Poems to Kali
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- Catalogue identifier
- kali-0049
- Alternate titles and import identifiers
- KALI-0049
- Author or attribution
- Ma Basanti Cakrabartti and Ramlal Dasdatta; English translations by Rachel Fell McDermott
- Record type
- Poetry
- Language
- English
- Date / edition
- n.d.
- Source / repository
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Access
- Open access
- Subjects
- Kali Library Research Catalogue; Hymns, Prayers, and Devotional Poetry; Bengali Kali Literature; Translations and Commentaries; Art, Iconography, and Epigraphic Studies
Description and curator notes
The page supplies full written English translations of two poems to Kali as well as audio performances. One uses the devotee’s inner life and a cremation-ground setting to address the Mother; the other asks her to appear in a more approachable domestic form. These contrasting voices are useful for presenting the emotional range of Bengali goddess devotion. The named poets are Ma Basanti Cakrabartti and Ramlal Dasdatta, with translations credited to Rachel Fell McDermott. They should not be cataloged as poems authored by Ramprasad. The two translations form one complete published webpage collection in this catalog.
KALI-0049 — Kali Library Research Catalogue.
Access and reliability assessments below are supplied by the curator's 4–5 November 2026 research release, not a new independent verification.
Author / attribution: Ma Basanti Cakrabartti and Ramlal Dasdatta; English translations by Rachel Fell McDermott
Publication: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston · n.d.
Format / language: Complete translated poem collection on a museum webpage · English translation from Bengali; original: Bengali
Composition / textual history: Unknown for the individual poems
Kali relevance: Two complete devotional poems addressed to Kali, available as text and audio.
Context: Bengali Kali devotional poetry; individual composition dates not established on the page.
Subjects: Hymns, Prayers, and Devotional Poetry; Bengali Kali Literature; Translations and Commentaries; Art, Iconography, and Epigraphic Studies
Evidence / reliability: Institutional or scholarly secondary source
Access / rights: Complete text checked 2026-11-05. Translations remain copyrighted; link to the complete museum transcripts rather than copying the lyrics.
Source and alternate access links:
Read complete text: https://www.mfa.org/audio/poems-to-kali
Source access
Read or locate the original source at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Rights and reading conditions
Complete text checked 2026-11-05. Translations remain copyrighted; link to the complete museum transcripts rather than copying the lyrics. This library links to the source and does not reproduce its full text.
Citation
Ma Basanti Cakrabartti and Ramlal Dasdatta; English translations by Rachel Fell McDermott. Poems to Kali. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston · n.d..
This page supplies catalogue metadata and links. It does not reproduce the underlying source text. Historical, religious, healing and interpretive claims belong to the cited sources, not to an independent verification by this catalogue.