A Tempest in Silence

Copyright © 2015 by Jagdish Prakash.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4828-5770-2

                eBook          978-1-4828-5769-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Contents

Love

An Epistle of Love

Mohabbat Nama

Come Near for a While

Aao Kuchch Der

You

Tum

A Song

Geet

Stay for a While

Abhi Mat Jao

Your Presence

Tum Ho

It is You

Tum Ho

One Evening

Ek Sham

When Your Memory Sojourned

Jab Khayal Aaya Tera

I am Addressing You

Mein Tumse Mukhatib Hoon

Believe Me, I Could Not Sleep for a Moment

Yaqeen Jano ke Ik Pal Mein So Nahi Paya

The Core of Desire

Harf-E-Tamanna

Faded Petunias

Petunia ke Murjhaye Phool

Dates of the Calendar

Calendar ki Tareekhein

Unrequited Desire

Aarzoo

Lingering Moments

Intezar

The Equator of Silence

Khamoshi ka Khat-e-astwa

Nostalgia

Voices of Silence

Khamoshi Ki Sadayei(n)

Kanti Uncle

Kanti Mama

A Chasm in the Dim Light

Dhundli Roshani me ek Shigaf

Vancouver, Delhi and the Manuscript of My Poem

Vancouver, Delhi aur Meri Nazam ka Maswida

An Island

Jazeera

Echoing Sounds

Bazgasht

Friendship

The Portrait

Ek Tasweer

For You, My Friend

Narender ke Liye

Pain

Dard

Dejection

Benumbed

Anjumaad

The End

Ikhtetam

This Exhausted Day

Yeh Thaka Din

A Long Journey

Ek Lamba Safar

I am Passing through Strange Times

Ajeeb Daur Se Ho Kar Guzar Raha Hoon Mein

A Wish

Hasrat

Sleeplessness

Bekhwabi

Closed Windows

Band Dariche

An Elegy of a Sinking Boat

Doobti Kashti Ka Noha

The Monologue of a Terrorist

Ek Dehshatgard Ki Sarguzisht

An Acrid Day

Ek Din Tezab Jaisa

Existentialism

My Existence

Mera Wajood

Death

Maut

Mystery of Existence

Tilasm-E-Hayat

The Suspended Moon

Atka Hua Chaand

A Distraught Day, a Restless Night

Ek Barham sa Din, Ek Preshan Shab

I am Exhausted

Thak Gaya Hoon Mein

A Quest

Talash

Search for Peace

Talash-e-Sukoon

Who Knows

Kaun Jaane

Two Old Men on a Park Bench

Park ke Bench par Do Buzurg

O Gods, I Ask You

Khuda Tum se Mein Poochhta Hoon

Hope

One Day

Ek Din

Go on Ahead

Chalte Chalo

The Stretched Days

Din Bade Ho Gaye

Journey through the Dark Night

Siyaah Raat ka Safar

My Destiny

Mera Muqaddar

The Sound of the Dome

Sada-i-Gumbad

Shamil ho lo

Where Art Thou, Picasso!

Kahaan Hai Picasso

Alien Moments

Ajnabi Lamhaat

A New World in the Valleys of the Solar System

Nizam-e-Shamsi ki Wadiyon Mein Naya Jahan Hai

Agony of the Night

Raat Ka Dard

To a Cloud

Abrnama

Arrival of the Dawn – 1

Aamad-e-Sehr–1

Arrival of the Dawn – 2

Aamad-e-Sehr–2

Look Here

Idhar Bhi Dekh

Dedicated to

People, passions, moments,

memories and the time gone by

which I lived through these poems.

A Tempest in Silence

I write poetry; mostly in Urdu. Four of my books of Urdu verse have been published and one is under publication. Sharing my poetry with friends on Facebook has led me not only to the pleasant experience of making the acquaintance with lovers of poetry but also building strong bonds and deep associations with other highly talented poets. Among these associations, one of the most rewarding is with Muhammad Shanazar, an educationist and poet from Pakistan. He writes in English and is also one of the best known translators in Pakistan. We shared thoughts on the state of contemporary poetry, the journey of poetry through the rough and tumble of time and on the present state of social angst, anguish, disillusionment and the faint glimmer of hope that hovers on the distant horizon of time, giving a new form, tone, texture, idiom and context to contemporary poetry. This interaction led to the sharing of my Urdu verse with Shanazar. One morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see a translation of one of my Urdu poems by him on Facebook, along with a short message saying that he wished to translate and publish some of my poems into English. One by one he translated 65 of my poems from my books,’Narendra ke Liye’, ‘Aasman-dar-Aasman’ and ‘Shigaf’. He chose only the nazms (poems) for rendition in English, leaving aside the ghazals which, in his own words, are untranslatable as it is almost impossible to capture their rhythm, nuance and flavour in translation.

Among the various forms of creative writing, poetry I feel is the most untranslatable; Urdu poetry even more so. Despite best efforts and application of a highly creative sensibility and sensitivity, it is barely possible to capture the flavour, intent and idiom of a language while translating into another language. As Robert Frost bluntly says, poetry is what gets lost in translation. Yet Shanazar has struggled and succeeded in rendering the images, metaphor and idiom as well as poetic expression in Urdu into the English language and tried his best to capture the theme and essence of my poetic thought. In doing so he has gone beyond a word-for-word translation in order to bring out the true intent of my expression.

The translated poems have been subjected to further scrutiny, suggestions and renewed rendition to bring them closer in intent and lyrical nuances and linguistic accuracy to the original by Ms. Neena Sood, herself an educationist, poet, translator and editor, who has rendered invaluable help and effort in giving final shape to these poems and compiling them according to the major themes that run in my verse.

Through this translation of my verse I hope to share my thoughts and emotions with a wider audience.

A Roman transcript of the original poems in Urdu has also been included in the book for the benefit of those who can understand Urdu but are not familiar with its script. I hope this will enable them to enjoy the original essence and lyricism of the poems in Urdu.

Jagdish Prakash

Translator’s Note

My online association with Jagdish Prakash is a happy event that has blossomed into a strong relationship. Greatly impressed by his thought and poetic expression I expressed the urge to study him as a poet. He willingly provided me his books of poetry in Urdu. As I read the volumes, I was more and more enthralled by his immense poetic talent. His work began to get distilled into my thoughts and feelings and made me feel that such a splendid treasure needed to be translated into English to enable lovers of poetry everywhere to enjoy it. Being a member of the International Poetry Translation and Research Centre (IPTRC), China, I gladly undertook the translation of Jagdish’s poetry into English. In doing so, I was also driven by a desire to bring intellectuals from Pakistan and India closer.

Jagdish’s poetry consists of intricate yet subtle images. His diction is embellished and his figures of speech are deeply embedded in similes drawn from the ethnic, cultural and earthy heritage of our subcontinent. Translation of such passages was a challenge which I sailed through by trying to understand the cultural allusions and subtle nuances of his expression through close interaction with him. It also helped in comprehending his poetic idiom and in capturing the real feel and flavour of his poetry. I hope I have succeeded in my endeavour.

The most prominent feature in Jagdish’s poetry, however, is the overwhelming urge for calmness, peace, serenity and silence charged with pathos. He exhibits maturity of thought and expresses his journey through his trail of loneliness in a subtle and dignified manner. He is deeply attached to his world within rather than the world in which he manifestly resides.

The impact of the outer world on his emotional world within is very deep and profound. Jagdish’s poetry is, in fact, like the shrieking cries of sepulchral agony of loneliness emerging from the abyss of his soul. It will undoubtedly be an invaluable addition