It happened so often in my childhood
That someone pointed out
'You have swallowed
The seed with the fruit
So a tree will grow inside you'
Inside me any tree grew or not
I don't know
Because I didn't confer to anyone ever
Any shadow, fruit or whisper of spring
But when today I
Saw a young tree being cut
I listened within me
A green-flourishing shriek
A terror-stricken shriek
Burst out of me
Whether My shriek was heard by anyone or not
I don't know
Because I didn't grow like a tree inside others
Because to anyone I never conferred
Any shadow, fruit or whisper of spring
Rajendra Rajan
Translation : Dr. Shaleen Kumar Singh
पेड़
छुटपन में ऐसा होता था अक्सर
कि कोई टोके
कि फल के साथ ही तुमने खा लिया है बीज
इसलिए पेड़ उगेगा तुम्हारे भीतर
मेरे भीतर पेड़ उगा या नहीं
पता नहीं
क्योंकि मैंने किसी को कभी
न छाया दी न फल न वसंत की आहट
लेकिन आज जब मैंने
एक जवान पेड़ को कटते हुए देखा
तो मैंने सुनी अपने भीतर
एक हरी – भरी चीख
एक डरी – डरी चीख
मेरे भीतर से निकली
मेरी चीख लोगों ने सुनी या नहीं
पता नहीं
क्योंकि लोगों के भीतर
मैं पेड़ की तरह उगा नहीं
क्योंकि मैंने किसी को कभी
न छाया दी न फल न वसंत की आहट.
- राजेन्द्र राजन .
3 comments:
Nice job by young Shaleen. The texture of felt immediacies rendered beautifully in the translated version.Superb!
Sunil
Nice translation! However, I noticed a few flaws.
The pivotal line of the poem, न छाया दी न फल न वसंत की आहट, hasn't come out clearly in the translation. Aahat, really is 'footfall' and not 'whisper', which has entirely different connotations.
Also, the word 'conferred' obstructs the poetic flow somehow.
dear Samartha Thanks for your kind comment. I am convinced to your footfalls though conferred should not be taken as the direct meaning from Dictionary. I felt confer better than give so I used it. You seem correct when you say me to use give in its place. But conferred should not be directly connoted to 'give title or honour' and I don't feel it constraining any flow. Well thanks again for ur valuable suggestions. regards
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