Translated Poetry for the Soul
Today, we bring you two translations from our poetry shelves! We believe that different stories find a home in different languages and cultures, and translations are conduits that offer us glimpses into different ways of living. We hope this poetry gives you company, and that you linger with Mir and let go with Ray.
‘Selected Ghazals and Other Poems’ by Mir Taqi Mir, translated from Urdu by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi is a selection of Mir’s poetry published in his lifetime. The book is part of the Murty Classical Library of India collection. The poems offer us thinly sliced layers of heartbreak, loss, honour and other personal and social emotions, capturing the intensity of moments of love through striking metaphors. This beautiful edition also features the poems in the original Urdu Nastaliq script printed in parallel to the translations, offering a comparison for bilingual readers and allowing an aesthetic appreciation of the script!
On another note, as a companion to the emotions of Mir, we recommend Sukumar Ray’s ‘Abol Tabol’, a collection of Bengali nonsense poetry, translated by the poet’s son, filmmaker Satyajit Ray! Written in the 19th century, and enjoyable for everyone from kids to adults, these poems deal with impossible, incredible and nonsense happenings to characters such as uncles, cars and zoo animals. This beautiful edition comes to us from Writers Workshop, covered in cloth with a stunning screen-printed cover.
Until next time, happy reading.
