Troubled time O Raheem,
Empty, each of my palm,
In truth, world nor its dream,
In falsehood there’s no Ram!
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Raheem was a saint poet of medieval time in India. This translation comes from one of his couplets; following is its transliteration:
ab raheem mushkil padi, gadhe dou kam;
sanche to jag nahin, juthe milen na ram.
Raheem beautifully essays the reality in this world. If one were to follow the path of truth, there is this world for him nor its dream. In falsehood, obviously one has to sacrifice the blessings of God-- Ram as Raheem puts it.
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Translations |09.01.14 |
Categories:
padi, god, truth,
Form: Quatrain
Vo thandi sarsarati hawa
Mujhe kuch keh ke chali gayi
Ranj-o-gam ki syahi me lipti
Kuch panne zindagi ke bhar gayi
Panne jab palat ke dekhe
To ek kahani simti dikhi
Na jane kab se dhool me padi thi
Kisi ke jeevan ki rubai mitati chali gayi
Kayi saal ho gaye uss sehar ko guzre hue
Ab to door tak vo hawa fir dikhti nahi
Meri zindagi ke vo panne jo usne bhare the
Unme jhakti meri rooh bhi marti rahi
Na jane vo hawa kya kehna chahti thi
Uski parchai bhi sirf yadon ko naseeb thi
Raton me bhi uska hi khayal ata he
Hum samajhte rahe aur vo udti chali gayi
Categories:
padi, hindi, life,
Form: Light Verse
Sonnet: Nothing feeds on itself like violence
Nothing feeds on itself like violence
The more it self-destructs the more its might
Goya geek – padi eaten by its own fence*
The dog that swallows its own tail in fright
Yet nothing changes fast as when throttled
Takes the weight of one’s whole life to wake up
Many the night Dopplegänger dreams rattled
Will the hand that wields the chopper back up
To see the other severed from body
Since violence begins in thoughts at will
Who can hold it back once in thoughts born free
The root cause of violence springs despite will
Envy and hatred begin in the eyes
And stick in the head right until one dies
• Pagar makan padi: Malay for : The fence eats the padi/rice; meaning, treachery (where trust is betrayed).
© T. Wignesan – Paris, 2015
Categories:
padi, betrayal, metaphor, philosophy, violence,
Form: Sonnet