Harivanshrai Bachchan

Harivanshrai "Bachchan" Srivastav (हरिवंशराय बच्चन श्रीवास्तव) (November 27, 1907 - January 18, 2003) was a distinguished Hindi poet of Chhayavaad literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. He best known for his early work Madhushala (मधुशाला). He is also the father of Bollywood film superstar, Amitabh Bachchan.

Here I'm trying to post some poems of him...

MADHUSHAALAA

Madhushala is one of Shri. Harivansh Rai Bachchan's most famous compositions. Here is a text of some of it (not the whole of it though), which was initially put on the India Discussion Digest by Najid Hussain. The translation was done by him too. The twenty stanzas which follow were chosen for the audio cassette by Manna Dey in which the first one was sung by Harivanshrai himself.

(madiraalay = the house of liquor, pub) 
With the intention of going to the pub, the drink-seeker starts from home
He is confused as to which path should he choose to 
reach there
Different people show different paths, but I suggest 
only one thing
Take one path (any one) and just keep going, you will get MADHUSHAALAA.
  
 (haalaa = liquor)
Sounding like a spring, the liquor's falling and filling the 
lives
There are sounds like those of pretty, intoxicating girls 
playing at the water
We have almost reached, just a few more steps to go
The very thought is making the drink-seekers sway and MADHUSHAALAA redolent.
   
(saaqi = the one who serves intoxicating drinks; bar 
tender) 
It [madhu] flares like a red sword, but don't call it fire
Don't even call it the abscess of the heart
Pain is its intoxication and receding memories its 
bar-tender [provider]
That who endures or enjoys pain only must come to my Madhushaalaa
   
(dharm granth = holy book of any religion)
That, whose fire from within, has burnt all holy books of his religion 
That, who has demolished all his personal religious 
structures- temple, mosque or church
That who has freed himself from the clutches of 
religious priests- Pandit, Imam or Bishop
That alone is today welcome in my Madhushaalaa.
  
 (lajjit = bashful, reticent)
If one has not yet kissed a "drink" with his lips,
And has not yet felt the "pail" with delight and trembling hands.
If one has not yet held the hands of the bashful "bar-tender" and pulled her towards oneself,
Such a person has totally wasted his life's wonderful Madhushaalaa.
  
 (Shiva = the god of destruction, Siva)
He [the drink-seeker] imagines the beloved bar-tender 
as the priest, and the drink as holy water of Ganges,
And counts rapidly [a mantra] on the rosary of his pails,
His only mantra is "Take more.  Drink more."
[In his imagination] he becomes the image of Shiva and his temple, Madhushaalaa.
  
 (holi = festival of bonfire and colors)
Once a year [you] celebrate holi by lighting a fire and
Only once a year [you] celebrate diwali with fire-crackers and illuminating houses
However, someday [you] should come and see in the "bar"
Every day holi and every night diwali, celebrates Madhushaalaa.
  
 (ras = juice, fluid, taste)
Whatever may come to [my] lips, tastes only "liquor" at 
the tongue
Whatever may come in [my] hands, feels only like the 
"pail"
Every face [before me] turns into the face of the "bar-tender"
In front of [my] eyes there may be anything, but in [my] eyes, there's only Madhushaalaa.)
  
 (sumukhi = one with a beautiful face, a beautiful lady)
Hey [my] charming lady, your beautiful face is like the 
golden "pail" [to me]
which is teeming with the wonderful, sweet, intoxicating wine.
I am the bar-tender and I alone is the one who drinks
Wherever we two get together, we have Madhushaalaa.
   
(oob uthi = got tired)
Within two days of presenting me with the wine, the bar-tender [my love] got tired.
Now she just fills the pail and quite curtly places it 
before me.
That enticing and seducing charm in presenting the drink no more exists.
Now the only one who still fulfills its obligation is Madhushaalaa.
  
 (pyaar = love, adoration, devotion, admiration)
In this brief life, how much can I love, how much can I 
drink
Right on arrival in this world, I became 'destined-to-go'
Parting and farewell arrangements I have seen just 
following welcome
Barely upon opening, started to close my life's 
wonderful madhushaalaa.
  
 (ur = heart)
No ones' fire-of-the-heart ever got abated after 
drinking
Every one who drinks, only asks for more and more
The departer leaves behind himself so many desires and 
ambitions
All those aspirations get buried under the grave of 
Madhushaalaa.
(Yam = angel of death: myth is that he comes on buffalo)
Yam will arrive as a wineserver and will bring with him 
dark wine
After drinking it, the cheerful drinker will never regain 
conscious again
This is the last intoxication, last wineserver and the last pail
Hey Traveller, drink it with love, for you will never again get Madhushaalaa.
  
(praN = soul, life, existence)
Day by day, the beloved wine of my existence is dropping down
Day by day, the pail of my body is disintegrating
Day by day, the beautiful wineserver of my youth is 
getting annoyed with me
And day by day, my lovely life's Madhushaalaa is 
drying up.
  
(Tulsi = Basil leaves; regarded holy and used in last-rites)
The last thing on my lips shouldn't be the basil but the 
"pail"
The last thing on my tongue shouldn't be the holy water 
from ganges but the wine
Those who join my last procession, must remember one 
thing
They shouldn't say "Ram is the truth", instead say 
the truth is Madhushaalaa.
   
(roae = cry, weep)
Only that must weep on my corpse, whose tears are full 
of wine
Only that must sigh, who is intoxicated after drinking
Only those must lay shoulder to me whose legs jerk and 
quaver
And I must be cremated on the site where once stood 
Madhushaalaa.