This ghazal is a long time favourite of mine mostly for it's spectacular rendition by Jagjit Singh.
Original:
Tum nahin, Gham nahin sharaab nahiN
aisi tanhaayi ka jawaab nahiN
gaahe gaahe ise paDha kije
dil se behtar koi kitaab nahiN
jaane kis kis ki maut aayeee hai
aaj ruKh pe koi naqaab nahiN
wo karam oongliyoN pe ginte haiN
zulm ka jinke kuch hisaab nahiN
In this love song the poet touches upon a deep seated love, the pangs of separation, the yearning, the restless of a love lorn woman.'The imaginary auditor here is Thangam, who is referenced in almost every line which enhances the musicality of the poem. I have translated Thangam as O precious one. In the second verse, the speaker adopts the royal 'we,' while expressing her feelings.
Although the poem is about finding Kannan's state of mind, it is in effect the exploration of the speaker's mind in a steady stream of consciousness. It documents the speaker's range of emotions from calmness, to pride, to threats, to curses ending on a note of complete despair.
I bid you, O precious one, seek out and bring word Of Kannan's state of mind I would decide my future course If he were to speak his mind clearly, O precious one.
Tell him we might remain A maiden for the rest of our lives, O precious one And there are princes born of kings of foreign lands Who roam the earth with open arms, O precious one.
A king who forsakes his word Finds no kinship anywhere, O precious one What are the faults in me he perceived Let him list those, O precious one.
After inflaming my heart, O precious one He wanders incognito, unabashed Now, I have heard old Ponni's say, He is the very embodiment of falsehood, O precious one
He spoke words of love in the past when he bid me come to the river bank, O precious one Warn him that I shall proclaim to the world Those very words, O precious one.
He has mastered many tricks, O precious one From his practice with unsuspecting cow maids Tell him they will not work upon a woman born in a warrior clan, O precious one.
he life of one born as a woman, is fraught with misery O precious one, He came bearing an ethereal song on his flute Now this parched heart refuses to let go, O precious one.
In all my waking moments My heart frets upon that wretch, O precious one Bring one clear word from him, I shall entrust my fate in god’s hands, O precious one.
This is one of my favourite ghazals by Syed Nazir Raza Kasmi (1925-1972) Nazir was born in India and migrated to Pakistan during the partition. The ghazal presents the pain and the desperation of love.
I sincerely thank Murtuza Furniturewala for working closely with me to bring forth this translation.
Original:
Aankh khulte hi chhup gaye harshar Aalme bekhudi mein kya kuchh tha Laakh rahe thi laakh jalwe the Ahedi awargi me kya kuchh tha Yaad hai marhale mohabbat ke Haye us bekhudi mein kya kuchh tha Kitni beete dino ki yaad aayi
Aaj teri kami mein kya kuchh tha
ye bhi kya sham-e-mulaqat ayee
lab pe mushkil se teri bat ayee
subah se chup hain tere hijr nasib
haye kya hoga agar rat ayee
bastiyan chod ke barse badal
kis qayamat ki ye barsat ayee
koi jab mil ke hua tha rukhsat
dil-e-betab wahi rat ayee
saya-e-zulf-e-butan main 'Nasir’
ek se ek nai rat ayee
Translation:
On waking, I realized my abandonment
Though disoriented, stark indeed was the clarity Many paths lit up with splendorous lights
In my lonesome wanderings, what not did I see
Reminiscences of the pain of passion I did see
Though inebriated, my clear vision, an irony
Recalled I, several blissful days spent in harmony
Alas, what contrast, to this present ignominy
O hark! the dawn of eveningheralds thoughts of you my darling I can barely speak of you without my voice breaking
I fall silent all morning
Recalling our forked destines
Oh how I dread the night
Ridden with anxieties
The tears flow, the barriers come undone
Does this deluge augur the end of times?
The emptiness which comes When a loved one meets and parts I feel that same restless emptiness now, upon this night Oh Nazir! how lost you were in that beauteous form and in the shadow of those tresses Ah! how wondrous the delight Meeting night after night, As new groom and as bride
This is a very popluar love poem by the Mahakavi, so appealing because of its simplicity.The poet is engaged in an argument with his silent beloved, who holds herself back. But the poet's passion is awakened by her very presence as he admires her eyes, her voice, her youth and he helplessly plants a kiss on her cheek.
The mention of stars, the sky and cloth reminded me of a love poem by WB Yeats- He wishes for the cloths of Heaven...
He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven - William Butler Yeats
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Translation:
Your enticing luminous eyes-
Are they the Sun and the Moon?
Have those rounded dark pupils,
borrowed their hue from the skies?
A silken night blue saree diamond studded,
Twinkling like stars visible in the darkest hour of the night.
Do garden flowers lend
their lustre to your alluring smile?
Do the waves of the blue ocean
Echo the quivering of your heart?
Does your voice derive its sweetness
from the song of the cuckoo bird?
Your blooming youth Kanamma,
Stokes the fire of my passion!
You quote scripture and demure,
but beloved, do we really need them?
Can scripture truly contain the obsessed?
Solemnize, we shall, our vows later,
In the presence of elders.
But now, impatience rules...
See- here's a kiss on your cheek...
A rendition of this poem by Bombay Jayashree:
I thank Srinivasan Balasubramaniam and Shekar Raghavan for their inputs.
This song is a short and intense expression of love. Each of the four couplets have references to gods and a sage from the Indian pantheon. As its a love song, it features Manmatha (Maran, Cupid) his wife Rathi (Venus), the goddess Lakshmi and finally the sage Sukha.
The song's beauty lies in the pithy yet economical use of language.
Original:
Ninnaiye rathi yendru ninakirenadi-Kannamma,
Thannaiye sasi yendru saranam yeithinen.
Ponnaye nigartha meni, minnaye nigartha saayal,
Pinnaiye, nithya kanniye, Kannamma
Maaran ambugal en meethu vari vari veesa nee-
kanparaayo, Vandhu seraayo, Kannamma
Yavume suka munivarkku or eesanaa menakku un thotram,
Mevume, ingu yavume kannamma.
Translation:
Considering you as Rathi, and myself, the moon god,
I surrender willingly to you O Kanamma!
Oh golden hued one with luminous features resembling lightning,
Oh Lakshmi, Oh eternal virgin, Oh Kanamma!
When I am targeted by Maran's arrows,
Would you not glance my way or reach my side Oh Kanamma?
Much like the sage Sukha, who saw Shiva in everything,
I too perceive your form, in everything around me, Oh Kanamma!
Here is a soulful rendition of this song by P Unnikrishnan in Sindhu Bharavi.
It has also found a place in the film Kanne Kaniyamude and is sung by K J Yesudas.
Oh! I have forgotten my dear love's face my friend,
Tell me, with whom should I share this lament-
The heart though has not forgotten its fondness
Then why did my memories let me down?
The form that I perceive before me,
Has not in sum all his beauty;
In those eyes set in that beauteous visage
I find not his sweet winsome smile!
My heart ceaselessly dwells on our relationship-
Haven't you noticed my constant talk
about that illusionist?
But a sin committed by my eyes
Has caused his disappearance from memory
Have you detected such folly
In other women my friend?
Was there ever a bee that spurns honey?
A flower that disdains sunlight?
Or a crop that ignores rain?
Any place else in this world?
If I could forget Kannan's face
Of what further use are these eyes?
Alas! I don't even possess a picture
How do I live out the rest of my life, in this state, my friend?
