A sudden torrential innerburst, mind numbing
And tearful in extent. What is it? Where in
Natures bountiful mysteries does this figure?
Overflowing inner joy but by no means peaceful,
Like a matrimony of Ghalib's pain with the joys
Of the rain!
A welcome yet unsure change between hazy days of
Self yielding grey. What mist, what silence, what
Rhythm brings about this cataclysm of overwhelming
Heaviness in the throat, skipped beats in the heart
And a rush of ecstacy in my blood? A sense of such
Seductive anticipation..
A timeless time on the clocks that remains unseen
Just so the soul can enjoy these fleeting yet strong
Lapses of unhindered selfless freedom. Inward collages
Of crashing waterfalls, stubborn rivers, golden fields
Of wheat and green valleys of flowers. The focus of a
Tiger and the suspense of a deer. Oh what is it?
This resonanting tune of the flute, the naughty string
Games of a sitar, the push of the tabla beats and the
Binding sorrow of the piano- the outburst in the inner!
Then, when I open my eyes, harness my senses ready to
Plunge in the senseless mediocrity does my mind answer-
It's the raag Megh-Malhaar!
© Malyaban Lahiri
© Malyaban Lahiri
I think this was written as almost an ode to an artist and the music. When I start reading it I feel a pleasant mystery unfurling in front of the artist and he has thousands of pleasantly astounded questions and exclamations. The next stanzas make me feel what an effect art can have on an ordinary drab life. And that's why perhaps words like waterfall, river, golden fields against 'inward collapses.' And I love the line 'The focus of a
ReplyDeleteTiger and the suspense of a deer' What a thought!
After this it seems the poen will go on for a little while longer. But just when we're about to 'Plunge in the senseless mediocrity' we're reminded to go back to what we should be doing - appreciate the art, the artist and that's where the success of the write-up lies I guess... Well Done!
The music... oh the music!
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