KEDARNATH SINGH : A POET IN
TRANSLATION
Generally speaking, one inevitably
agrees with Robert Frost’s dictum of poetry being that which hardly ever
survives translation. But there seems to be another iridescent facet of the
prism. A good creative translation of a poem is more likely to achieve another
poem in the translator’s language that not only reflects the core content of
the poem translated but overrides the syntactic and semantic structures of the
original. It often obtains in the translated poem a parallel semantic
signification adumbrating the original creation. Also, there is always a
certain extent of unpredictability in the chance occurrence of ‘the right poet, the right translator, the
right poem and the right moment’ in the achievement of a good
translated poem. In other words, poetry may be as untranslatable in particular
instances as it could be, in some other instances, equally translatable as a
close and satisfactory parallel.
Still another facet to the iridescent
prism is the serendipitous possibility of a poem that is so fluid and
primordial, almost elemental, that it transmutes itself entirely smoothly into
a closely parallel mould, almost effortlessly. It seems to exist at a level
where it attains a form of signification that is almost beyond the apparent
matrix of words and sounds of a particular language; even its cultural content
and imagery being purely symbolical and universal.
And if this be true, it is most true of
the modern Hindi poet, Kedarnath Singh, whose poems are generally crafted in a
poetic language that transcends the semantic boundaries of the original
language into a world of meaning that is often as close to universal
signification as possible. It would thus be truer to say that Kedarji’s poetic
language operates at a level of intensity and signification quite distinct from
those of his contemporaries. It is a highly cultivated poetic language,
paradoxically as close to normal speech and syntax as conceivable on the one
hand, and on the other, imbued with a signification that is almost beyond
words. It uses language that seems
deceptively close to normal spoken
prose, very simple and common on the surface and yet equally profound
and diaphanous in its signification. Of course, such level of intensity and
signification is not be seen in some of his own minor poems, or even on a
uniform basis throughout his poetic ouevre, but it can surely be seen as
a hallmark of his poetic art.
Kedarnath Singh’s greatness as a modern Hindi
poet lies precisely in his inventing a poetic idiom in contemporary Hindi
poetry that distinguishes his poetry from his other contemporaries. One of the
subtle markers of this pellucid poetic medium – closely adumbrating the rhythms
of common speech - is the near absence
of punctuation and use of varying line lengths with occasional repetitions -
lending it a fluidity consonant with its intensity of signification. (It is
pertinent to remember here that Kedarji was himself a brilliant translator and
had translated poems of Brecht, Paul Eluard, Jabananand Das, et al. Also, many
of his own poems have been translated in world languages like English, German,
Spanish, Hungarian, etc.)
The special appeal of Kedarji’s poetry
lies in its dualism of empathetic intimacy juxtaposed with total objectivity which
attains a new dimension beyond tangible text signification. As the famous Hindi
critic Parmanand Shrivastav, in an insightful introduction to a popular edition
of his selected poems, observes:
“The point of departure for Kedar’s
poetry – the point from where it gets its energy – is the point where language per
se gets moulded into meaning. In the contemporary scene in Hindi poetry,
Kedarnath Singh is, perhaps, the singular poet who belongs as much to the
village as to the city life. His world of experience in his poetry reaches out
almost simultaneously in both these dimensions. Quite possibly, this is the
crux of the quintessential Indian experience without which it is impossible to
conceive of true Indian poetry. There is a primal quality characterizing his poetry, verging to a
hazardous extent on simplicity, touching upon pale, ordinary words and
artefacts, and obscure natural phenomena, and thus obtaining a poetic meaning
otherwise unobtainable.
“Rather than being monologic, Kedar’s
poems are dialogic in the true sense. His poetry delves deep into the
subterranean turbulence of life, and is vitally connected with all relevant
contemporary concerns. And yet his poems never lose their innate lyricism and
classic perfection of structure. The wealth of imaginative capital that his
poetry displays is seldom to be seen in the poetic work of his contemporaries.
Indeed, in his poetry is to be discovered a new, vibrant poetic form which
marks his poetic personality as distinctive among his contemporaries.”
***
The half-a-century long poetic journey
of Kedarji came to an end on 19 March, 2018. His death cast a dark shadow on
the entire Hindi literary world and also on me on a personal level. I had known
Kedarji since the 80’s and also had a few occasions of meeting him. I tried to
reconcile myself with the grief by translating some of his poems including his celebrated
long-sequence poem Bagh. Translating poems, I felt, was also a tribute
to the poet, because in translating poems in an empathetic situation, there
could be much greater identification between the translator and the poet not
only in relation to the sensitive text but also to the poetic persona of the
poet.
What struck me as especially inspirational was the ease with which his
content as well as the rhythms, imagery, and even the formal structures in the
poems lent themselves to smooth translation – almost guiding the translator gently
and openheartedly in the act of parallel creativity. There is, then, reason to
believe that perfect poetic communication is achieved at a level, and in a
manner, where poetry attains the highest kind of signification and transcends
the bounds of translation. If this be so, Kedarji’s poetry presents some of its
finest examples. Here is a selection of his poems that can stand as imaginative
creations on their own which amply prove the excellence and uniqueness of
Kedarji’s poetry, and thus serving as the best tribute to his exceptional
poetic art on the first anniversary of his eventful departure.
© Dr BSM Murty
Photo : Courtsey Google Images
[For 10 translated poems of Kedarnath
Singh go to earlier post on this blog. And for older posts on Kedarnath Singh
and translation of his sequenced poem “Bagh” go to 2018 (May 25 & July 15.]
Please also visit my two other blogs -
(1)vagishwari.blogspot.com -
for my Hindi articles and matter on Shivpoojan Sahay & others; & my translation/retelling of Bhagawad Geeta, Ramcharit Manas & Durga Saptshati &
(2)murtymuse.blogspot.com
for my Hindi & English poems & poetry related materials.
Other Important blog posts you may like to see here:
(1)vagishwari.blogspot.com -
for my Hindi articles and matter on Shivpoojan Sahay & others; & my translation/retelling of Bhagawad Geeta, Ramcharit Manas & Durga Saptshati &
(2)murtymuse.blogspot.com
for my Hindi & English poems & poetry related materials.
Other Important blog posts you may like to see here:
2010 :
Sahitya Samagra : 5 Oct / 2011 :
On Premchand: (26 May) / Has Hindi been defeated by English? : Shivpujan Sahay
: (7 Dec) / 2012 : Memoirs
on Prasad and Nirala : (25-26 Oct)/ 2013 :
Sheaf of Old Letters (10 Oct) / 2014 : Shivpujan
Sahay Smriti Samaroh:( 27 Jan) / On Amrit Lal Nagar: (18 Aug)/ On Bachchan :
(27 Nov) / 2015 : On Renu: (3
Mar) / On Trilochan: (1 Apr) /Odes of Keats + Shantiniketan: (25 May) /
Premchand Patron Men: (3 Aug)/ Suhagraat: Dwivediji's poem: (13
Nov)/ 2016 : Three stories of
JP:(6 Jul) / On Neelabh Ashk: (24 Jul)/ /
Dehati Duniya: (8 Aug)/ Anupam Mishra: Paani ki Kahaani :(Dec 25)
/ 2017 :
Doctornama: memoirs of Shivpujan Sahay (July 10): On
Prithwiraj Kapoor (Nov
6) / Rajendra Jayanti Address @ Bihar Vidyapeeth, Patna (Dec 14)/ 2018:हिंदी नव जागरण, शिवपूजन सहाय और काशी (1
Mar)/Tribute to Kedar Nath Singh (25 May) / राहुलजी और
हिंदी-उर्दू-हिन्दुस्तानी का सवाल (12 Jun)/ Neelabh
Mishra (16 Jun)/ Death of Shivpoojan Sahay(17 Jun) / बाबा नागार्जुन (1
Jul)/ On Kedarnath Singh (with full translation of ‘Tiger’, 15 July)/Five poems
of Angst (14 Aug)/चंपारण सत्याग्रह :
भारतीय राजनीति में सत्य का पहला प्रयोग (26 Nov) 2019: On Kamaleshwar’s
stories collection: ‘Not Flowers of Henna’ (26 Jan)/ Why Gandhi was killed (30
Jan)/ ‘Wings on Fire’: The Art of Himanshu Joshi ( 18 April) मंगलमूर्ति की कुछ कविताएँ (28 April) / Stanley Wolpert (Jun 12)/ Three
Eminent Men(Aug 3)
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