Rahat Indori - Maal jitna tha wo chowkidaar lekar ud gaya - Translation and Thoughts
Today I am reading and thinking about a poem by contemporary Indian poet Rahat Indori. He is one of the only current poets from India that I regularly listen to through his youtube channel. Here is a ghazal with three couplets. First the ghazal and then some translation and thoughts:
Phool se titli udi chhat se kabutar ud gaya
Ek zara si aankh jhapki thi ke manzar ud gaya
Ek zara si aankh jhapki thi ke manzar ud gaya
Mutmayin tha ke sar pe aasmaan maujood hai
Aayi aisi zor ki aandhi ke chhappar ud gaya
Aayi aisi zor ki aandhi ke chhappar ud gaya
Saanp baithe the khazaane pe wo baithe reh gaya
Maal jitna tha wo chowkidaar lekar ud gaya
Maal jitna tha wo chowkidaar lekar ud gaya
Translation and Notes:
Phool se titli udi chhat se kabutar ud gaya
Ek zara si aankh jhapki thi ke manzar ud gaya
Ek zara si aankh jhapki thi ke manzar ud gaya
* manzar - spectacle, a scene, view
The butterfly flew from the flower
The pigeon flew from the roof
The eye had just blinked
The whole scene changed
Mutmayin tha ke sar pe aasmaan maujood hai
Aayi aisi zor ki aandhi ke chhappar ud gaya
Aayi aisi zor ki aandhi ke chhappar ud gaya
* Mutmayin - safe, secure, tranquil, content, at peace, satisfied
One felt safe that there was a sky over the head
Such a strong storm came that the roof flew away
Saanp baithe the khazaane pe wo baithe reh gaya
Maal jitna tha wo chowkidaar lekar ud gaya
Maal jitna tha wo chowkidaar lekar ud gaya
* chowkidaar - watchman or gatekeeper; Chowkidar Chor Hai (Hindi: चौकीदार चोर है, lit. 'The watchman is a thief') is a Hindi slogan used by the Indian National Congress (INC) in its election campaign for the 2019 Indian general election.
The Snake was sitting on the treasure; he kept sitting
Whatever treasure was there the watchman flew away with it
Meditation on the first Couplet
The butterfly flew from the flower
The pigeon flew from the roof
The eye had just blinked
The whole scene
changed
When you dive into a poem about flowers
and it turns about impermanence
but in a very different way.
There are so many
colors of basant
Everything can change very fast
The pandemic of 2020
changed the world
in just 2 months.
Don't blink your eye
or you will miss
the changes
Present is like
a roof with pigeons
You never know when
a seeming small incident
like a butterfly taking off from a flower
will change the whole
scenario.
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