Daily Poetry — September 18, 2026

कामायनी (चिंता सर्ग से अंश)

Composed by जयशंकर प्रसाद

Original Hindi

हिमगिरि के उत्तुंग शिखर पर, बैठ शिला की शीतल छाँह। एक पुरुष भीगे नयनों से, देख रहा था प्रलय प्रवाह। नीचे जल था ऊपर हिम था, एक तरल था एक सघन। एक तत्व की ही प्रधानता, कहो उसे जड़ या चेतन। दूर-दूर तक विस्तृत था हिम, स्तब्ध उसी के हृदय समान। निराशा निरवधि, अश्रु सरिध्रुव, और चिन्ताग्रस्त प्रमाण। उसी तपस्वी-सा लम्बा था, देवदारु दो चार खड़े। महामौन अपनी निजता में, सागर-लहरियों से लड़े।

English Translation

On the towering peak of Himagiri, seated in the cool shade of a rock, A man with tear-filled eyes was watching the deluge's flow. Below was water, above was snow, one fluid, one solid. One element's dominance, call it inert or conscious. Far and wide, snow was spread, still like his heart. Boundless despair, constant tears, and proof of deep anxiety. Tall like that ascetic, a few deodars stood. In their profound silence, they fought against the ocean waves.

AI Generated

AI Echo (Hindi)

शून्य प्रकृति की अचल गाथा, विस्मृति का था मौन प्रसार। उस एकाकी पुरुष के मन में, उठता जीवन का हाहाकार। कितनी स्मृतियाँ बह गईं होंगी, कितने सपने हुए विलीन। अब शेष बचा बस एक प्रश्न, क्यों यह सृष्टि हुई अधीन? पर क्या सच में सब कुछ खोया, या नव अंकुर रहा छिपा? शांत जल में प्रतिबिंबित नभ, क्या कोई आशा देगा दिखा? शायद इस विध्वंस के पीछे, एक नूतन सृजन है मौन। प्रकृति की इस अटल लीला में, जागृत होगा अब फिर कौन?

AI Generated

AI Echo (English)

The unmoving saga of void nature, a silent spread of oblivion. In that solitary man's heart, life's lament rose. How many memories must have drifted away, how many dreams vanished. Now only one question remains, why did this creation succumb? But was truly everything lost, or a new sprout lay hidden? The sky reflected in calm waters, will it show some hope? Perhaps behind this destruction, a new creation silently waits. In this immutable play of nature, who will now awaken again?

Literary & Historical Context

This excerpt is from the opening 'Chinta' (Anxiety) Sarga of Jaishankar Prasad's epic Hindi poem *Kamayani* (1936). *Kamayani* is considered one of the greatest works of the Chhayavaad (Romanticism) era in Hindi literature. It symbolically retells the ancient Hindu mythological story of Manu, the sole survivor of the great deluge, and his journey of self-discovery and the evolution of human civilization, exploring the interplay of emotions like desire, intellect, and action. This particular passage introduces Manu on the peaks of the Himalayas, observing the aftermath of the cataclysmic flood, immersed in deep contemplation and despair. Prasad uses powerful imagery—the contrast of water and ice, the vastness of the snow, and the stoic deodar trees battling ocean waves—to externalize Manu's inner turmoil and the profound philosophical questions about existence, destruction, and creation. The poem is renowned for its lyrical beauty, philosophical depth, and allegorical representation of human psychological states and societal development.

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