her poet were

On his bereaved plight.

Many a joy and many a sorrow

Is written on her breast;

The story of Rupai’s life is there,

Line by line expressed.

“How will he bear the pain, mother?

On this quilt lies all of mine –

All my pain and my grief.

Embroidered line by line.

So lay it on my grave, mother.

This picture of my grief,

That his and mine upon its breast

May mingling find relief.

Word‑Meaning

• Field — মাঠ
• Embroidered — সূচিকর্ম করা / নকশা করা
• Quilt — কাঁথা
• Embroidered quilt — নকশিকাঁথা
• Spreading — বিছানো / ছড়িয়ে দেওয়া
• Works — কাজ করে
• Livelong — সারাটা / পুরোটা
• Night — রাত
• As if — যেন
• Poet — কবি
• Were — ছিল
• Bereaved — শোকগ্রস্ত / বিচ্ছিন্ন
• Plight — দুরবস্থা / দুঃখের অবস্থা
• Many — অনেক
• Joy — আনন্দ
• Sorrow — দুঃখ
• Written — লেখা আছে
• Breast — বক্ষ / বুক
• Story — গল্প
• Life — জীবন
• There — সেখানে
• Line by line — রেখায় রেখায় / একেকটি লাইনে
• Expressed — প্রকাশিত
• Bear — সহ্য করা
• Pain — ব্যথা / কষ্ট
• Mother — মা
• Lies — রয়েছে / থাকে
• Mine — আমার
• Grief — শোক / দুঃখ
• Embroidered — সূচিকর্ম করা
• Grave — কবর
• Picture — ছবি
• Mingling — মিশে যাওয়া / মিলিত হওয়া
• Find — খুঁজে পাওয়া
• Relief — প্রশান্তি / স্বস্তি

বঙ্গানুবাদ

নকশিকাঁথার মাঠ

– জসীমউদ্‌দীন

নকশিকাঁথা বিছিয়ে,

সে (সাজু) সারারাত এতে নির্জনে কাজ করে,

যেন তার কবি (রুপাই) রয়েছে

বিচ্ছিন্ন দুর্দশায়।

অজস্র সুখ-দুঃখের কথা

তার (সাজুর) বুক জুড়ে রয়েছে;

রুপাই-এর জীবনের গল্প রয়েছে সেখানে-

কাঁথার রেখায় রেখায় রুপাই-এর গল্প গাঁথা রয়েছে।

“মা, সে কীভাবে এ দুঃখ সহ্য করবে?”

এ কাঁথায় রয়েছে আমার সকল-

আমার সকল দুঃখ কষ্ট,

রেখায় রেখায় রয়েছে গাঁথা।

মা, আমি মারা গেলে এটি আমার কবরের ওপরে বিছিয়ে দিও

আমার দুঃখের এই ছবি (দুঃখ গাঁথা কাঁথা),

তার ও আমার গল্প এতে রয়েছে

যা এখানে মিশে পাবে প্রশান্তি।

Line‑by‑Line Explanation

1. Spreading the embroidered quilt,

সাজু তার নকশিকাঁথাটি বিছিয়ে দেয়।
She begins her work by laying out the quilt on which she will stitch.

2. She works the livelong night,

সে সারারাত ধরে কাজ করে।
She keeps sewing throughout the entire night without rest.

3. As if her poet were

যেন তার কবি ছিল—
It feels as though the person she loves (Rupai) were right there.

4. On his bereaved plight.

তার শোকগ্রস্ত বা দুঃখের অবস্থায়।
She imagines him suffering, lonely and sad, and this motivates her work.

5. Many a joy and many a sorrow

অনেক সুখ ও অনেক দুঃখ—
Her quilt holds a mixture of happy and sad memories.

6. Is written on her breast;

যা তার বুকেই লেখা রয়েছে।
All her emotions are stored deep within her heart and expressed through her needlework.

7. The story of Rupai’s life is there,

রুপাই-এর জীবনের গল্প তাতেই রয়েছে।
The quilt tells Rupai’s entire life story.

8. Line by line expressed.

রেখায় রেখায় প্রকাশিত হয়েছে।
Each stitch is like a line of writing that expresses their memories.

9. “How will he bear the pain, mother?”

“মা, সে কীভাবে এই দুঃখ সহ্য করবে?”
She wonders how Rupai will endure the emotional pain when he sees this quilt.

10. On this quilt lies all of mine—

এই কাঁথাতে রয়েছে আমার সব কিছু—
Everything she feels, her whole life and emotions, are sewn onto the quilt.

11. All my pain and my grief,

আমার সমস্ত দুঃখ এবং কষ্টও—
The quilt contains all her sadness and sorrow.

12. Embroidered line by line.

রেখায় রেখায় সূচিকর্ম করা।
Every line of embroidery represents a piece of her suffering.

13. So lay it on my grave, mother.

“মা, এটি আমার কবরে বিছিয়ে দিও।”
She asks her mother to place this quilt on her grave when she dies.

14. This picture of my grief,

আমার দুঃখের এই ছবি—
The quilt is like a picture of her sorrow.

15. That his and mine upon its breast

যাতে তার ও আমার দুঃখ এতে রয়েছে—
Both her grief and Rupai’s grief are stitched together on the quilt.

16. May mingling find relief.

যাতে মিলিত হয়ে তারা প্রশান্তি পায়।
She believes their shared sorrows, joined in the quilt, may bring peace.

Summary of the Poem

“The Field of the Embroidered Quilt” is a touching and emotional poem that describes the deep love and sorrow of a village girl named Saju. She spends her nights sewing an embroidered quilt (nakshi kantha). This quilt is not just a piece of cloth—every stitch holds the story of her life, her joys, and her sorrows.

Saju stitches the quilt with great care and emotion because it reminds her of Rupai, the person she loves. She imagines his sadness and suffering as she works, and her own feelings become part of the quilt. Through the lines of embroidery, she expresses her memories, pain, and love.

Saju believes that Rupai will feel her sorrow when he sees the quilt. She says that the quilt carries all her grief “line by line.” Because the quilt holds both her story and Rupai’s story, she asks her mother to lay it on her grave after she dies. She hopes that when their sorrows mingle on the quilt, it will bring peace and relief to their hearts.

In short:

This poem shows how a simple quilt becomes a symbol of love, memory, sorrow, and emotional connection between two people. It reflects the beauty of rural life and the depth of human feelings.

Themes of the Poem

1. Love and Devotion

The strongest theme of the poem is deep love.
Saju lovingly stitches the quilt while thinking about Rupai. Each stitch shows her affection, memories, and emotional bond with him. Her devotion continues even in sorrow.

2. Sorrow and Suffering

The poem reflects a painful emotional journey.
Saju’s embroidered quilt contains her tears, grief, and loneliness.
She wonders how Rupai will bear the pain when he sees the quilt, showing that sorrow is deeply rooted in their lives.

3. Memory and Remembrance

The quilt is like a diary made of stitches.
Every line of embroidery expresses memories—both happy and sad.
It preserves the story of their lives, especially Rupai’s, making the quilt a symbol of remembrance.

4. Rural Life and Tradition

The poem beautifully represents Bengali rural culture, especially the traditional Nakshi Kantha (embroidered quilt).
It shows how rural women express emotions, stories, and creativity through handmade crafts.

5. Unity of Souls

Saju believes that her sorrow and Rupai’s sorrow will mix together on the quilt and find peace.
This expresses the idea that true love joins two souls emotionally—even after death.

6. Death and Peace

Saju asks her mother to place the quilt on her grave, hoping that:

• Her suffering
• Rupai’s suffering
  …will come together and bring relief.
  This theme shows the desire for peace after a life filled with emotional pain.

7. Expression Through Art

The quilt becomes a form of expression.
Instead of using words, Saju uses needlework to express her feelings.
It shows how art can communicate emotions better than speech.

 Summary of Themes in One Line

The poem explores love, sorrow, memory, rural tradition, emotional expression, and the hope for peace after suffering.

MAIN QUESTIONS

(a) What does the woman do all night with the embroidered quilt?

She spreads the embroidered quilt and works on it throughout the whole night.

(b) What emotions are shown in the lines of the quilt?

The quilt shows her joys and sorrows stitched line by line.

(c) What message do you learn from this poem about love and sorrow?

True love carries deep emotions, and shared sorrow can bring peace.

(d) Who is Rupai, and why is his life stitched into the quilt?

Rupai is the man Saju loves. His life is stitched into the quilt because Saju expresses her memories and feelings for him through embroidery.

(e) What does the embroidered quilt symbolize in the poem?

The quilt symbolizes love, memory, sorrow, and emotional expression.

(f) Why does the speaker want the quilt to be placed on her grave?

She wants the quilt on her grave so that her sorrow and Rupai’s sorrow may mix and find peace.

(g) How do the words “all my pain and my grief” help us understand the speaker’s emotions?

These words show that the quilt contains all her suffering and sadness.

(h) How do you think the speaker feels while making the quilt?

She feels emotional, sorrowful, but deeply loving and devoted.

PART–2: QUESTIONS FOR MORE PRACTICE

(i) If you had to express your feelings in an embroidered quilt, what would you include?

(Any personal answer — e.g.) I would include moments of happiness, sadness, family love, and my dreams.

(j) Why do you think the speaker shares her feelings through embroidery instead of words?

Because she can express her deepest emotions better through art than speech.

(k) How can art, like embroidery, help people express their emotions?

Art expresses hidden feelings beautifully without using words.

(l) Why does the speaker want the quilt placed on her grave?

She wants her sorrow and Rupai’s sorrow to unite and find peace after death.

(m) Why is the quilt compared to a poet’s bereaved plight?

The quilt expresses deep sadness just like a poet expresses sorrow through poetry.

(n) What emotions are written on the woman’s breast?

Her joys, sorrows, memories, and love.

(o) Who is Rupai, and how is his life expressed on the quilt?

Rupai is Saju’s beloved, and his life is expressed through the stitched memories on the quilt.

(p) What do you understand by ‘embroidered quilt’?

A quilt decorated with needlework designs, usually expressing stories or emotions.

(q) How does Saju spend the night?

She spends the whole night sewing the embroidered quilt.

(r) What is written on her breast?

Her joys and sorrows.

(s) Who is Rupai?

Rupai is the person Saju loves.

(t) How is the story of Rupai’s life expressed in the quilt?

It is expressed line by line through embroidery.

(u) What does she ask her mother?

She asks her mother to place the quilt on her grave.

(v) What lies in the quilt?

All her pain, grief, love, and memories.

(w) Why does Saju tell her mother to lay the quilt on her grave?

So that her sorrow and Rupai’s sorrow might mix and find relief.

(x) Who is in bereaved plight?

Rupai is in bereaved plight.

(y) Why does Saju work whole night?

Because she wants to complete the quilt filled with emotions for Rupai.

(z) What does the phrase “many a joy and many a sorrow” refer to?

It refers to the happy and sad memories stitched in the quilt.

(z1) How does the embroidered quilt contain the picture of her grief?

Each stitch expresses a part of her sadness.

(z2) What picture of love between Rupai and Saju do you find in the poem?

A deep, emotional, and painful love where their sorrows are shared through the quilt.

(z3) What does Saju do all through the night?

She embroiders the quilt.

(z4) How will you evaluate Saju as the lover of Rupai?

She is loyal, devoted, emotional, and deeply loving.

(z5) How does Saju spend her days without her beloved Rupai?

She spends her days in sorrow, expressing her feelings through embroidery.

(z6) What regret does Saju have about her beloved Rupai?

She fears that Rupai will not be able to bear the pain of seeing her grief.

(z7) Why does Saju love Rupai?

Because he is deeply connected to her emotions and memories.

(z8) Why does Saju ask her mother to lay the quilt on her grave?

So that her sorrow and Rupai’s sorrow may mix on the quilt.

(z9) What picture of Rupai as a lover do you get in the poem?

Rupai is gentle, sensitive, and emotionally connected to Saju.

(z10) What does Saju ask to her mother? And why?

She asks her mother to place the quilt on her grave so their sorrows can unite.

(z11) What picture of love and devotion between Saju and Rupai is found in the poem?

A love filled with sadness, emotion, memory, and sacrifice.

(z12) What regret does Saju express to her mother about Rupai? What does this regret show?

She regrets that Rupai will suffer seeing her sorrow.
This shows her deep love and concern for him.