Since then Michael Dutt went on writing in Bengali and gave to the country dramas and poems of a rare quality which brought him an undying glory. Michael Dutt was the father of the Bengali sonnet and poem in Blank Verse. Tragedies, satires and lyrics are amongst his creations.
In the meantime he had been to Europe and had returned as a barrister. It was Michael Madhushudan Dutt who formed the bridge between the culture of the East and the culture of the West. Speaking about him the great Bankimchandra has said:
"There is a wind now blowing in our favour and we must hold our banner aloft—a banner on which is inscribed SRI MADHUSHUDAN."
Speaking about the translation, we should refer to Rev. Long's public statement on 20.6.1861: "Coarse passages (and words, too: Ed) of the play had been expunged or softened in the translation." [Bengal under the Lieutenant Governors]
For example, the name of the Indigo planter Mr. Rogue was translated as Mr. Rose (obviously for political reasons), and we have in this edition introduced Mr. Rogue (as in the original) as Mr. Rose (as in the first edition of the English translation) when he first appears on the stage, and later on, we have mentioned him as Mr. Rogue, following the original.
Certain words and expressions have been wrongly translated. For example, Michael has translated Sarkiwalla [Spearman] as Soorkiwalla [brick-dust maker], and Bau [Bangle] as Bahu [daughter-in-law]. These are only two of many such inaccuracies. Michael Madhushudan has also left portions of the drama untranslated.
It is rather difficult to explain these shortcomings. According to his biographers, the translation was the result of a solitary night's effort. Whatever it was, it cannot be denied that the translation bears in many places the mark of hurry.
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