"The Yawning Guard," a Poem in Hindi by Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, Translated by Kalpna Singh-Chitnis
The Yawning Guard
Don’t wake him uphe is dreaming,
children are returning into his dreams,birds are singing,rainbow is rotating its colors andthe Flamboyant tree is drifting flowers.
Don’t wake him uphis dreams are restricted,
in one doze, he will siphon the cosmos,and with one gentle step, he willcrush his palace made of glass.
He is sleeping like an angeldon’t wake him up,
he will bounce back andstand straight up like a treealert and readyto shoot anyone.\
ऊंघता संतरी
उसे मत जगाओवह सपने देख रहा है
बच्चे लौट रहे हैं उसके सपने मेंपक्षी चहचहा रहे हैं उसके सपने मेंबदल रहे हैं इन्द्रधनुष के रंग उसके सपने मेंझर रहे हैं गुलमोहर के फूल उसके सपने में
उसे मत जगाओउसकी नींद पर पाबन्दी है
अभी एक झपकी में वह लूट लेगा सारा ब्रह्माण्डअभी एक हल्का सा पदचापचकनाचूर कर देगा उसका शीशमहलदेवदूत की तरह सो रहा है वहउसे मत जगाओ
अभी वह उछल कर खड़ा हो जाएगासीधे तने वृक्ष की तरहसजग और तैयारकिसी पर भी गोली चला देने के लिए।
Poets Bio (on left)- Distinguished Hindi poet, writer and critic Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari was born in Devaria district of Uttar Pradesh, India, on June 20th. He is the president of “Kendriya Sahitya Academy”, one of the highest literary institutions of India. Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari is also the editor of “Dastavez”. He has been a professor and the head of Hindi Department at Gorakhpur University. He he has written a number of poetry books that have been translated into several languages. His most popular books are – “Aakhar Anant” ,“Cheezon Ko Dekhkar”, Saath Chalte Hue” Behtar Duniya Ke Liye”, “Phir Bhi Kuch Rah Jaayega”, Dishantar, Agyae Aur Unka Sahitya”. He is the recipient of prestigious “Vyas Samman” and “Pushkin Award” for his literary works.
Translator's Bio (on right): Kalpna Singh-Chitnis is an Indian-American poet, writer, filmmaker, and author of four poetry collections. Nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she is the recipient of the 'Naji Naman Literary Prize,' 'Rajiv Gandhi Global Excellence Award,' and 'Bihar Rajbhasha Award,' given by the government of Bihar, India. Poems from her award-winning book "Bare Soul" and her poetry film "River of Songs" have been included in the "Nova Collection" and the"Polaris Collection" of the Lunar Codex time capsules, and going with NASA missions to the Moon in 2022 and 2023. A former lecturer of Political Science, Kalpna Singh-Chitnis is also the Editor-in-Chief of "Life and Legends," the Translation Editor of "IHRAF Literary," and an Advocacy Member at the United Nations Association of the USA.
