My English Version of Hindi Poems of Late Kedarnath Ji
WHERE SHALL I
GO?
Where shall I go?
I will remain here only
On some door
Like impressions of hand
In some *’Taakhe’
Or in aroma of a box
I will remain hidden
Will lie pressed
In some register
Under alphabets of my
Permanent address
Or if it could be
I will turn into a bell
Tied around the neck of a
pony
Loaded with salt
Moving on high cliffs
Or will become a nail of
Bridge of some sailor
Where shall I go?
Just behold
Everything will continue as
it is
Only my daily routine will
change
When chirpers will return in
evening
I, too, will return with
them.
When, chirpers will fly again
in morning
I, too, will fly along with
them.
*taakhe: shelves on walls in house, where everynight
earthen lamp is lit to invoke Goddess Lakshmi.
2. HAND
Holding her hand
In my hand
I wished
The whole Universe
Should be as full of warmth
and beauty
As her hand.
3. You arrived
Just as by and by
Pods of peas
Get sappy
Just as a thorn gets stuck in
heel
In process of walking
You appeared
As if a child is
Narrating story
You giggled
As if water murmurs
On the bank of river.
You shook
Just like a leaf shaking
As if wick quivers
Within glass of lantern
You touched me as if
Specks evaporate
Gradually
With sunlight
And lastly
Just as wind ripens
Fields of wheat
You matured me
And just as
Wheat is chaffed from husk
You separated me
From yourself.
I asked a child
Who was flying kite
Outside his school.
There, there he replied
In the direction where his
kite was on wings
I have no hitch in
acknowledging
I came to know for the first
time
Where is Himalaya.
5.She announced---I am going
I reverted----go
Knowing very well that going
Is the deadliest verb of
Hindi language.
Five Hindi poems of Late
Kedar Nath Singh ji, extracted from KavitaKosh and translated by me into
English.
RAJNI CHHABRA
Retired Lecturer in English
Multi-lingual poetess,
polyglot, blogger and Numerologist
Ph: 9538695141
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