चंद उलाहने
(1)
तटस्थता के पुल पर खड़ी होकर
उसने मुझे
एक दिन
जाने किस नदी में ढकेल दिया
कोई किनारा नहीं
कोई नाव नहीं
कोई तिनका नहीं
बहता हाँफता जा रहा हूँ
लहरों के साथ
इंतजार में कि कभी तो कहीं बढ़ाएगी हाथ.
A Few Complaints
Standing on the bridge of indifference,
She pushed me
One day
Into an unknown river
No shore
No boat
No straw to clutch at. I keep drifting, breathless,
With the waves,
Waiting and hoping that someday,
Somewhere, her hand will extend.
(2)
पहले उसने पता नहीं
कौन सा जादू किया
मैं पतंग बन गया
उसने जी भर उड़ाया मुझे
प्रेम की डोर में बाँधकर अपनी इच्छाओं के
सातवें आसमान में
फिर मुझे सुग्गा बनाया
अपने हथेलियों पर नचाती रही
और एक दिन पिंजरे से उड़ा दिया
जाओ जरा उड़ कर आओ
अब न मैं पतंग हूँ न सुग्गा
पतंगों की डोर में लगे मंझे से लहूलुहान
एक ऐसी चिड़िया
जिसे उड़ना ही नहीं आता घोसला कोई बनाना ही नहीं आता. I’m not sure,
What magic trick did she perform that
I became a kite and
Tied with the string of her love
She made me fly, all over the sky
Up to the seventh heaven of her desires.
Then she turned me into a parrot
And kept me dancing, on her palms
And one day set me free from the cage
Saying that – "Go, come back after flying a bit."
Now I’m neither a parrot nor a kite,
I’m just a wounded bird,
Unable to create a nest, or able to fly,
Bloodied from an abrasive string of a kite.
~~~~~
Bio Poet Born on February 5, 1981, in Baisadeeh (Bihar), India, Hareprakash Upadhyay is an important poet and novelist of Hindi literature. His first anthology of poems “Khiladi Dost and Anya Kavitayen” was published by Bhartiya Jnanpith, bringing ultimate honor to the poet. He also won the “Jnanpith Navlekhan Award,” an accolade given by Bhartiya Jnanpith, for his novel Bakhedapur. Known for his style and craft, and a personal touch in his poetry, Hareprakash Upadhyay has received the prestigious “Ankur Mishra Smriti Puraskar” and “Hemant Smriti Puraskar” as well.
Bio Translator
Kalpna Singh-Chitnis is an Indian-American bilingual poet, writer, filmmaker, and author of three poetry collections in English and three poetry collections in Hindi. Her works have appeared in notable journals such as "World Literature Today," "Columbia Journal," "Tupelo Quarterly," "Cold Mountain Review," "Indian Literature," "Vsesvit," "Silk Routes" (IWP) at The University of Iowa, Stanford University's "Life in Quarantine," Hans, Pahal, Sakchatkar, etc. Her poetry has been translated into twenty languages. Her bilingual poetry collection "Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava" (River Paw Press, 2023) translated into Ukrainian by Volodymyr Tymchuk, a poet and Lieutenant Colonel of The Armed Forces of Ukraine, has been named Finalist at “International Book Awards” presented by American Book Fest. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she is the recipient of the Naji Naaman Literary Prize, Rajiv Gandhi Global Excellence Award, and Bihar Rajbhasha Award, given by the government of Bihar, India. Poems from her award-winning book "Bare Soul" and her poetry film "River of Songs" have been included in the “Nova Collection” and the “Polaris Collection” of Lunar Codex time capsule, set to go to the moon with NASA's missions in 2023. A former lecturer of Political Science and Editor-in-Chief of "Life and Legends," she is also an Advocacy Member at the United Nations Association of the USA. Her sixth poetry collection "Trespassing My Ancestral Lands" is forthcoming from the Finishing Line Press in 2024, and her fourth Hindi poetry collection "Jo Tum Ho Wahi Hoon Main" is expected to come out soon. Website: www.kalpnasinghchitnis.com