Ujaad ghar mein yeh khushbu kahan se aai hai
koi to hai dar-o-divar ke alaava bhi
- Ahmad Faraz
Mere kamre ko sajaane ki tamanna hai tumhe
Mere kamre mein kitaabon ke siva kuchh bhi nahin
- Jaun Eliya
I stumbled upon Jaun Eliya's Urdu sher (couplet) on Instagram, which prompted me to write a poem in French! It is my third year learning the beautiful language that is French and I find that while the two languages – Urdu & French – seem to be worlds apart, they are kindred spirits.
Who said love or sex is only physical? Language and the tongue – be it Urdu or French —is a wonderful medium to make lots of love! And I find that it is love that is the bedrock that allows for a conversation, a love affair, between these two languages. A delightful mélange of tongues!
My French poem incorporates the Urdu ghazals’ familiarity and brazenness towards the elusive ‘Beloved’. The shers are a suitable form – a visual tete-a-tete, for lovers’ banter and the subtle, hidden meanings in them. Love is afterall about these teasing games! For this, and to bring in the visual shape of the Urdu ghazal, my poem has couplets too.
Ahmad Faraz's sher is the perfect epigraph to the poem. Being confined to our homes in a pandemic, an intimacy has developed with the four walls of the house, especially with one’s own room. One is well-versed with the changing shades and colors of the home; static yet dynamic, where time is marked by the ever-changing shadows of our days and seasons. The poem addresses this as well.
Voilà, le poème followed by an English translation!
Tu désir embellir ma chambre
Tu désir embellir ma chambre, mais
Ma chambre est rayonnée de doux rayons de soleil
Tu désir embellir ma chambre, mais
Ses bords sont éparpillées avec des pages de mes livres
Tu désir embellir ma chambre, mais
les ombres de l'arbe dehors sont peintes sur les murs
Tu désir embellir ma chambre, mais
elle est noircie quand la nuit arrive
Tu désir embellir ma chambre
à l'avenir, oublie tes raisons et viens dans ma chambre
Translation in English:
You wish to adorn my room
You wish to adorn my room
But my room is already lit by the sun's rays
You wish to adorn my room
But its edges are strewn with the pages of my books
You wish to adorn my room
But the shadow of the tree outside is painted on my wall
You wish to adorn my room
But it is blackened when night arrives
You wish to adorn my room
From now on, forget your excuses and come into my room
Ilina Acharya is an artist based in Delhi. She writes, edits, makes music, and is currently learning french from Alliance Française de Delhi
