Spring

Dedicated to Spring season

ललित लवंग लता परिशीलन कोमल मलय समीरे।
मधुकर निकर करंबित कोकिल कूजति कुंज कुटीरे ।।
विहरतिहरिरिह सरस वसंते।
नृत्यति युवति जनेन समंसखि विरहिजनस्य दुरंते॥

ললিত লবঙ্গ লতা পরিশীলন কোমল মলয় সমীরে ।
মধুকর নিকর করম্বিত কোকিল কুজতি কুঞ্জ কুটিরে ।।
বিহরিতহরিসহ সরস বসন্তে ।
নৃত্যতি যুবতী জনেন সমংসখি বিরহিজনস্য দুরন্তে ।।

Jaydev Goswami, poet from Bengal wrote the above lines in Gita Govinda (12th century) . I found these lines to express the ambience of the Spring season in all its sensual glory. The loose translation would go like this :

The lissom clove reeds enhances the sweetness of the soft gentle breeze
Honeybees in droves buzz and the cuckoo sings in groves and cottages.
Hari (Krishna) frolicks and flirts with damsels in this lovely spring
Oh dear, it pains the estranged so much.

Disclaimer : I am not remotely qualified to interpret the layers of intricate meanings of such verses which have a vast canvas of Bhakti ras (union of spirituality with amorous poetry ) . So I will not go into the spiritual aspect of that at all and confine myself to the lyrical aspect only.

Though these lines must have been written in Devnagari or Prakrit probably , I have read them in Bengali alphabets. As part of an old novel that I was reading. The lyrical excellence of the lines struck me and I carried them in my head for long . Later, I chanced to hear a classical rendition of this in music as a song too. This is just a stray and humble foray into the realms of the vast cultural heritage that we carry. If it resonates with even one person , I will take that as a huge support.