english translation..
For you, Taj may be a monument to love
you may adore this lovely spot
but, darling, let's meet somewhere else !
In such royal places, we the poor ?
Regal opulence seen every which way ?
Two poor lovers here? Really out-of-place !
Sweetheart, under this so-called symbol of love,
wish you had seen vulgar splurge of opulence ?
Charmed you may be by royal mausoleums,
wish you had thought of our own dismal homes !
Countless millions are in love !
Who can say their emotions aren't real
just because they, like us, have no means
to put up an advertisement ?
These mausoleums, these arrogant forts,
these pillars of royal eminence
these lush gardens: In these very flowers and vines
runs the blood of our own ancestors, my love.
Don't you think they must also have been in love,
the people whose art
and skill made this monument so beautiful ?
They and their loved ones now lie nameless,
in unmarked graves, without a a single candle
yet lit for them.
These gardens, by the Jamuna, this palace,
the embroidered doors, walls and niches ---
That's just how an emperor,
using his wealth and power,
mocks the love between us destitutes.
Could we meet somewhere else, darling ?
SAHIR LUDHIANVI : The Taj Mahal.
Translated by RIZ RAHIM (copyright)
In: 'The Guardian', UK (guardian.co.uk), under GU TALK, 'The Arts'/'Translated Poetry' and 'Anything on Anything'
Kumkum Bhagya
