Wednesday, April 13, 2011

बर्फ के टुकड़े

एक लम्हा ही
उस बर्फ के टुकड़े में अटका पड़ा था
कभी जिसे कुरेद कुरेद कर
हम अपने ग्‍लास भरा करते थे

हाँ लम्हा ही तो था वो
जिसमें पहली बारिश में
हमेशा उन बर्फ के टुकडों  का ही इंतज़ार रहता 

यही एक खेल था
जिसमें बाबूजी मेरे साथ शरीक हो जाते 
एक आँख में इच्छा थी,
एक में अजीब सा सूनापन
और एक फासला  मजबूरी और जिज्ञासा के बीच 

आज जब तुम आई 
वही बरसात का इंतजार है 
वही सूखी धरती अपने ताप से फिर पिघला देना चाहती है 

तुम हाथों में गिलास लेकर खड़ी हो जाती
एक टकटकी के साथ मुझे देखती
उस परदे के पीछे से
जैसे ये बीत गए साल केवल एक पटाक्षेप ही है 

तुम्हारे लिए समय कितना स्थिर है 
ठहरा है अभी भी
उन दो टुकड़ों के बीच
मगर फासलों में बँटा इंसान 
कितने ही खंडित क्षणों को समेट चुका होता है

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Immortality 2

That is what is
of what was not
for history was for victors
to create the immortals
while the poets wrote for
what lay at the margins
as the shadows
for the dark disorders 
 
It is in their grain
that I spring and
in their music I sing
its in the fleeting beauty that I lie
for that is all I have
nor desires to capture, none to conquer
to leave imprints on sands
to be blown away in the wind
for immortality was a desire
to be forever known through what they did
through what they wrote
to always etch themselves on the hands of time
 
My song was what I took from you and you and you
you who were all around me,
you who were born before me and will live after me
you who will live in me and through me
you which was the nature and the songs of birds
colours of rainbow and tranquility of moon
the sparkle of the dew and the coolness of the rain
the cry of the new born and the sobs of mother lost her child
you who lived torn, divided
burnt asunder and taken apart
by nationalities, by greed
by hatred, by forsaken loves
destinies unfulfilled, hopes denied
you who lived inconsolable griefs and still trudged on
still sung the song when everything was falling apart
still stuck by the last straw to create hope
you, the forlorn child of the decaying humanity
you who were caught like dangling leaves from trees
in the violence unimaginable
 
For you I write and like you I am
a mortal and like you I will
be burnt into ashes or turned into dust
for immortality was for victors 
 those who wrote history
and those wanting remembrance
and it was wars and violence in the end
 
Humans know mortality to feign immortality
how long will we play the game of ignorance?