All- Pervading poetry by Balakrishna sama

 All- Pervading Poetry

Balkrishna Sama (1902-1981)

 

What is the poem about? Philosophical idea.

“All-Pervading Poetry “, translated by Michael Hutt, is a poem on poetry and it makes a strong case for the ubiquity of poetry. In an inspired vein, the poet traces the genesis and source of poetry and comes to the conclusion that any human heart warm with sympathy will find poetry in every object of the universe. Poetry radiates out from every aspect of life and the world and this thesis is established in a dialogic form in a supposed conversation between an aesthete and a holy man.

Picking up a huge basket, a holy man

Ventured (entered) out to the forest to gather poetry.

Through hills and streams, pastures and fields,

he searched every waterfall, fruit, and bush,

but nowhere could he find it,

so he decided such things were out of season,

at a loss, he had set off home

when he came upon an aesthetic.(रसिद )

 

To his inquiry this man replied,

“Is poetry not everywhere?

If you look at those falls through prosaic eyes,(सुक्ष्म)

even they will be dry, just declaring the void (निरस )

left by the hair which falls out as youth passes;

but what could dry up these waters,

or make this hillside bald?

 

“Hollyman, look with redoubled love

at the heart’s smooth surface

where foaming blood gathers;

gather up all this sad world's blows,

attack with a powerful breath;

lift waves of experience your head,

Scatter pure drops till your eyes are wet,

make your vision subtle with sympathy,

 

look closely: you will see the blood

which runs through the veins of these rocks,

you will touch the hearts of stones,

the cliffs will shower nector,

You will have poetry to drink!”

 

With this the aesthete faded away,

melting like beeswax in the sun,

And the holy man’s eyes softened too.

the trees melted like resin, the fruits like honey,

the green fields dissolved to become the Ganga,

the stars were all droplets of water.

And then the holy man knew

he meant no more than a teardrop:

throughout the world, in each atoms womb,

Pervading destruction’s terrible sound,

he found poetry surging forth.

Summary

A holy man ventured out ( entered) into the forest to search for the poetry carrying a huge  basket.  He roamed here and there and searched every waterfall, fruit, and bush but he could find the poem anywhere. He decided such things were out of season and came back home. He met an aesthete on the way.

The aesthete asked him where he was from. He was in quest of the poem, but he could not find the poem anywhere. The aesthete argues that poetry  can’t find with prosaic eyes. It needs  poetic eyes.

The holy man looked with redoubled love at the heart's smooth surface where foaming blood together .poetry gets poured from the core of the human heart. It emerges spontaneously as waves of imagination and experience. Deep thoughts and feelings make eyes  wet. It is sympathetic and makes the human vision blur. If you are in poetic feelings, you will see the blood running through the vein of the rocks. One can touch the heart of stones, the cliffs will shower nectar and one can drink it. One gets a sense of the poetry. The holy man sees the poem in everything.  Aesthete faded away melting like beeswax in the sun, the holy man’s eyes softened, the trees melted like resin, the fruits like honey, the green fields dissolved into lakes, and the whole world thawed like snow. The sky dissolved to become the Ganga, and the stars all were the droplet of water. The holy man found poetry everywhere in the world in each atom’s womb to everything.

Comment

The holy man is in search of the poem. he goes to hills, mountains, waterfalls, fruits, cliffs, etc but he gets poems nowhere. When he meets the aesthete, the holy man changes his perspective to see the world. He sees everything from his heart, with feelings and emotions. Prosaic eyes don’t help him to see the world. The poetic perspective sees a dry place waterfall, blood even in stone, nector in a waterfall, etc. the aesthete sees the universe as alive. Poetry makes every thing fresh and alive. Any human heart warm with sympathy will find poetry in every object of the world.

 

1. What happens when we look at the world through the prosaic eye?

2. the same blood flows in the heart of the human being and stone. Discuss