8 verses · ~1 min
चाँदी की चौड़ी रेती, फिर स्वर्णिम गंगा धारा, जिसके निश्चल उर पर विजड़ित रत्न छाय नभ सारा!
फिर बालू का नासा लंबा ग्राह तुंड सा फैला, छितरी जल रेखा-- कछार फिर गया दूर तक मैला!
जिस पर मछुओं की मँड़ई, औ’ तरबूज़ों के ऊपर, बीच बीच में, सरपत के मूँठे खग-से खोले पर!
पीछे, चित्रित विटप पाँति लहराई सांध्य क्षितिज पर, जिससे सट कर नील धूम्र रेखा ज्यों खिंची समांतर।
बर्ह पुच्छ-से जलद पंख अंबर में बिखरे सुंदर रंग रंग की हलकी गहरी छायाएँ छिटका कर।
सब से ऊपर निर्जन नभ में अपलक संध्या तारा, नीरव औ’ निःसंग, खोजता सा कुछ, चिर पथहारा!
साँझ,-- नदी का सूना तट, मिलता है नहीं किनारा, खोज रहा एकाकी जीवन साथी, स्नेह सहारा!
रचनाकाल: जनवरी’ ४०
इति
The Poet
सुमित्रानंदन पंत
Sumitranandan Pant
1900 · 1977
Sumitranandan Pant was the absolute master of lyrical aestheticism in modern Hindi literature. Born in 1900 in the lush Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, he drew his earliest and most profound inspiration from the pristine beauty of the Himalayas. He became one of the four foundational pillars of Chhayavaad, the Hindi neo romantic movement. However, his literary journey did not stagnate in romantic nature worship. Over a career spanning more than five decades, his poetry evolved through distinct phases, absorbing progressive ideologies and eventually culminating in the deep philosophical spiritualism of Sri Aurobindo. Works like Pallav showcased his unmatched ability to weave delicate, musical imagery, while his later masterpiece Chidambara earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1968, the very first time this prestigious honor was given to a Hindi writer. Pant was also recognized with the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan. He passed away in 1977, leaving behind a poetic vocabulary that taught the Hindi language how to capture the exact softness of falling dew and the quiet grandeur of the mountains.
Paired Painting
Sunset on the Backwaters
C. Raja Raja Varma, the gifted younger brother of the legendary Raja Ravi Varma, possessed a sublime sensitivity for the landscape of his native Kerala. In this evocative piece from 1897, he captures the transition of the day as the sun descends behind the silhouette of palm trees. The painting radiates a quietude that is deeply spiritual, inviting the viewer to pause beside the still waters of the backwaters. It is a work of gentle observation, reflecting the artist's profound intimacy with the light, atmosphere, and rhythmic life of the land he held so dear.
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