Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Maut tu ek kavita hai...

Maut tu ek kavita hai....
Mujhse ek kavita ka vadaa hai, milegi mujhko ...

Doobti nabzon mein jab dard ko neend aane lage
Zard sa chehra liye chaand ufaq tak pahunche ...
Din abhi paani mein ho, raat kinare ke kareeb
Na andhera ho, na ujala ho ...
Na aadhi raat, na din
Jism jab khatm ho aur rooh ko saans aae ...

Mujhse ek kavita ka vadaa hai milegi mujhko....


These brilliant lines compose such a vivid description of life delicately balanced on the verge of death, that everytime I read them, I'm taken apart by their sheer force of poignance! They are from the poem that Amitabh recites to Rajesh Khanna (in the movie "Anand" - one of my all time favourites).... unfortunately, I don't have a clue if it's Gulzar who's penned this poem or someone else? But if you've an idea about the poet, do write me in a comment!
Anyhow, I shall make an endeavour now to translate the poem in English, even though a loss of spontaneity, richness and meaning shall be evident/obvious, but then, that's all about the power of a language over the other in certain aspects... and hence, something that can't be helped.

O death! You're like poetry
And I've been promised by a poem, that it shall be mine

As the pulse (of life) recedes, the pain & suffering go to (an eternal) sleep
And a yellowish (young) moon starts to rise and reach its zenith
The day is yet to sink in water, as the night waits, nigh, to the shore
It's not dark, it's not bright
it's neither midnight nor high noon
And as the body loses material, the free soul gets seeped with (fresh) air

The poem has (fulfilled the) promise of being mine!