Selected Poems

by Atal Bihari Vajpayee

This book is selection of 22 famous poems of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee from his two books 'Meri Ikyavan Kavitayen' (My 51 poems) and 'Na Dainyam Na Palayanam' (neither coward nor an escapist). The poems are rooted in ancestral cultural heritage and address the ever relevant day to day facets of life. The poems emanate from Indian ethos and create a relationship to share same throb between the poet and the reader with spontaniety and belonging. The delicacy of translating a master language craftsman's poetry which is embedded in deep human sentiment that sprouts patriotic fervour has been done with enthusiasm and skill. Arvind Shah, in section one of the book has selected and translated the poems, He, in writing the translations of the poems has to a great extent met the difficult challenge of keeping alive the sensitivity of the original, theme and form. Section two of the book has poems written by him on the various facets of the personality of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee which portray his biographical sketch with delicate touch.

136 pages, Hardcover

First published July 24, 2014

About the author

With regard to his poetry he wrote, "My poetry is a declaration of war, not an exordium to defeat. It is not the defeated soldier's drumbeat of despair, but the fighting warrior's will to win. It is not the despirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory.

Reviews

[Moushmi Radhanpara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems by Atal Bihari Vajpayee are powerful, patriotic and perfect. With each line he delivers peace and love. My problem is with the translations. I didn't find them up to the mark and in fact some of them felt it was like trying too hard. The poems that are based on him, and written by the translator, defining his life and courage are good and does justice to his deeds but after a point of time they felt a little too repetitive. It was just a one time read.

[Swagatam Deva Nath · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK. Feel the translation couldn't do justice to the brilliance of these poems. Apart from the translation of "than gayi" didn't like the others that much.