I wish to write a poem about mountains
A poem like one never penned before
I want to capture each bend of the brook
Gather the waves in my lap
And clothe them in my words
On a page with black letters I yearn
To emboss an evening’s entire magic
To play with rainbow hues and write:
Nature wrought these mysteries for my pen alone
I crave the repose of an evening—
An evening that draws the morning’s envy
And of your locks, your eyes, your lips,
your form, your attire, I ache to speak
No thought but yours shall prevail
All air drenched with thoughts of you
I long for a winter’s morning
And for my diary and pen to be at hand
The banyan would be close by
That ages ago had whispered to me:
Save this hope and shield this innocence—
All these secrets I would write down, word for word
I desire a blanket of fog
With tearful eyes I would visit the place
Where I left behind my childhood
With the nib of my pen I would search anew
Those bonds now broken beyond repair
Under the bitter neem I would plant a flower bed
With tiny hands I would sow blossoms
And come spring, scatter them all in the winds
I wish—but where is the leisure to compose?
I wish—but when will this bleak evening fade?
This torrent of fire and blood, this stream of tears
At each step, this arrogant frenzy of hatred
If only the realities scattered around me
Were to relent awhile, my friend
If only a flame were to appear and say: Here is leisure—
Go write that poem never penned before!
Source text: ‘Main Chahta Hoon’ (‘मैं चाहता हूँ’) from Khamoshi (ख़ामोशी)by Gauhar Raza, Rajpal Publications, New Delhi, 2017, pp.168-169. The poet can be heard reciting this poem here.
Gauhar Raza is a noted poet, activist, scientist, and documentary filmmaker based in New Delhi. He has published two collections of poems entitled Jazbon ki Lau Tez Karo and Khamoshi. He is also known for his documentary films First War of Independence-1857, In Dark Times, Inqilab, and A Beautiful Spaceship. Besides this, Raza has published widely in the area of public understanding of science and is founder editor of the Journal of Scientific Temper and is on the editorial board of many reputed international research journals.
Rituparna Sengupta translates poetry and literary fiction besides writing essays on literature and cinema for academic and popular publications. She has recently earned her PhD in Literature from IIT Delhi. Her published translations and writing are catalogued here.
