BILINGUAL POETRY

I write poems both in English and Hindi. My Hindi poems vary in language style from pure Hindi to those having a high proportion of Urdu words. This is possible because grammar in both Hindi and Urdu is basically similar and what mainly differs is the vocabulary, which is common to a large extent. The two languages have different scripts, but are capable of being written, without much loss of flow, in either script.

Writing bilingual poetry has certain special attributes. ONE, poetry is a highly personalized way of expression, with a certain vagueness prone to variable interpretation, because of which translation by any person other than the author is likely to detract from the inherent nature and intent of the poem. TWO, a poem that has been written in rhyme and meter in one language loses much of its charm when translated as free verse into another language.

The bilingual poems written by me get over both these hurdles because, FIRSTLY, both versions come from the poet’s pen himself, hence there is no danger of lteration of the intended impact upon the reader; and, SECONDLY, I take care to write both versions in rhyme and meter. However, I am often forced to sacrifice the ghazal stule in Hindi for a non-ghazal traditional style in English, because the language differences that do not permit using appropriate monorhyme and refrain in the language of translation, namely, English.
In the above background, both versions of my poems, in either language, have the smooth flow and originality of the poet’s pen. I hope the readers like them. The best judges would be those who can appreciate poetry in both English and Hindi.