Amrita Pritam

This blog explores the poetry of Amrita Pritam. All her original poems are in Punjabi. I've translated them in Hindi. The Hindi translations are relatively straight forward and there are other authors who have translated her work in Hindi. In some cases, where I could, I have translated a few of her poems in English. This is an entirely different task from Hindi translation. I have major reservations and a few misgivings about any attempt to translate poems in general. All of those concerns apply here in full force. I consider these translations as my musings and explorations: they carry no weight and are no substitute for experiencing the poetry in Punjabi. I am acutely aware of the challenges this may pose to even Hindi readers, let alone English ones. I offer no recourse.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

विश्वास Faith ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ

विश्वास

एक अफ़वाह बड़ी काली

एक चमगादड़ की तरह मेरे कमरे में आई है

दीवारों से टक्करें मारती

कोने, मोरियाँ और सुरंगों को ढूंढती ...

पर आँखों की काली गलियाँ

मैंने हाथों से ढक लीं हैं

और तेरे इश्क़ की मैंने कानों में रुई डाल ली है ...

Faith

A black rumor

like a bat

has found its way into my room

flinging against the walls

looking for crannies

corners and crevices

But I have covered

the dark lanes of my eyes

with my hands

and I have plugged my ears

with the cotton wool

of your love

The power of this poem lies in its metaphor and imagery - and in its integration with the poet’s insight on lovers’ trust. The image of a bat entering a room and flinging against walls is provocative. In fact, I have experienced this as a child in India when I lived near a park. One summer night a bat entered the room of our bedroom through an open clerestory window and pounded on the walls looking for an escape. It is a terrifying ordeal for a child - even if the bat is the one in trouble! Amrita uses this image deftly to suggest the power of love to blind us to information we don’t want to hear. What makes the poem poignant is the fact that we don’t know whether the rumor is true.

Stage of love: akidat [trust/reverence]