Nikki Bharathi and Subramania Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni was an acclaimed American poet, writer, and activist known for her passionate and thought-provoking work that often focuses on themes of race, gender, family, and social justice. Emerging as a prominent voice during the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s, her work blends personal experiences with broader societal commentary.
Some of her well-known poetry collections include Black Feeling, Black Talk, Black Judgement and Love Poems. She’s also celebrated for her children’s books, essays, and spoken word performances. She’s been recognized with numerous honors, including NAACP Image Awards and a Langston Hughes Medal.
I learned about her and her work only in 2007 after the Virginia Tech Shooting. Even though Giovanni’s style is known for its directness and emotional depth, it’s her wit that made her style stand out for me.
She died on Dec 9, 2024.
Subramania Bharathi, often referred to as “Bharathiar,” was a legendary Thamizh poet, writer, and independence activist from India. He is one of the most iconic figures in Thamizh literature, celebrated for his fiery and revolutionary poems that inspired India’s freedom movement. Bharathiar lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (1882–1921) and is remembered as a pioneer of modern Thamizh poetry.
His works covered a wide range of themes, including nationalism, feminism, social reform, and spirituality. Bharathiar was a staunch advocate for women’s empowerment and equality, and his poems often reflected his progressive thoughts, which were ahead of his time. As much as people remember his poetic work for all of the above, I particularly like the romantic side of Bharathiar.
Bharathiar’s writing is characterized by its lyrical beauty, emotional intensity, and bold use of metaphors . Though he lived a short life, his influence endures in Thamizh literature and Indian culture, with many of his works being set to music and celebrated even today.
He was born on Dec 11, 1882.
Today is Dec 11, 2024. And I got this whimsical idea.
What if Nikki Giovanni were a Thamizh poet and Bharathiar were an English poet?? What kind of poems would they have written assuming their styles remained the same?
Here is a feeble attempt to try to give life to that whimsical idea.
Three Poems from an imaginary Thamizh Poet Nikki Bharati.
காற்றின் குரல்
காற்று ஒரு கதை சொல்லும்,
நம் நினைவுகளுக்கோர் கூரை பின்னும்.
அது பனை மரத்தின் ஓலைகளோ,
அல்லது கம்பம் தாண்டும் எருதுகளின் எக்காளமோ ?
போதும், இதைக் கேளுங்கள்!
அது நம் முன்னோரின் சாபங்களையும்,
வாழ்க்கையின் வெற்றிகளையும்
குழன்றி புத்தனுபவமாக இசைக்கின்றது.
வலியிலும் ஒரு நெருடலை உணர்த்தும்,
அது அக்குரலின் அழகல்லவோ?
அதை நாம் கேட்கும் போது,
தொலைந்ததை மீண்டும் காணலாம், மீட்டெடுக்கலாம்.
அவசர உலகம்
மனம் ஓடி ஓடி சோர்வடைந்து,
காலத்தின் சுழலில் சிக்கி நிற்கிறது.
சரியாக செல்லும் இடமொன்றும் இல்லை,
ஆனால் இங்கே நிற்பதற்கு கூட இடமில்லை.
பாதை புதிதாய் நமக்கொன்று போட வேண்டும்,
அதைச் சீராக்கிட சிறு தருணங்களும் வேண்டும்.
குருதி காயாத வரை,
நடந்து கொண்டிருப்போம்.
ஆனால் மனதின் குதூகலச் சத்தம் கொஞ்சம் கேட்டால்,
சற்றே இழைப்பாரி அதை ரசிப்போம்.
புத்தகம் மற்றும் கற்பனை
ஒரு புத்தகத்தைக் வைத்துக்கொண்டு என்ன செய்ய முடியும்?
வாசிப்பது ஒரு வழி, ஆனால் வாசிப்பதை நிறுத்தி,
புத்தகத்தைக் கீழே வைத்து கண்ணை மூடுங்கள்.
இப்பொழுது கதை நீங்கள் எழுத வேண்டும்.
சிங்கம் சிரிக்கலாம்,
குரங்குகள் சமைக்கலாம்.
உங்கள் கற்பனை உயரே பறக்க பறக்க,
அந்த புத்தகத்தினுள் பூனைகள் கூட பாடலாம்.
புத்தகத்தின் கடைசி பக்கம் என்ன சொல்கிறது?
அதைப் படிக்காதீர்கள். பார்க்காதீர்கள்.
நீங்கள் இப்பொழுது எழுதும் முடிவு தான்
இக்கதைக்குச் சிறந்த முடிவாகும்.
And now, Three poems from an imaginary English poet, Subramania Giovanni.
Ode to the River
Flow on, O river, restless one,
From mountain’s heart to setting sun.
Through craggy cliffs and meadows wide,
Your song is life personified.
You quench the thirst of waiting lands,
And carve new paths with gentle hands.
No wall can halt your ceaseless quest,
No force can tame your wild unrest.
Teach us to live as you have done,
To find the sea when life’s begun.
For in your ripples, time does bend,
A fleeting start, an endless end.
The Flame Within
Oh mortal heart, why do you cower,
When storms arise and shadows tower?
In every spark that lights your soul,
There burns the flame to make you whole.
The sun that rises after night,
Knows not despair, but only light.
So rise, unyielding, bold, and free,
And face the dark with certainty.
No fear can bind, no doubt confine,
The spirit born of the divine.
For deep within each fleeting breath,
There lies a life that conquers death.
A Love Eternal
Oh gentle breeze, that kisses her face,
How desireful am I for her embrace!
The moon that casts its silver light,
Knows not her eyes, more soft, more bright.
Her voice, a melody, sweet and pure,
Each note a balm, each word a cure.
When shadows linger, cold and long,
Her smile appears, the morning’s song.
No ocean’s depth, no mountain’s height,
Can hold my love, as boundless as night.
In her presence, the world is whole,
Her touch the temple of my soul.
For in her gaze, eternity lies,
A universe within her sighs.
