Poems · कविताएँ
Poems by Jai Zharotia, in the original Hindi with English renderings beside them.
पिता के लिए · For My Father
My mother used to say a lot to me, / but
Poems · कविताएँकागज की नाव · The Paper Boat
Who knows why / the sight of a paper boat
Poems · कविताएँखामोशी की खाई · The Chasm of Silence
Son, look: before you / lies the chasm of silence.
Poems · कविताएँदर्पण · The Mirror
What the mirror shows / I take to be the only truth,
Poems · कविताएँजयपुर · Jaipur
Is it the morning sun that brings the redness / that has turned the walls of Jaipur red?
Poems · कविताएँअखबार · Newspaper
Newspaper! / I don’t want a newspaper,
Poems · कविताएँशब्दों से परे · Beyond Words
When I laugh, it seems untrue. / When I am sad, it seems untrue.
Poems · कविताएँएक सांस · Just a Breath
Sometimes everything stops; / only the breath goes on
Poems · कविताएँमेरा अहंकार · My Ego
Wait, / look:
Poems · कविताएँएक एहसास · A Feeling
A faint line, / visible far off on the horizon,
Poems · कविताएँरेखा · The Line
A line rises in the middle of the bed / and disappears
Poems · कविताएँमाँ · Mother
Dreams, / dreams within dreams,
Poems · कविताएँकलाकार · The Artist
The river that brings green to the land / keeps cutting away
Poems · कविताएँपहाड़ की कुनेर पर · At the Edge of the Mountain
On the edge of the mountain a face has grown. / It keeps looking at the sky,
Poems · कविताएँजादूगरी · By Magic
By magic I have thought: / I will make you red,
Poems · कविताएँवह चेहरा · That Face
That face has been shouting for years; / it is mine, and yours too,
Poems · कविताएँघोड़े की टाप · The Horse’s Hooves
The horse’s hooves have stamped / marks into the ground.
Poems · कविताएँकर्ज · Debt
As far as the eye can see, / every road leads to one place,
Poems · कविताएँकरवटों के निशान · Marks of Turning
The marks of tossing and turning / do not print on the bed;
Poems · कविताएँजब भी बैठता हूं · Whenever I Sit
Whenever I sit / I shake myself,
Poems · कविताएँबहुत गुस्सा आता है · It Makes Me Very Angry
It makes me very angry / when, even after drinking,
Poems · कविताएँशायद मैं चल रहा हूं · Perhaps I Am Walking
Perhaps I am walking. / Yes, perhaps I am walking.
Poems · कविताएँघटना · Incident
I never said that I am truth; / yes, I am not a lie either.
Poems · कविताएँगुस्सा · Anger
Hot water / does not stay hot for long;
Poems · कविताएँभाला · The Spear
He cannot be found by searching, / the one I want to drive
Poems · कविताएँऐसा भी होता है कभी · Sometimes It Happens
Sometimes it happens: / a thought comes to mind,
Poems · कविताएँशून्य · Zero
Zero comes only from zero. / This world was born from zero.
Poems · कविताएँशब्द · Words
Slowly, like dry leaves, / the meanings of words keep falling; words have become meaningless.
Poems · कविताएँछोटी सी पोती · Little Granddaughter
All I had asked you was / how and why all this is,
Poems · कविताएँआंखें · Eyes
She was never as beautiful / as she seemed when I looked today;
Poems · कविताएँबेचारा · Poor Man
Learn to recognise her, / covered in leaves,
Poems · कविताएँजगत · The World
The world simply vanishes / when I close my eyes and am absorbed.
Poems · कविताएँबरसात · Rain
Even dry, muddy, dust-covered leaves / glow once again
Poems · कविताएँमेरा सच · My Truth
You must have thought something, / a little this way or that;
Poems · कविताएँअधिकार · The Right
You have the right to forget everything, / but the long line drawn
Poems · कविताएँफरक · Difference
If you say something, / it does not mean