Papeeha
Tell me no more of thy love, papeeha,
Wouldst thou recall to my heart, papeeha,
Dreams of delight that are gone,
When swift to my side came the feet of my lover
With stars of the dusk and the dawn?
I see the soft wings of the clouds on the river,
And jewelled with raindrops the mango-leaves quiver,
And tender boughs flower on the plain…..
But what is their beauty to me, papeeha,
Beauty of blossom and shower, papeeha,
That brings not my lover again?
Tell me no more of thy love, papeeha,
Wouldst thou revive in my heart, papeeha
Grief for the joy that is gone?
I hear the bright peacock in glimmering woodlands
Cry to its mate in the dawn;
I hear the black koel’s slow, tremulous wooing,
And sweet in the gardens the calling and cooing
Of passionate bulbul and dove….
But what is their music to me, papeeha
Songs of their laughter and love, papeeha,
To me, forsaken of love?
This is the second of the total five haiku/tanka prompts, where we derive inspiration from poetry: from the written words of some exceptional poets. This week, we analyze the poem, A Love Song from the North, by Sarojini Naidu. Her melancholic tone has a beauty to it which is enriched with such enticing imagery in this poem. To derive inspiration from her words, I would like you to accompany me through this journey of sounds, voices and music and the dance and colors of the birds and the feelings they leave us compounded with and what all they leave us longing for.
Basic guidelines:
Happy Writing!
*You can also include these two tags with your post: HeedingHaikuWithHA and MindLoveMisery’s Menagerie.
** Translation:
Papeeha:- Jacobin Cuckoo or Common Hawk Cuckoo
Koel: Cuckoo, of genus, Eudynamys
Bulbul: Persian Nightingale
*** If you liked the poem, here is another one by Sarojini Naidu which I like: Palanquin Bearers
Pingback: Sing Your Love Song (Tanka) | A Glass of Bubbly
this is love, in the
entrail’s steam after slaughter;
what is left of me?
LikeLike
Wow Brian!
LikeLike
Pingback: Heeding Haiku with HA! May 29, 2014 (Tanka) | Bastet and Sekhmet's Library
Thanks for this lovely prompt HA…I enjoyed it very much!
LikeLike
I am glad. 🙂
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: No Escaping (Tanka) | Blog It or Lose It!