Altaf Hossain Uzzal:
If speech is silver,
then silence is gold.
Yet not every silence
bears the dignity of truth,
nor echoes the pride of humanity.
Silence, too, has its rule—
it bows to the oath of time and circumstance.
To remain quiet before hollow words of the ignorant
is the wisdom of the enlightened.
But the silence of arroganceupon the chest of sorrow
only deepens wounds.
The silence of wisdom before temptation
saves humanity
from the abyss of darkness.
In the noise of stories,
the silence of reporting
often gives birth to truth amid falsehood.
On the steps of victory,
the silence of humility
makes one truly great.
Yet—
to remain silent in the face of truth
is a betrayal beyond forgiveness.
The silence of strength
in the storm of anger
opens the door
to a dawn of peace.
The silence of hesitation
in the moment of decision
leads only to the lament of defeat.
O Bangladesh—
teach your children
the true rule of silence:
that every silence becomes strength,
and every word
ignites the flame of patriotism.
