Text 129
śuṣka bāṅśera lāṭhikhāna, eta kare apamāna,
ei daśā karila, gosāñi
nā sahi’ ki karite pāri, tāhe rahi mauna dhari’,
corāra māke ḍāki’ kāndite nāi
śuṣka — dry; bāṅśera — of bamboo; lāṭhi-khāna — a stick; eta — this; kare apamāna — insults; ei — this; daśā — condition; karila — made; gosāñi — the master; nā sahi’ — not tolerating; ki — what; karite pāri — can we do; tāhe — at that time; rahi — we remain; mauna dhari’ — keeping silent; corāra — of a thief; māke — for the mother; ḍāki’ — calling; kāndite — to cry; nāi — is not possible.
“This flute is nothing but a dry stick of bamboo, but it becomes our master and insults us in so many ways that it forces us into a predicament. What can we do but tolerate it? The mother of a thief cannot cry loudly for justice when the thief is punished. Therefore we simply remain silent.