posted November 17, 2007 04:01 PM         

I hope we can converse anything off topic here without disturbing others.

I liked your translation. Though you missed a line:

"kehte hain jaani. duniya hain faani"
translation:

It is said my beloved . the world is perishable

and then the rest of your lines.

BTW, Your use of the word mate makes me think. Are you in the UK or were any chance?
I was in London 2 years ago. It was fantastic.

On movies reminds me: While I was filling gas here, one turkish guy came up to me and said he loves SRK. I was taken aback.

There are many such instances, I guess peole are learning a lot about each other these days.

How was your IIT exam? I have a lot to catch up. I kind of took a long hiatus from LL and back.

posted November 18, 2007 04:15 AM         

So what da ya want me 2 call: yaar?

Do you know that the oft-repeated word actually means lover?

As fa the lines - kehte hai gyaani, duniya hai faani. I thought that was paani not faani! How my ears betrayed me! Thanks for correcting me there. So the whole thingie thus means: The world is perishable, so the wise men say. It is like words written on water. All have seen it, have known it but none has been able to lay his hands on it. You know, in that sense, if I quote you now a little prose poem from Tagore's The Crescent Moon, you will believe instantly that children are indeed gyaani (or wise men).

They know the secret. They know. And they rejoice. They do not know the value of what they know, nevertheless, they know! How it would be to know and be untouched by any pride of that knowledge - to not feel humble or proud, but simply joyous and simple?

Here is the prose poem in English:

ON THE SEASHORE

ON the seashore of endless worlds children meet.

The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous. On the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances.

They build their houses with sand, and they play with empty shells. With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.

They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl-fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.

The sea surges up with laughter, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea-beach.

On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. Tempest roams in the pathless sky, ships are wrecked in the trackless water, death is abroad and children play. On the seashore of endless worlds is the great meeting of children.

If you replace 'children' with 'saints', would there be much difference to the poem?
Think about it.

Let me reiterate:

They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl-fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles and scatter them again. They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.

I think this is indeed THE GRAND INDIAN THOUGHT reiterated by just about anyone great in the spiritual world who has had an Indian connection. Be it Gautam Buddha born right in this country or Tagore or the scriptures and the holy books themselves. Even poets reiterate it like in the song above! It REALLY is ingrained in Indian psyche and the collective consciousness of the ppl so much so that grannies make their little boys and girls go to bed teaching lessons of that 'yeh duniya hai paani pe likhi likhaai' (this world is words written on water). That the world is 'mithya'. The word myth I suspect has its roots in this Sanskrit/Hindi word literally meaning illusion.

And how the thought is beautiful! And oh, how alluring! Like a simple truth told so softly you couldn't hear it! Like something so beautiful you knew it in only that first instant of knowing it and then it was lost forever.

SRK. Hmmm. He is a good boy. They say he is a superstar learning to act! LMAO.

You have long memory to say the least. My entrance examinations were way back. I am in college now. Couldn't get through IIT nevertheless, in a pretty good institution currently.

posted November 18, 2007 04:35 AM         

When this world is but mithya (an illusion), pray when is the need for prudence?