ShringaraIntermediate

साँझ - धुबिनियाँ

Saanjh - Dhubiniyan

6 verses · ~1 min

रंग-बिरंगी अपनी गठरी खोल के, साँझधुबिनियाँ नभ के तीर उदास सी, लटका अपने पाँव क्षितिज के घाट पे थक कर बैठ गई ले एक उसाँस सी!

फेन उठ रहा साबुन का आकाश तक, नील घोल दे रहीं दिशाएँ नीर में, डुबो-डुबो पानी में साँझ खँगारती लहरें लहरातीं पँचरंगे चीर में!

धूमिल हुआ नील जल रंग बदल गया उजले कपड़ों की फैला दी पाँत सी! रंग-बिरंगी अपनी गठरी खोल के, साँझ-धुबिनियाँ, नभ के तीर उदास सी!

माथे का पल्ला फिसला-सा जा रहा, खुले बाल आ पड़े साँवले गाल पर किरणों की माला झलकाती कंठ में कुछ बूँदें आ छाईं उसके भाल पर!

काँधे पर वे तिमिर केश उलझे पड़े, पानी में गहरी सी अपनी छाया लम्बी डालती! लटका अपने पाँव, क्षितिज के घाट पे थक कर बैठ गई ले एक उसाँस सी!

रंग-बिरंगी अपनी गठरी खोल के, साँझ-धुबिनियाँ, नभ के तीर उदास सी!

इति

Rasa: Shringara
Stanzas: 6
Lines: 22
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Free verse
Metre: free verse
Rhyme: irregular

The poem evokes a romantic yet melancholic shringara mood, blending a serene twilight atmosphere with a subtle yearning. A visual painting of this scene would depict a weary washerwoman personifying the evening, sitting by the cosmic riverbank with her feet dangling over the horizon, opening a colorful bundle of clothes as the sky transforms into glowing suds and multi-hued garments. The imagery is rich with metaphorical detail, showing her dusky cheeks brushed by loose hair, light rays forming a necklace around her neck, and the darkening water reflecting her long shadow amidst the spreading white of clean laundry. This implies a narrative of daily fatigue mixed with quiet grace, where nature itself performs an intimate, domestic ritual at the threshold of night. The overall artistic tone is one of tranquil exhaustion and poetic intimacy, capturing the fading light through the tender, feminine personification of dusk.

साँझ - धुबिनियाँ (Saanjh - Dhubiniyan), by Pratibha Saxena runs to 22 lines across 6 stanzas, set as Six stanzas of varying lengths, utilizing vivid imagery and personification.. Its governing rasa is Shringara, shaded by Shanta. The metre is free verse. Rhyme falls as irregular.

Read it for साँझ का मानवीकरण और प्रकृति का सौंदर्य and दिन के ढलने और रात्रि के आगमन का दृश्य. 4 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Women Bathing by the River: Bathed in the gentle, amber glow of twilight, the painting evokes a serene and deeply sacred mood of quiet devotion and communal harmony along a riverbank. Figures are depicted engaged in the timeless, rhythmic daily…

Words worth pausing on

क्षितिज: वह स्थान जहाँ पृथ्वी और आकाश मिलते हुए दिखाई देते हैं
खँगारती: साफ़ पानी में धोकर निचोड़ना
चीर: वस्त्र
तिमिर: अंधकार

Threads

Nature Evening Sky

The Poet

प्रतिभा सक्सेना

Pratibha Saxena

Dr. Pratibha Saxena holds a distinct and vital place in contemporary Hindi literature. Her work connects the rigorous intellectual demands of academia with the sensitive realities of human relationships. Born on February 9, 1938, in Madhya Pradesh, her life path took her from the lecture halls of Kanpur, where she worked as an educator, to a diasporic existence in the United States. This geographical shift is highly visible in her diverse literary output, which includes poetry, short stories, and satire. In collections like Uttar Katha and Seema Ke Bandhan, she examines the modern domestic sphere. She highlights the subtle constraints placed upon women and the shifting dynamics of family life with deep psychological insight. Her language carries a quiet and confident thoughtfulness that never shouts but still commands complete attention. Saxena has spent decades enriching Hindi literature, demonstrating that a writer can remain deeply rooted in their native culture while living far from home.