On my early morning flight back to Calcutta from Delhi on Saturday, the Himalayas and their icy peaks were my companion on the edge of the northern horizon, which I saw catching the light of the rising sun, the vast mountain canopies aflame in an orange glow.
The words from the great poet Iqbal’s song Sarey jahaan sey achha (Better than the whole world) came to mind:
Parvat voh sab sey uncha
Hamsaya aasmaan ka
Voh santari hamara
Voh paasbaan hamara
I invite any kind reader to translate these lines into English for the benefit of our non-Southasian friends.
3 comments:
parvat voh sab sey uncha
Hamsaya aasmaan ka
Voh santari hamara
Voh paasbaan hamara
that highest of all peaks,
a companion of the skies,
the one that is our sentinel
the one that guards us...
Thank you dear friend, hug you, and kiss you on your two cheeks in affection, appreciation and gratitude!
Paasbaan - is he not the guide through the mountain passes? Essentially un-translatable isn't it, in terms of the sentiment (from the soil), the sensibility, which imbue the words?!
Best
rama
almost perfect translation.
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