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

Mutmayin tha ke sar pe aasmaan maujood hai
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





Translation and Notes: 

Phool se titli udi chhat se kabutar 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

* 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

* 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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