Sun Sets (सूरज डूबा)

सूरज डूबा, संध्या छाई,

सोचा था दिन में होगी  कुछ बात नई

लो धीरे-धीरे फ़ैले रजनी –

सोते-सोते सोचा….

 

(लो रात गई)

हो गई प्रात:

चिडियाँ चहकी,

कलियाँ महकी,

लो हुई कुछ बात नई

 

Translation:

Sun sets, twilight falls,

Thought there might be something new in the day

Night falls slowly

Sleeping, thinking….

(See the night has passed)

Its dawn and

The sparrow chirp

The buds unfurl

See there is something new.

 

Notes: This is a Found poem using Harivanshrai Bachhan’s original.  Found poems can take many forms, excerpting, remixing, erasure, cento and cut-up.  For this one, I have primarily  use excerpts and did a bit of remixing.  A constraints was to use only letters and words from the original.

Here’s the original:

सूरज ढल कर पच्छिम पंहुचा,

डूबा, संध्या आई, छाई,

सौ संध्या सी वह संध्या थी,

क्यों उठते-उठते सोचा था

दिन में होगी कुछ बात नई

लो दिन बीता, लो रात गई

 

धीमे-धीमे तारे निकले,

धीरे-धीरे नभ में फ़ैले,

सौ रजनी सी वह रजनी थी,

क्यों संध्या को यह सोचा था,

निशि में होगी कुछ बात नई,

लो दिन बीता, लो रात गई

 

चिडियाँ चहकी, कलियाँ महकी,

पूरब से फ़िर सूरज निकला,

जैसे होती थी, सुबह हुई,

क्यों सोते-सोते सोचा था,

होगी प्रात: कुछ बात नई,

लो दिन बीता, लो रात गई

 

बसंत बहार

गुलों कंद में
छुपे हुऐ, बाद-ए-बहार छूते
निखर, निखर आये
gulon kand mein
chupe hue, baad-e-bahaar choote
nikhar, nikhar aaye

पंखुड़ियों-ए-गुलों जो
बेताब थे, लिहाफ-ए-ज़मीन बनके
कुचल, मचल गये
pankhu.Diyo.n-e-gulon jo
betaab the, lihaaf-e-zameen banke
kuchal, machal gaye

अटकी, अटकी, थकी
नदी, आज साहिल छोड़ कर
बहक, बहक चली
atki, atki, thaki
nadi, aaj saahil chood ker
bahak,bahak chali

बंजर सफ़-ए-अशजार
पर कोंपलें फूट फूट के
दहक, दहक उठे
banjar saf-e-ashjaar
per konpalen phoot phoot ke
dahak, dahak uthe

ख़िज़ाँ के सोये
परिंदे, नग्मे सुर-ओ-लय में
चेहेक, चेहेकने लगे
khizaan ke soye
parindhe, nagme sur-o-ly mein
chehek, chehekne lage

सोज़-ए-उम्मीद-ओ-अरमान
दबे हुऐ, घटा बिखरते ही
भड़क, भड़क गये
soz-e-ummiid-o-armaan
dabe hue, ghata bikharte hi
bhadak, bhadak gaye

दिलों की ज़ुस्तज़ु
लबों पे शबाब बन कर
उभर, उभर गयी
dillon ki justajuu,
labon pe shabaab ban kar
ubhar, ubhar gayi

तीरगी के आलम
पर रौशनी छायी, रंग-ए-बहार
झलक, झलक गयी

tiirgii ke aalam
per raushnii chayee, rang-e-bahaar
jhalak, jhalak gayi

Word List:
kand – कंद – bulb
baad-e-baahar – बाद-ए-बाहर – spring breeze
pankhu.Diyo.n – पंखुड़ियों -petals
lihaaf – लिहाफ़ – Quilt
soz – सोज़ – burning, heat, passion, ardour
soz-e-ummid-o-armaan – सोज़-ए-उम्मीद-ओ-अरमान – ardour of hopes and desires
saf-e-ashjaar – सफ़-ए-अशजार -line of trees
justujuu – जुस्तुजू – search, inquiry, scrutiny
shabaab – शबाब – youth,prime of life
tiirgii – तीरगी -darkness, gloom

Notes:
This form is a Jack Collom lune. Also, referred to American haiku. But, instead of counting syllables, it is simply a 3-5-3 words tercet. I have written in this form in English before. It was meant to used by school age children to write poetry, make it simple for them. I suppose it works for adults too.

Today is first day of Spring. And it has been a typical Pacific Northwest day – grey and wet. However, we have had a much milder winter than I can remember. We actually had great, warm(ish), sunny days, some even reaching near high-60s, low 70s.

With regular humdrum of life and work, it is easy to miss the beauties of spring. Thoreau had noted about being attentive and awake (hat tip: brainpickings.org):

The millions are awake enough for physical labor; but only one in a million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one in a hundred millions to a poetic or divine life. To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake. How could I have looked him in the face?
We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep.

Tried to capture a slice of spring around beautiful Portland.