Robinson Crusoe was a girl?

An English Translation of Premandra Mitra’s

“রবিনসন ক্রুশো মেয়ে ছিলেন”

Translated by
Fahim Faysal Nibirh
Roll No. 1610903178
Session: 2015-2016
Department of English

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of

course 407, Translation Studies

Submitted to

Md. Wasiuzzaman
Assistant professor
Department of English
Rajshahi University
 Robinson Crusoe was a girl?

“Robinson Crusoe! Do you know who he really was? A girl.” staring at everyone with
slightly sympathetic smile on his face Mr.Ghansham said, “ but how can even you know that?

Because of the injured pride Mr. Shivpod tried to say something but had to stop as
restrain was reflecting on other’s eyes.

After swallowing Mr.Ghansham’s statement in silence everyone gazed at him with

eager eyes.

Nobody really protestsMr. Ghansham’s statements nowadays.

In order to know the reason the introduction of Mr.Ghansham and this gathering must
be given.

In the south of Kolkata there is an artificial pond which is sarcastically called as lake
by us. Every evening those having no aim in life or grown tired of chasing the goal both types
of male and female citizens of all the ages come by the bank of this pond, seat or walk in
groups or alone, in pursuit of health, wealth, lust, spirituality this newly formed quadrate
according to their test.

Near the south bank of this pond circling not a too big tree, there are some round
shaped benches placed for the weary or weak travellers or the nature gazers.

If noticed carefully, five souls can be seen sitting together, on one of these benches.
One of them has catkin like white hair, one has a marble like smooth head, other one has an
inflated belly as a pitcher, one is huge as an elephant because of his bulk of fat and other one
is just like a camel thin and imbalanced.

Every evening at least four among these five unites on these resting chairs and discuss
health to imperialism and market price to Vedanta philosophy till the sky dims the light, the
lamps by the side of the pond ignite and the voice of the street peddlers grow rate.

Mr.Ghansham can be regarded as the life force of this gathering although he is also
the grim reaper. The exact date of his coronation is not known but after his appearance the
mood and tone of this group has been completely changed. Mr. Ramsharan, with his potter
like belly, do not get the chance to tell about gluttony uninterruptedly and in detail,
interruption of Mr.Ghansham always destroys all the fun.

Maybe Mr.Ramsharan has just started talking about Gajorer Halva, changing the
context Mr. Ghansham starts the story of how during the reign of Queen Elizabeth from
Holland to England carrots came into use.

Someday when Mr.Ramsharan has just started a healthy discussion on English

brinjal's jelly, Mr.Ghansham with a contemptuous smile upon his thin and skinny face says, “
yes, you can call it brinjal but it is not English.”

Then by telling the detailed story of a Greek physician named Galen, who in 200A.D
imported tomato from the Middle East and wrote in details about it also after about 1200
years later, how this Zitomat named, Aztec vegetable from Peru, South America became
popular in Englad, Europe and how long it hadn’t been eaten as thought to be poisonous,
Mr.Ghansham turns the topic of gluttony in to history.

The one with marble like smooth head, former university professor Mr. Shivpod’s
historical stories are also diverted in to stories of gluttony by him.

The reality is, Mr.Ghansham brings the end of every topic. When his talking ends no
one gets the time to say anything else.

It is also hard to say something overreaching him. Everynow and then he makes such
unheard allusions and quotations that no one in fear of exposing their own ignorance, dares
protesting his statements.

Though Mr.Ghansham is like the life force of this gathering, no one really knows
anything about him. Everyone only knows that he lives in one of the messes of Kolkata and
popularly known as brother Ghana among the younger ones. Because of thin twisted face it is
hard to guess his age and after listening to him it seems that there is no place in the earth
where he has not gone and there is no education that he has not practiced. It seems from
ancient Nalanda, Takkhashila to Oxford, Cambridge ,Harvard, from China’s ancient Pipin to
Europe's Salorno, Prague,Heidelberg, Leipzig ,he has a direct connection.

Inspire of impurities in his knowledge, his oratory expertise has to be admired.

So, now a days without opposing him we give our silent consents.
 That is why also in case of Robinson Crusoe we some how refrained ourselves form
that protestant tongue.

The topic was raised by the granddaughter of Mr.Harishadhan, the one with catkin
like white hair on his head.

That day affectionately Mr.Harishadhan brought his granddaughter with him. During
the age when the girls do not understand the difference between them and the boys or
knowingly dinners, that girl was exactly of that age.After some failed attempts of
concentrating into our gossip, pointing out the island like place in the middle of the lake, she
might have said, “look grandpa , just like the island of Robinson Crusoe.”

Failing to draw the attention of her grandfather or anyone else, she again said, “when
I will grow up, I will be Robinson Crusoe, you know?”

Staying indifferent to such a bold statement seemed impossible for us. “. How can that
be ,you idiot! How can girls be Robinson Crusoe?” said, Mr. Chintaharan, being burdened
with fat, whose body is as huge as an elephant.

All of a sudden, protesting on behalf of that girl Mr.Ghansham said,” why not?”

After remaining quiet for a while, staring at us what he said with a slight sympathy,
what he said has been mentioned beforehand.

Now, having no resistance from our side Mr.Ghansham started,” according to you
Robinson Crusoe is written by Daniel Defoe. Do you know where he found theorihine of the
story?”

Mr.Shivpod, the one with a marble like smooth head, hesitatingly said, “ as far as i
know, he made up the story after listening to the life experience of a sailor named Alexander
Selcark.”

“What you know is untrue.” Pitiful contempt rose upon Mr.Ghansham 'sface,”what
those self-indulged Englishlitterateurs wrote hiding the truth, you excepted that without any
resistance. Do you know, as he joined the protest of Monmouth, he was about to be hanged.
As being a resident of London, he somehow managed to save himself. After new king and
queen, William and Marry came in to the country, Daniel surpassing that ill luck managed to
gain some establishment. During that time, on a business trip he had to visit Spain ! There in
Madrid, Spain while surfing for some knick-knackin a shop of an elderly jewish man , he
became astounded as he found an old manuscript of 1300A.D. The writer of that manuscript
was Rastiano and the narrator was Marco Polo himself.

Ramsharanbabu, who’s belly is inflated as a potter asked with utmost astonishment,

Marco Polo means, “who first went to China from Europe as a tourist, then he is the writer of
the real story of Robinson Crusoe!”

With a slightly mysterious smile on his face Mr.Ghansham said, “no, why would he
be! He only collected that story. He collected it from China.

At the age of 16, Marco Polo, along with his father and uncle sailed from the shores
of Venice, the empress of the seas, to the capital of Kambalook, the capital of the unique
emperor Kublai kha. When he returned, he was forty-one. For nearly twenty-five long years,
as a faithful servant of Kublai kha, the king of the half-earth, he visited nearly all of China.He
probably met the famous Chinese author and editor, Sun Cao Chi , in 1282A.D , while
working as an inspector of a salt mine. San Cao Chi was collecting all the Chinese stories and
legends of the past and refining them. A Chinese story, heard from San Cao Chi, is the real
inspiration behind the story of Robinson Crusoe.

Marco Polo brought a lot more, not just diamonds, pearls, blue limes or topazes sewed
under that ugly and awkward looking Chinese hand-loomed dress. Whatever gift they gave to
the Doje of Venice, some details can be found in a list by Marino Faleiro written in1351A.D,
giving a description of the valuable things of the palace. Among those gifts there was a ring
gifted by Kublai Kha himself, collar of the Tatars, a three headed sword, silky yak hair from
Tangut, dried feet and head of musk deer, seed of indigo from Sumatra.

But memories he brought much more than the external treasures. He used to tell
stories to the fascinated audience, trenching his memories, while sitting inside an animal cage
of Genoa.

Who were these fascinated audience? No, not only the fellow inmates but also the
hingranked and noble male and female of Genoa's upper class.This prison cell was then
turned into a place of pilgrimage, sweet sacred place of the wonderful story of distant Cathay.

But why Marco Polo, who is; tremendously loved and honoured by the empress of the
sea, Venice , inside an animal cage? That is a lot to tell. After only three years of his return
into his country, Venice’s arch-rival, Genoa’s naval fleet in the leadership of Lamba Doria,
came into rise in the Adretian Sea. With everyone else Marco Polo joined the war as a
commander of a warship. Having been defeated in the war, he was imprisoned along with
Genoa’s more seven thousand veneziani he was imprisoned.

Among those fascinated audiences of the prison there was a person from the city of
the leaning tower, Pisa. His name was Rostiano. Even then as the language of poems and love
stories French was dominant in Europe. Although he was a citizen of Pisa, Rostianohad
extraordinary fluency in French language. He took down all those fascinating stories of
Marco Polo into that language.

After that his collected stories spread all across Europe. After one hundred and fifty
years a sailor of Genoa while reading the Latin translation of those stories was drowning in to
the dream of the distant Cathey where Zipangu's gold covered palace top dazzles by the
morning sunlight. A book, signed and noted on the sides directly by that sailor can be found
in Columbina, Seville. Name of that sailor was Columbus.

Almost two hundred years later, Daniel Defoe also found a manuscript written by
Rostiano, in a shop of small fancy things. From the manuscript after thirty years he developed
the story of Robinson Crusoe.”

Now Mr.Shivpod, the one with marble like smooth head, failing to resist said, “but
how Robinson Crusoe became a girl?”

“The story of Sun Cao Chi which Rostiano noted after hearing from Marco Polo,
there he is described as a girl. But Daniel changed both the name and origin of the heroine.”

Mr.Harishadhan, the one with catkin like white hair said, “But can we hear the story
from that manuscript?”

“Do you want to hear the story? But the real story is of gigantic length, let me tell you
a short summary of that, listen...

The capital of Sung dynasty had not yet been shifted from Kaifeng of the north to
Kansai city of Tangu empire. Even then as the most amazing city of the world Kansai was
famous all across Maloy, India, Persia, even in distant Europe.

In this city of twelve arches and twelve thousand bridges there lived a tradesman
named Chuan Wu. That wealth if that tradesman had no end but his most expensive
possession was his daughter Nan Sue.
 As the fame of Kansai had spread all over the world, Nan Sue's fame was all across
China. Extraordinary beauty brings destruction upon herself or upon the society. It was also
no different the case of Nan Sue. The Kintans of the north were frequently invading as the sea
waves. One day the chief of Kantans came to know about about Nan Sue’s extraordinary
beauty. Holding his furious army at the edge of Kaifeng Chuo San sent the clauses of treaty
to the court of the san's. The city of the twelve arches and twelve thousand bridges where
upon topaz blue lake water just like dreams , floats all those green islands, he wants the apple
of China’s eye, the best treasure of that city Nan Sue. Only if he gets Nan Sue, his furious
army will be swept away from the edge of Kaifeng.

At this news whole China became restless, the royal cort became worried, Nan Sue’s
father the business tycoon Chuan Wu started counting down.

At last the royal court of the Sue's didn't hesitate sacrificing on the one girls life for
the peace of the whole China .Chuan Wu got an order to send Nan Sue to Kaifeng.

Beyond the lattice windows and the ivory fan youthful Nan Sue had only known very
little of the outdide world and all of which is equal to a single face. The face is the young
naval commander , Sin Huan of Vinsai.

Nan Su cried at her father’s feet and Sin Huan came upon his knees. But Chuan-Wu
had no option. He didn’t have the courage to violate king’s orders.

Nan Sue must go to please that barbarous Kitan commander and travell to that cold
coutry of north. At fates cruell irony SiHuanwas chosen to deliver Nan Sue.

The day when Si Huan'swarship, spreading her sails like white clouds , left the city of
twelve arches and twelve thousand bridges, all of the kansai city shed tears. But Si Huan and
Nan sue had no regrets that day. It was there resolve that of fate ridicules them, they will also
deprive fate.

For seven days and seven nights that worship went on floating on an infinite sea. The
wheel was held by Si Huan himself. His goal is no cold country of the north but any island of
sunny south sea. Once he gets there, he will silently take down Nan Sue in the darkness of the
night. He will build house with Nan Sue on an secluded island where no injustice of the Sung
Empire or the opprqtion of the savage Kitan forces will reach. That is why he brought a vesel
made of light weight duck feathers.
 Upon this audacity of man, may be fate was laughing. After see even days and seven
nights disaster struck suddenly in the sky. Disaster also was getting dence inside people’s
mind.

From the very beginning the attendants of Sin Huan were astonished of his grabbing
hold of the wheel. When they didn’t reach the destination for seven days and seven nights his
followers become suspicious. Not the north but there warship was going towards the south,
after understanding that from the positioning of the stars their suspicion flamed up in to
revolution.

Then there was a severe storm in the the night sky. The sea has risen. Those who
gambles with luck dares to use danger as an opportunity. In that stormy sea after placing Nan
Sue on that light vessel Si Huan was on his wau down. Suddenly those rebellious shipmates
came and tied him up.

Being hit by a wild wave and going away form the warship, surpassing the roar of the
storm Nan Sue a scream ,”do not be afraid Nan Sue , do not be afraid. I am going . Of course
i will go.”

Nan Sue got up and looked around anxiously. There were no animals anywhere
except some sea birds. The tides of that distant blue restless sea was swirling upon the
hillside.

Like of rabbit’s Nan Sue’s feets were little and soft – those legs were not for walking
upon these hard mountain lands, yet with wounded feets Nan Sue had to roamaroundthe
whole island. All she had was not to see any animal.

The snow white tender hands of Nan Sue had never touched anything other than
stained ivory fan , yet she had to pluck fruits from trees full of thorns , in order to satisfy her
hunger.

Nan Sue’s eyes were shy and afraid, till now her eye lids raised for a fraction of time
and then putted down but now her eyes were eagerly waiting at the far end of the hill to the
sea , day after day in hope of Si Huan. He will come, he said of course he will come.

Many days and many nights went by. For many times on the northern sky Ursa Major
wad altered by Ursa Minor and instead of Ursa Minor Ursa Major polar star crossed her as
the arch sentry of which Nan Sue kept no record.
 She didn’t notice when all the shame from her heart and debris slowly dropped from
her body.

She lost many things, yet what remained was her horizon gazing searching sight and
constant wait of heart.

One day the wait became successful. The shade of a white flock had appeared in the
far horizon. In no time that distant ship became clearer and anchored on that rock coast.

Who is coming down from that ship? That’s Si Huan!

With impatient enthusiasm Nan Sue descended like a surging fountain from the hill top.

She came to meet Si Huanon the midway.

Happy Nan Sue started singing, you came Si Huan, even after so long you came.

The one who was coming towards her covetously , as if unwilling, with profound
astonishment he stopped, witb a harsh voice he asked her “came after so long! Who are you?”

Noticing Si Huan'sfacinated yet lusty eyes upon whole of her body l, Nan Sue timidly
said, “can't you recognise me Sin Huan ? I am Nan Sue.”

“ Nan Sue! Nan Sue is name of this island that we were in search of and after so long
we found this island.

So you did not come in search of me? You have came here for the island!

Yes! In search of this Nan Sue islamd where the tresure of the seven kingdom is
burried. Yell me where the tresure is?

With tears in her eyes Nan Sue now bust into agony, “ don't you remember how we
got separated from your battleship on that stormy night? “

Separated from warship! Within my seven generations, none of us even boarded a

warship. Some of my previous 8 th generation might have been a naval commander. Most
probably the secret information of this Nan Sue island is obtained from him. But it was when
Kaifeng what's the capital of China, which was two centuries ago.

Two centuries ago! With a vague emotional tone side Nun Sue. After sensing her
complete nudity in the eyes of that new sailor, Nan Sue was astounded.
 The sailor was then lustfully going towards her. Nan Sue like a wounded dear ram to
scape, friend towards that hilltop, which is still surrounded by the dream of life.

With every step her body was breaking down for some great weight, maybe she can't
be saved from the hands of that lusty savage sailor.

Coming at the age of that mountain when she threw herself , she didn’t have any
strength left in her body.

But that lustful sailor while attempting to hunt her down suddenly being afraid ,
stepped back.

Gazing at herself she became astonished, harsh solemn weight which preserved her
youth for two long centuries, that youth was fading away. Before her eyes her body was
drying, cranking and getting ugly.

She looked once more towards the far horizon as a result of the practice of many ages.
From all around who were coming crossing the blue sea! “Who are they,?”, she screamed .

“They are also Si Huan! “ the sailor burst into a loud laughter. The 5000 descendants
of Huan. They are also coming in search of the secret treasure of Nan Sue island. They are
coming to burn that witch who is hiding the treasure for two centuries.

The hilltop from where Nan Sue's curious eyes trenched across the horizon, that night
as a living torch she made that peak bright.”

Mr.Ghansham stopped.

After remaining silent for a while, Shivpodbabu, the one with a marble like smooth
head said , “ but this story has nothing in common with Robinson Crusoe.”

“How will there be?” Mr.Ghansham smiled a little. “how the son of a butcher, a
business man of t-shirts and tiles will understand the essence of the story! Being an idiot he
has made that story into children’s story!”

“Then what is the essence of that story?” asked the one with catkin like white hair,
Harishadhanbabu. But in answer Mr.Ghansham looked in such a manner that no one had the
spirit to ask that question for the second time.