Share Poems 04: Poems for peace & harmony
February 8, 2010 · Print This Article
Many months ago, while initiating the thread ‘Poems of Protest’, we had said… “sometimes a hand raised in protest is the most poetic thing in this world!”
In life and in poetry, there must be protest and struggle till there is justice, peace and harmony! At the same time, let poetry also be a prayer, an appeal, a reaffirmation of the human spirit that seeks peace, harmony and happiness for all.
We share an ancient Sanskrit hymn and invite you to share your favorite lines on the theme…
“सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामया
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्ति मा कश्चिद् दुःख भाग भवेत्”
“Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niraamayaa.
Sarve bhadraani pashyanti, maa kashchid dukh bhaag bhavet.”
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“May everyone be happy, may everyone be healthy”
May everyone be well, may none suffer any sorrow.”
– An ancient Sanskrit hymn
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Please Note: Do post as comments… poems, excerpts or your translations of the lines offered by others, or comments on the ones posted by others. This thread like the other areas of the website, is not to be used for messages of hate or political comments against any individual or community. The site admin and the editors reserve the right to withhold or delete any objectionable material.
LET US PLAY WITH ALL OUR INNOCENCE
It is raining in Kabul.
No kites, No kite runners. Just rain.
From the heavy dark clouds
Water drops rush through the dusty blue..
Before being absorbed by the dry, cold, sandy soil.
In the cloudy sky, choppers cut their way.
With thundering noise over the chill
But
Rain, rains..
The blanket of fear and uncertainty dissolve
Rain showers on blood soaked memories, Revenge ridden bullets .
All dissolve..
Because it is raining.
Rain is a prayer..
A Takbeer
Let it washes off all the sins form this dusty soil
On sun rises ..
Let us once again make our old paper boats.
And play with all our innocence
Into the rain..
Because it is raining.
P M Narayanan
Kabul
Tonight by Faiz Ahmad Faiz
Do not strike the chord of sorrow tonight!
Days burning with pain turn to ashes.
Who knows what happens tomorrow?
Last night is lost; tomorrow’s frontier wiped out:
Who knows if there will be another dawn?
Life is nothing, it’s only tonight!
Tonight we can be what the gods are!
Do not strike the chord of sorrow, tonight!
Do not repeat stories of sufferings now,
Do not complain, let your fate play its role,
Do not think of tomorrows, give a damn–
Shed no tears for seasons gone by,
All sighs and cries wind up their tales,
Oh, do not strike the same chord again!
“Imagine” is a song written and performed by English rock musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971.
————————
Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
Here is one on harmony with self and surrounding from Kashmiri saint poet Lal Ded:
काश्मीरी
शिव छुय थालिय थालिय रवजान
मो जान ह्योंद त मुसलमान
त्रुकय छुख, पनुन पान परजान
स्वय छय साहिबस स्त्य ज.नी जान
हिन्दी
शिव का घट घट मे है स्थान
मत भेद मान हिन्दू या मुसलमान
चतुर है तू अपने आप को जान
वही है साहिब से सच्ची पहचान
English
Shiva resides in every being
See none as a Hindu or Muslim.
Clever as you are, realise thyself
That is to know thy lord indeed .
This piece wishes to express how loss remains one’s only own during times without peace. Ironic it stands, yet this remains- loss of love, motherland, peace and harmony.
My love
It withers within the white of the moon
it perishes and parts, wry- it wounds
The glory fumes to a distant above
you are mine, my loss of love.
In this state of shadow and shriek
as I mull over my might- now a shallow creek
I swallow you as nothing but null
you are mine, my loss of love.
You are my thought, and my thud
I refuse you manor in my mind, but
The spring bygone, the spell is stirred
yet you remain, my loss of love.
BI G’AVI NI AZ
By
Pt. Dina Nath Nadim (1916-1988)
Kashmir- India
bi g’avi ni az su nagmi kanh
ti k’azi az – ti k’azi az
be vayi jayi jayi tapi krayi zan
b’ehi zag h’ath
karan chi ayi grayi yuth tsalan
yi m’on bag h’ath……….
English Translation by
Braj B. Kachru
Department of Linguistics, University of Illinois
I will not sing today,
I will not sing
of roses and of bulbuls
of irises and hyacinths
I will not sing
Those drunken and ravishing
Dulcet and sleepy-eyed songs.
No more such songs for me !
I will not sing those songs today.
Dust clouds of war have robbed the
iris of her hue,
The bulbul lies silenced by the
thunderous roar of guns,
Chains are all a-jingle in the
haunts of hyacinths.
A haze has blinded lightning’s eyes,
Hill and mountain lie crouched in fear,
And black death
Holds all cloud tops in its embrace,
I will not sing today
For the wily warmonger with loins girt
Lies in ambush for my land.
This nazm by Faiz Ahmed Faiz is one of my favourites. I feel freedom of expression is a process to usher in harmony and peace:
बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे
बोल ज़बाँ अब तक तेरी है
तेरा सुतवाँ जिस्म है तेरा
बोल कि जाँ अब तक् तेरी है
देख के आहंगर की दुकाँ में
तुंद हैं शोले सुर्ख़ है आहन
खुलने लगे क़ुफ़्फ़लों के दहाने
फैला हर एक ज़न्जीर का दामन
बोल ये थोड़ा वक़्त बहोत है
जिस्म-ओ-ज़बाँ की मौत से पहले
बोल कि सच ज़िंदा है अब तक
बोल जो कुछ कहने है कह ले
Here is Faiz again ( we need to start quoting someone else)
Wo buton ney daaley hain waswasay
Key dilon sey khauf-e-khuda gya,
Wo purhi hain roz qayamatein key khayal-roz-jaza gya,
Jo nafas tha khar-e-gulu bana,ju udhey tu haath lahu huey
Wo nishat-e-ahey seher gaye, wo waqar-e-dust-e-dua gaya
Na who rung fasl-e-bahar ka, na revish wo abrey bahar ki
Jis ada sey yaar thee ashna, wo mizage baad-e-saba gaya
Jo talab pur ehd-e-wafa kiya , tu wo abro-e-wafa gaye,
Sarey aam ju huey mudai, tu sawab-e-sadaq-o-wafa gaya
Abhi badban ku tey rakhu,,abhi muztarab hai rukh-e-huwa
Kissi rastey pey hai muntazir who sakoon ju aa key chala gaya,
Difficult words: Gulu = throat, Mudai = rivals, Abrey = clouds, Nishat = happiness, Ravish = method/way, Nafis = breathing, Muztarab = disturbed, badban*= sail of a ship
a few lines expressing my emotions on seing the current state of ‘hate politics’ in india…my appeal to all those who incite hate amongst indians for political gains…
”अंगारों का जो सैलाब तुम में सिमट आया है
उसे उफान पर आ जाने दो.
गिरा दो दर और दीवारें,
मज़हब और धर्म की.
मिटा दो सारे फासले,
अपने और पराये के.
जला दो बेमानी दायरे,
तेरे,मेरे,यहाँ और वहां के.
ऐसे तूफानों का डर नहीं मुझको!
लेकिन,
वतन ही रवां हो जो मेरी रग़ों में, ए- हुक्मरानों,
‘मुझको’ तो कायम रहने दो!!’
by..harsh p.choudhry
walking through the lonely road
the darkness filling into me,the stillness frightening me
no one to stop,no one to stare, no one to question me
suddenly i stumble into a soul
so full of questions it looked at me
i looked and looked and realized it was my soul looking at me
the first question it asked me,”why are you giving pain to me”?
playful days,sunny mornings and sweet nights are all my eyes ache to see
happiness is the key to succeess ,want to see that joy in me
never despair, never hurt to see the optimism in me
you know you have what it needs to be great,transfer it to me
never has a battle been won without the strength i have in me
so hold my hand and take a flight and spread your wings and fly for me.