A Treatise on Poetry

 

                        

             

Poetry is the free, skillful dance on the stage

Poetry is the free, deft touch of the brush on the page;

Poetry is the melting flow of moonlight

Under the magic spell of the melodious flute;

Poetry is the shaping of stone into a figure

By the touch of a marvelous chisel;

Poetry is the burden of nine months

Giving birth to an infant-poem to bear;

Poetry is the warm caressing of the squirrel

Which tried to resist the tidal flow

With its soft bushy tail;

Poetry is the sprouting of wings

To sleeping thoughts in mind’s cradle;

Poetry is the sunny smile on a rainy day

Lingering on the lips of an old beggar-woman

When she gets a morsel to quench her inner fire;

Poetry is the flow of fresh blood into the heart;

Poetry is the vibration of heart with tear-filled eyes;

Poetry is the mining of gold out of the heart

Poetry is the burning of the heart with boiling thoughts;

Words are colored fishes that spring

From the sea of language

Beholding the sunshine;

Words are the few hairs left on a bald head

Which toss their ends in balmy breeze;

Whether skating on ice

Or swimming through fire

Words should sprout as freely as the milky teeth

Or tender growth of hair on the lips of rosy youth

With natural spirit and zeal.

Words should open the doors

To new, unimaginable worlds

Thoughts should not get lost amidst

The wild growth of meaningless words

To lose their content and be sacrificed

By the sharp beheading stroke of pen;

The heart should hear the essence of sound

The poet’s body

Should be all-seeing with many, many eyes

Like Indra the God of Heaven;

Rational and precise thoughts

Should be born on paper

After their struggle with doubts and questions;

That leap out of one’s own brain;

Poetry is the dance of well-dressed thoughts

On the stage of our tongue;

Poetry is the blossoming of diverse feelings

That shine like the colors of a rainbow

On the sky of mind in drizzling dawn;

Poetry is the conflagration of raging untruth

Breathing new life into dying untruth;

Poetry is the code of inner struggle;

Poetry is the infinite flow of the Ganges

Leaping from the heart of the Himalayas.

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Telugu original: A. Surya Prakash                      1st November, 2024.

                           (Kavitvopanishad)

Translated by: G.Somaseshu

          

                                  A Note on Sri A. Surya Prakash

 

Surya Prakash is the son of Sri late A.Kishan Das who served as the Chairman of Nizamabad Municipality. His mother’s name is Smt.Radha. Surya Prakash did his postgraduation in Public Administration from Osmania University and later did M.A. in Telugu literature. He joined as Lecturer in Public administration on 1^st April, 1970. He organized many poetry recital sessions, workshops and lectures by celebrated writers of Telugu literature.  Besides being himself a poet, he encouraged many of his colleagues and students to participate actively in literary and cultural activities. Many of his poems and essays were published in populat Telugu weeklies and journals such as Andhra Prabha weekly, Andhra Bhoomi weekly, India Today weekly, Chatura, Telugu, and Moosi journals. He established “Indur Bharati Association” on 14th January and worked as Secretary and as President for many years. He won many awards from famous literary organizations.  He worked as Principal in Girraj Govt. degree College, Nizamabad and retired on 30^th April 2005.

He published more than twenty books in various literary genres such as poetry, essays, stories, criticism, film criticism etc. Some of his famous poetry books written by him are: Samspandna(1971), Nagaram Needalu(1974), Malli Suryodayam(1980), Kagitham Puvvu(1984),”Allaalku Otami ledu”(1987), “Patra harithamu(1994), “Suryuni Edo Gurramu(2013) and “Kotha Yugamu” (1985), a collection of literary essays. He also wrote books “Public Administration” and “Local Administration” published by Telugu Academy.  In 1984 he was selected as national poet in Telugu and recited his poem “Tholi Keka-Thudi Swasa” at All Language Poetry Conference. This poem was translated into fourteen languages later. He also went abroad and visited U.S. Tanzania and Eastern African countries. 

Even at the age of eighty years he is an avid reader and writes comments, essays and poems. As a great lover of books, he has a vast collection of books in Telugu and English language. As a poet he tried to bring to light the social conditions and attitudes of different characters in simple and precise language. He tried to reflect the living idiom of contemporary society and adopt a sarcastic approach with gentle humor to point out the foibles of people and society. At the same time, he tried to infuse an optimistic and positive thinking in the minds of his readers.

As a colleague I have been associated with him for more than three decades. I translated ten poems and with his permission I publish the translated versions of his Telugu poems. I tried to reflect the thoughts, tone and rhythm of his poems. Hope the readers will get a glimpse of his poetry and his poetic talent.

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