8 must read poetry books in 2018
If we talk about poetry, it is the most talked about literature form in India for a few years, all thanks to the digital revolution on the internet where you can find young and at times, even slightly older poets, reciting their pieces. A lot of these videos have gone viral and created sensation among the millenials.
It is all good but there is always a negative aspect to everything. A lot of the young audiences have stopped reading the old classics of poetry which is essential to do in order to progress forward with this beautiful art. Today we will talk about top 10 poetry books/ anthology from different languages that one must read in 2018. Here we go…
- Kamayani (Hindi, Jaishankar Prasad)- Although hindi might not be very popular across the entire length and breadth of the Indian sub-continent, but the theme of this masterpiece will relate to all. Prasad, who was one of the most reputed poets of Hindi language, has weaved magic around the concept of destruction and re-creation of life and aren’t we all moving towards that end with the constant rise in global warming, threatening rise in pollution and climate change ? The way he has described the earth completely drowned up to the foothills of the Himalayas because of the rising sea levels is more relatable to our times than when it was written. Apart from that, he has also weaved magic around different humanly emotions like loneliness, empathy, love, lust, anger and jealousy. Overall, the book is a must read for all. See this small excerpt for yourself:
“ हिमगिरि के उत्तुंग शिखर पर, बैठ शिला की शीतल छाँह
एक पुरुष, भीगे नयनों से, देख रहा था प्रलय प्रवाह।
नीचे जल था ऊपर हिम था, एक तरल था एक सघन,
एक तत्व की ही प्रधानता, कहो उसे जड़ या चेतन।
दूर दूर तक विस्तृत था हिम, स्तब्ध उसी के हृदय समान,
नीरवता-सी शिला-चरण से, टकराता फिरता पवमान।
तरूण तपस्वी-सा वह बैठा, साधन करता सुर-श्मशान,
नीचे प्रलय सिंधु लहरों का, होता था सकरूण अवसान।”
2. Complete poems of John Keats (English)- The name of John Keats speaks for itself. So, I won’t have to speak much about him. But for some reader who might yet not know about him, I’d say he was the king of romanticism. And wait, what did you understand by romanticism ? It’s not only about the romance between individuals, it’s much beyond that. Keats writes about the bond between man and Nature and the serenity you derive out of it. Full of Hellenistic references at times and a lot of connections to the pagan beliefs of Nature worship, the verses are really enlightening and not only beautiful. Read this small excerpt from his poem Ode to a Grecian Urn:
“Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;”
3. Musafir (Urdu/ Hindustani, Bashir Badr)- Bashir Badr is the go to name for those who have just ventured into the world if Urdu poetry. Not as difficult to understand as Ghalib or Meer due to the easy vocabulary, yet comparable to any of the classical Urdu poets as far as content or subject matter are concerned. Badr writes about love, switches to society in the next couplet and then to nature or dreams or anything out of the blue and yet maintains the coherence in his ghazals. Refer to these shers (couplets) and decide for yourself:
“ वो थका हुआ मेरी बाहों में ज़रा सो गया था तो क्या हुआ
अभी मैं ने देखा है चाँद भी किसी शाख़-ए-गुल पे झुका हुआ |
जिसे ले गई है अभी हवा वो वरक़ था दिल की किताब का
कहीं आँसुओं से मिटा हुआ कहीं आँसुओं से लिखा हुआ |
कई मील रेत को काट कर कोई मौज फूल खिला गई
कोई पेड़ प्यास से मर रहा है नदी के पास खड़ा हुआ |
मुझे हादसों ने सजा सजा के बहुत हसीन बना दिया
मेरा दिल भी जैसे दुल्हन का हाथ हो मेहन्दियों से रचा हुआ |”
4. Kurukshetra (Hindi, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar)- How long do you think have poets been writing about injustice and praising socialism. Some would say from a long time. But not many would agree that hindi poets have also done this. Yes, Kurukshetra, as the name applies and as the general background for the creation is set, speaks about the battle of Kurukshetra from the grand epic Mahabharata, but at the same time Dinkar infuses his philosophy about a sense of justice and socialism, at times subtly and at others in a pronounced fashion.Read this excerpt from the book and judge for yourself:
“ शान्ति खोलकर खड्ग क्रान्ति का
जब वर्जन करती है,
तभी जान लो, किसी समर का
वह सर्जन करती है।
शान्ति नहीं तब तक; जब तक
सुख-भाग न नर का सम हो,
नहीं किसी को बहुत अधिक हो,
नहीं किसी को कम हो।”
5. Saaye me Dhoop (Hindi, Dushyant Kumar)- Dushyant Kumar was fiery ink behind the struggle against the emergency proclaimed in the 70s. While most of his famous works are about struggle and fight against oppression, he at times also speaks about love in the interim of war like all revolutionaries. One of the leading names in ‘Hindi ghazal’, Kumar wrote in the language of the common man which was comprehensible for all. He himself wrote once:
“मैं जिसे ओढ़ता बिछाता हूँ,
वो ग़ज़ल आपको सुनाता हूँ।
एक जंगल है तेरी आँखों में,
मैं जिसमे राह भूल जाता हूँ।
जब से कट गया है एक बाज़ू,
और भी ज़्यादा बोझ उठाता हूँ।”
As you can smell the essence of love, revolution and a common connect to people from the couplets quoted above, there isn’t much left to say.
6. Neerja (Hindi, Mahadevi Verma)- Mahadevi Verma was one of the most renowned poet of Hindi language and in no way lesser when compared to the big names of Hindi poetry like Pant or Prasad. She spoke about the agonies as well as the privileges of being a women, although the agonies largely outnumbered the privileges at her time. She spoke of the soft intricacies of love and the deep pain of loss but yet professed to keep taking your emotions to exalted heights. Read this excerpt from this book to understand better
“ कौन तुम मेरे हृदय में?
कौन मेरी कसक में नित
मधुरता भरता अलक्षित?
कौन प्यासे लोचनों में
घुमड़ घिर झरता अपरिचित?
स्वर्ण स्वप्नों का चितेरा
नींद के सूने निलय में!
कौन तुम मेरे हृदय में?”
7. Mere dil, mere musafir (Urdu/Hindustani- Faiz Ahmed Faiz)- A few of us know that Faiz was one of the witnesses who saw Bhagat Singh shoot Saunders from the roof top of his hostel in Lahore. Yet he stayed mum and never spoke about it until after independence. Maybe, this was the birth of revolution in the heart of this bard. Faiz too, much like Dushyant Kumar, spoke against injustice. He was vocal against the many ruthless military dictators of Pakistan during his lifetime. His famous nazm Hum dekhenge gives a perfect essence of the spirit behind hid writings:
“हम देखेंगे
लाज़िम है कि हम भी देखेंगे
वो दिन कि जिस का वादा है
जो लौह-ए-अज़ल में लिख्खा है
जब ज़ुल्म-ओ-सितम के कोह-ए-गिराँ
रूई की तरह उड़ जाएँगे
हम महकूमों के पाँव-तले
जब धरती धड़-धड़ धड़केगी
और अहल-ए-हकम के सर-ऊपर
जब बिजली कड़-कड़ कड़केगी”
8. Madhushala (Hindi, Harivansh Rai Bachchan)- I would not introduce Harivansh Rai as the father of the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan because Harivansh Rai in himself is a big name. His most famously read work Madhushala is a treat in itself for the poetically starved soul. Bachchan invariably speaks of love but at moments subtly digresses towards some other important aspects of life and society. This classic is a must read for one and all. The language is lucid and the descriptions are vivid:
“प्यास तुझे तो विश्व तापा कर,
पूर्ण निकलूंगा हाला।
एक पाँव से साक़ी बनकर,
नाचूँगा लेकर प्याला।
जीवन की मधुता तो तेरे,
ऊपर कबका वार चूका।
आज न्योछावर क्र दूंगा मैं,
तुझपर जग की मधुशाला।”
These are the 8 must read book for now. We will soon be coming with another list while you sit back in your couch enjoying these classics this monsoon.
Note: The list does not depict any order/ prefence related to quality of writing
