A poem from Faiz

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was perhaps one of the most famous modern day Urdu poets. He was born in Punjab in undivided India, and after partition decided to stay in Pakistan. He was also an avowed leftist (and communist) and much of his poetry is about revolutionary social change. I was reading the biographies (diaries) of Che Guevara past week, and I guess Che would have liked reading Faiz, if he could. I did not (could not) attempt to translate one of his forceful leftist social poems. Partially it was the free verse which I find tough to handle, and partially perhaps my lack of interest in the sentiment these days (quite a change for "commie general"). Anyway, here is one poem on a more traditional Urdu poetry theme. Don't think I did justice, but I don't think you can really do justice when translating poems anyway. I still liked translating it, though.

The first para is the transliterated Urdu (in roman). The second para is my own translation. I did not try to create a Urdu script version, my Urdu (script) knowledge being rather rudimentary. And I was not sure how useful a Devanagari script version one would be for it, so did not try that either.
1)
Tum ae ho no shab-e-intezar guzri hai
Talash mein hain sahar bar bar guzri hai
Junoon mein jitni bhi guzri bakaar guzri hai
Garcheh dil pe kharabi hazar guzri hai
You have not come, nor my waits end, in sight, has lain
The breeze passed by, searching you, time and again
This time of madness has still not been spent in vain,
Even though heart has taken a thousand kinds of pain.
2)
Hui hai hazarat-e-naseh se guftagoo jis shab,
Voh shab zarror sar-e-koo e yaar guzri hai
Voh baat sarey fasaney mein jiska zikr na tha
Voh baat un ko bahut nagawar guzri hai
The evenings that were spend in confabulating with the wise and sane
The same evenings were also spend at the top of my dear one's lane
The one thing which the tale didn't say, never did not contain
It is the same thing that has caused her offence, in the main.
3)
Na gul khile, na unse mile, na mai pee hai
Ajib rang mei ab ke bahar guzri hai
Chaman pe gharat-e-gulchin sey janey kya guzri
Qafas pe aaj saba be-qarar guzri hai
Flowers didn't bloom, nor saw you, nor did I take wine,
The spring passed by in strange colour around this time,
Wonder what befell the garden, who was the flower thief
Even the breeze touched the cage today in restless grief.

Impressionists at the National Museum

Good to be back home again. Had visited the National Museum in Stockholm last weekend. It is probably not much larger than our very own National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, but the collection of old european masters is good. They have paintings from both renaissance and modern eras. In fact at the time of my visit, a great exibition on pre-raphealite painting was going on. Of that, perhaps another day. From early teens, my main interest in painting has been in impressionist and post-impressionist forms. So I did get some satisfaction in spending hours staring a the few pieces that were there of impressionist masters. Here are a few samples captured directly from my camera (using flash was not allowed) ....

Monet's "From the mouth of Schelde"

Starting with the "god" of impressionism,

Camille Pissaro's "Landscape from pontoise" 1874

Another guru. Whatever he paints is gold.

Camille Corot's "Red rocks in Civita Castellana"
I had not heard of this painter before, but this one looked pretty.

Alfred Sisley's "Landscape from Bougivil", 1873
Another famous impressionist master.

Adolphe Monticelli's "Party Strolling In Park With a Dog"

Hadn't heard of Monticelli . But his style seemed quite impressionist as well

Eugene Boudin's "harbour in fecamp", 1824

A discovery for me.

Paul Cezanne's "landscape"

One of the most admired Masters.

Paul Gauguin "landscape from arles", 1888

Flattening Peculiar to Gauguin. I stare for hours and hours and still don't understand Gauguin...

Now comes the time for the dedication. Let it be the muse again. The one who is inspiration for all art. The one worthy worship. She may be fickle but life is colourless without her... Let it also be my sister, who is the opposite of me in every sense, except for our shared interest in impressionism :-).

Inverse Holi

Today is holi in india. The festival of colours. The festival in which paint is sprayed by everybody on everybody else. And somehow nature also follows the people, bringing in the first bright summer sun. Here in stockholm, sweden the very opposite is happening. It is snowing and everything is going colourless. And somehow I seem to enjoy the dull austere beauty of snowy colourlessness even more than the brightness of indian summers. Perhaps it brings back memories of years spent among the himalayas in manali. Anyway here are some photographs shot with my mobile phone.

Near my apartment

Kista centre (nicknamed Chipsta because of the Tech Companies )

My office building

From my office window. Adobe Technologies building. Major major major... mentioned the purpose of windows seats in offices in japan. Thankfully this is not japan.

From the front window..

Someone made fun of me the last time I included the photograph of a backyard. I refuse to desist :-). Yes. Here is the backyard of the apartment :-)

Lalla's verses

Lalleshwari or Lal-Ded, is probably the most famous poet-saint from Kashmir. She was born in early fourteenth century kashmir, during the early years of transition to Muslim rule. She is especially popular for her short quatrains called Vaks (from Sanskrit vakya). Her writings are also probably some of the oldest samples of kashmiri language (verses or otherwise) that have come down to us, since most learned people would use Sanskrit for composition. I had been reading the collection of Lalla's verses for the past week. I plan to share some of kashmiri originals here. Along with those I am putting my own English translation, in rhymed quatrains, without being "interpretive", as some translators tend to do. I know it is still almost sacrilegious to translate her, but I hope Lalla will forgive me my (hopefully) harmless pastime.

First para is the English transliteration and second line is the the Devanagari generated at www.hindikalam.com. Third para has the English translation.

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1)
chhaan\thaan loosas paniy paanas
chhyapith gyaanas votum n kunchh
lay karmas t vochas althaanas
bari bari baan t chyavaan n koonh

छानठान लूसस पनिय पानस
छयपिथ गयानस वोतुम न कुनछ
लय करमस त वोचस अलथानस
बरि बरि बान त चयवान न कूनह

Searched myself, I, night and day,
Incomparable is the hidden way,
Finally reached the fountain of nectar sweet
Filled glasses everywhere but no drinker I meet.

2)
shey van cha\tith shashikal vozam
prakrath ha\nzam pavan seeat
loluki naar vaali\nji buzum
shak\nr lobum tamiy seeat

शेय वन चटिथ शशिकल वोज़म
परकरथ हंज़म पवन सीअत
लोलुकि नार वालिंजि बुज़ुम
शकंर लोबुम तमिय सीअत

Cut six forests and woke up the moon
Fought the wind and subdued it soon
Burnt my heart in love and held it alight
Then found Sankara in its glowing light

3)
Makaris zan mal cholum manas
aad mey labas zanas zaan
suh yali \thyu\thum nishi paanas
soruy suy t boh na kenh

मकरिस ज़न मल चोलुम मनस
आद मेय लबस ज़नस ज़ान
सुह यलि ठयुठुम निशि पानस
सोरुय सुय त बोह ना केनह

Cleared the dust of my mind
And myself did I finally see
When he came and sat nearby
He was all and who am me

4)
chaalun chhu vuzmal t tra\tay
chaalun chhu ma\ndinyan ga\tkaar
chaalun chhu panun paan ka\dun ghra\tay
hyet mali santoosh vati paanay

चालुन छु वुज़मल त त्रटय
चालुन छु मंदिनयन गटकार
चालुन छु पनुन पान कडुन घरटय
हयेत मलि सनतूश वति पानय

Thunder and lightening, if you bear
Moonless dark nights silently endure
Drag yourself through a grinding mill
Peace will come to you son, it surely will

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As usual, any suggestions/corrections are welcome.

Now for the dedication. Since this poultry, let the dedication be to the Muse herself. Let her never abandon us...