I was wondering if we could all discuss our favorite poems, separate from books? Thank you Satish for quoting Tagore, and SPS for Mu Metha, both my favorites too. I am also utterly in love with Rumi and Hafish, persian poets based on Coleman Barks's translation. Rumi's ecstasic poems often taste like our own Bharati, more on that later.
I will share what little I know about the great TAgore. Tagore wrote primarily in Bengali and good translations are extremely hard to find. He wrote songs in additoin to poems, songs set to great music commonly called Rabindra Sangeet. (Many hindi music directors such as RD Burman liberally copied Rabindra Sangeet).
Doordarshan used to telecast some wonderful stories written by Tagore as plays, a long long time ago. He was truly a great socially aware story writer, poet and spiritual guru. Below is a sweet love poem that I cherish very much.
Malathi
Last night a song came to my mind, you were then not with me. That which I have been waiting, in silent tears, all my life to tell you, suddenly it flashed in the dark as a song in homage offered. But you were then not with me.
I thought when the morning came, I would let you know the secret. The scent of flowers, unattached, floats around, and birds with their call fill the sky. But however much, with all my heart I try, the tune does not fit the words, now that you are with me.
do you know kalki paid a princely sum of 5 rs entrnce fee o see tagore. that was a s a student in trichy studying under a scholarship
he says tagore glided like a cloud on the ground in his white silken robe" kalki had not read tagore till then.
and much later with his penchant for getting into contreversies kalki would compare barathi unfavourably with tagore.
cant avoid mentioning it. madras state banned barathis songs when subbaroyan was the chief minister. sathyamurthy walked out of the assembly in protest. during that time kalki also got into the contreversy of under rating barathi.
the irony was- when barathi memorial was opened both subbaroyan and kalki played big roles, but sathyamurthi wasnt alive.
> I was wondering if we could all discuss our favorite poems, separate > from books?
Yes malathi
small poems have changed more lives than long long books.
and so many times we set poems we hear as our lifes' mission.
the poem that shaped me was definitely robert frost's " the road not taken
it ends
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
and talking of poetry,
omar khayaam, amir khusro how we have to satisfy orselves with translations.
the night of seperation is as long as the tresses of my beloved amir khusro
amir was a poet, singer , inventor {both the sitar and tabla were reportedly his inventions) and as a historian and chronicler he accompanied malik kafur on the southern invasion.
Thanks Venkat, I knew Kalki was huge fan of Tagore but had no idea he initially critiqued Bharati. I mean perhaps I could give him some margin with Bharati's stories which are a little odd and childish but his poetry ranks on par wiht Tagore and Rumi and all the world' greatest.I assume you mean Madras State under the British?
Venkat, I have that Robert Frost peom at home, with a nice scenery to go with it, on my wall. Yes it is a timeless favorite. I can post many more as far as English goes, Emily Dickinson, Mary Olivier, Robert Bly..the list is quite long. And of course non English as you said Khusru, Rumi, Hafiz, and even Mirabai.. I am a hopeless Rumi fan, although material is only translated.