Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Dono Ore Prem Palta Hai...

A few days ago, out of the blue I remembered an old Hindi poem I studied long time back as part of my course. Its called "Dono Ore Prem Palta Hai" by Maithili Sharan Gupt. And then I had this strange feeling of Deja Vu... That I understood what it is all about. In fact I relate to it in my own way, I'll tell you how, step by step!

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

सखि पतंग भी जलता है
हा दीपक भी जलता है

Both are crazy in love with each other.

Both burn with desire...

He, the flame, me the moth attracted to the fatal glow.


सीस हिलाकर दीपक कहता

बन्धु वृथा ही तू क्यों दहता

पर पतंग पडकर ही रहता
कितनी विह्वलता है

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

He wonders, why am I so crazy about him, why am I so obsessed with him, how come my life starts and ends with him... but I cannot say anything, I am helpless... it is like that only, there is nothing I can do about it!

बचकर हाय पतंग मरे क्या

प्रणय छोडकर प्राण धरे क्या

जले नही तो मरा करें क्या क्या यह असफलता है

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

I tell him... If I do not devote myself to you, if I do not completely immerse myself in you, what else do I have to do? Where else will I go? What will I do with a life without you? There is nothing else in my fate... I am destined to be like this with him, if it means I destroy myself in his love, so be it! Burning in his love is not a failure; rather not being able to burn in his love is a failure!

कहता है पतंग मन मारे

तुम महान मैं लघु पर प्यारे

क्या न मरण भी हाथ हमारे
शरण किसे छलता है

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

I tell him, for me, you are great: so is the stature and importance I have given you in my life, even if you have not done likewise. Funny, how intensely my fate is tied to yours, that my life or death is also decided by yours!

दीपक के जलनें में आली

फिर भी है जीवन की लाली

किन्तु पतंग भाग्य लिपि काली
किसका वश चलता है

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

He burns but spreads light in the world; some good comes out of his doings. But me, my fate is black... there is self immersion and destruction written and so it will be. Happy or sad, this is what I am and what I'll be for the rest of my life.

जगती वणिग्वृत्ति है रखती

उसे चाहती जिससे चखती

काम नही परिणाम निरखती
मुझको ही खलता है

दोनों ओर प्रेम पलता है

The world is selfish, it keeps relations with those who gave it some benefit and ignores the rest. Its the end result which matters, not the words or deeds or the intentions behind them!

Though the last stanza is kind of general, I think it sums up what happens to some of the best of relationships... where the intentions get lost in misunderstandings and miscommunications, and relationships without strong pillars of respect, trust and love... end in a breakup.

It is only after being in love that I realized that it is possible to completely destroy oneself in it, for it. When intensity of feelings cross limits, it can either strengthen the relationship in a way that it can never break again, or destroy the people in it forever!

So all you people out there in love... take care! ;)


12 comments:

Yashika Totlani Khanna said...

Aditi, i keep wondering why they teach us these poems in school... at that time, we are so incompetent to understand them in the right way.

Anyway, great piece of work n the hindi font there looks so different!! Someone is such a complete mush-ball!! Lucky "R"!

Have faint memories of reading this in school(or was it something else, but similar in tone??)... and still remember the dilemma that came attached with these poems(like a tag that reads 'if uv never fallen in love, this poem wont make any sense to you and brace urself for a big 'F' in the paper!').

Uber-creative of you to come with such an idea for blogging... like always :)

Sugar & Spice said...

@Yashika
I came across this in my 1st year of college, and though I had been in a relationship for 3-4 yrs then, I still did not quite understand it... my mom had to sit down and explain to me what it meant. even a few days ago when i re-read it, i needed my mom to help me understand it again.
it was a mammoth task to get hold of this poem...searched high and low for teh electronic format!!
As for lucky "R", we shall see how lucky(or unlucky) R feels when he realises after reading this post what a crazy woman he has brot in his life!!
I still think i havent been able to do justice to my thots... this post is very childish and immature and seems kinda incomplete or unrefined... like i said, maybe ill edit it sometime in future, and do justice to what i really meant to say. but i do hope u got the gist of what i was trying to say :D

Unknown said...

Very nicely written indeed.

Unknown said...

Thx for making me discovering this poem. C'est très beau

Sameera Ansari said...

That's a lovely poem and an even lovelier connection of it to love!Being in love myself I can understand the passion with which you have written it.And no don't edit it,at times such words which come straight from the heart should be preserved for eternity!:)

Sugar & Spice said...

@ modified... thanks a lot...

@Caro ... u r most welcome darling... hope i can write more stuff in future which will interest you.

@sameera... thanks for teh words of encouragement... and keep visiting!

Anonymous said...

hey thx a lot for your translation.i liked d poem wen, i was not in love, wen i read it first,now dat i m in love n just like the patanga.i m in tears.i luv this poem a million times more now.plz guys pray for me.

Sugar & Spice said...

good luck lambofgod! thanks for visiting!

Unknown said...

Lol , thanks for the explanation ... im doing 1st year BA and we have this poem in hindi
also tomorrow my semester is starting ... and I havent attended a single hindi lecture ... which makes my mind go blank while reading this poem .
Now I know the meaning ... I can write it down in my own words ... haha thanks again !

Unknown said...

Maybe 10 years too late to comment but this poem is immortal.Studied in my 9th, it had a great impact on me then and has stayed with me through all these years,I'm 27 now.

Well,when my relationship of 4 years was beginning to fade away, I kept reminding her about this poem and how I'm the 'Pataka' and she, the light and how I'm destined to love her no matter what, even when she has found reasons to disown me.Going through the pain is an honor and victory, but If I give up and take the easy way out then I've failed myself and my existence.

Needless to say, not to be with her was my fate, but I'm proud of myself I fought the good fight.

Heera said...

The poem describe the hardships Urmila and Lakshman has two go thru. I loved this poem during my college days. Thnx

Unknown said...

Samee which college