An ode to the Muse (Cināre)

 

This is BS Murthy’s English rendition of Dwana Sastry’s nānēs tribute in Telugu to the Jnānpēth ascendant, Dr. C. Narayana Reddy (Cināre), on his 75^th birthday   

 

1                                              

So to savour                                           

Cināre’s verse,

Goes Jnānpēth

To Hanumānjipet.

 

2.

Hi, Sastryji

Cināre greets,

Brings that warmth

To Dwana’s heart.

 

3

Beckons as Dwana

Ever he grants,  

Cināre’s love

It’s Dwana’s pride.

 

4

Takes he mike

It sings his tune,

Glued to seats

All sit spellbound.

 

5

‘Rise as thou    

Cavils if world

‘Grow sky-high’,

Is Cināre quote.

 

6

Instant scale 

As gives printout

So his reply

Comes post-haste.

 

7

Grace Golconda

So Tank-bund,

Made Cināre the city his own

Hath which charms of Charminar.

 

8

As it shapes

He spots talent,

Pats he backs

Of rising stars.

 

9

Sees he far ‘n

Wide as well,

Nurses he all

Regions three.

 

10.

Burn in envy

At his back,

Face to face

They show their teeth.

 

11

Where leads envy,

Cināre, those?

Stay they put

At alphabets best.

 

12

Find in Cināre

Small-timers,

Mother-like love

That sooths them all.

 

13

Hold on old

Eye for new,

Holds he ever

Young ‘n old.  

 

14

Break its back

As score gathered,

Stage sans Cināre

Seems empty.

 

15

Wraps he ghazal

In Telugu garb,

Lends that charm

To both of them.

 

16

Speaks as he

In sonorous tone,

Out of tune seem

Speaks who next.

 

17

Count on Cināre

Doth he have

Dig at false airs

Thou put on. 

 

18

Oratory is but

State of the art,

Log into Cināre

Dot com quick.

 

19

With his muse

Of all seasons,

Makes he tango

With mod verse.

 

20

Ever he reaches 

One and all,

Share thee dais

And seem so small.

 

21

Words in rhyme 

With rhythmic force,

Horse-like trots

His flow of verse.

 

22

On the seat

Of power he sits,

Cascade like he

Holds his sway.

 

23

Sees he moon

In broad daylight,

Takes his muse 

All worlds in stride.

 

24

Sung to tune

In soulful tone,

Lyrics his grace 

Well silver screen

 

25

It’s with buds of sannajaji

Pōlamala he came to weave,

Blossoms that for times to come

Fragrance of it never to wane.

 

26

Discourse his

On modern verse,

Treatise it makes

On rules of muse.

 

27

Wit his sparkles 

Telugu phrase,

Gives its cutting

Edge his pun.

 

28

Nook ‘n corner 

Of mother earth,

Travelogues of his

Spread his word.

 

29

Of the parishad

That he built,

Suravaram et al

But make pillars.

 

30

Helps his verse

Peripheral press

Rub its shoulders

Mainstream with. 

 

31

Land-line his

In Hyderabad  

Brings to ear

His hallowed tone.

 

32

Podium high

Of art itself,

Cināre sans

Seems artless.

 

33

It’s no joke

To ever compile

Works of writers

He unveiled.

 

34

Brings he Midas

Touch to verse

Gave his village

House to books.

 

35

To aver that one

Never espied him,

Akin to saying

Saw none clouds.

 

36

Runs as stream

Of verse in him,

Makes his muse

Flood world of word.

 

37

Sweet is Vennelavāda verse

Savours one but to the end,

Words that sculp in Ramappa 

Ajanta as well move no end.

 

38

Surname his

Well, Chaitanyam,

Hath it traits

Of high wisdom.

 

39

Verse his metre

Desi true,

Shows the way

To rhyme itself.

 

40

Apart fragrance of his love 

Acquaintance with Cināre

Accrues to one benefits of

Aspects life of uprightness. 

                        

41

Not for him

Ever nit-picking,

Makes him that 

The revered One.

 

42

Withers not age

Nor stales custom,

Shakespeare could’ve

Said of him.

 

43

Turns he deity

On the stage,

Casts he spell

On one and all.

 

44

Roots with his 

In Telangana.

Rose he high   

In poetic world.

 

45

In the school

Of Hindustan,

Stands he tall

As Headmaster.

 

46

On the plots

Of time he owns,

Builds he blocks

Of disciplined life.

 

47

Curly hair that

Crowned his head,

Passed since reign

To bald eminence.

 

48

Takes he note

Of all to note,

Prone not to miss

Pros and cons.

 

49

Saintly though 

He’s worldly too,

As it comes

He takes his life.

 

50

Stumps he all

Who leave the crease,

Irks all those 

Who bear witness.

 

51

Muse as rooted

In grassroots,

Verse his covers 

Worlds all there.

 

52

Shapes he life

To suit his needs,

Tread occult his

Science footprints.

 

53

It’s in poetry

Lays he store,

Well, if mimicry

God save thee.

 

54

For the soul

Of common man,

What a feel doth

Hath this man!

 

55

Warmth of his

For tinsel world,

Gummadi’s demeanour

Shows the world.

 

56.

How I wish

It’s I, who owned,

Gopi’s slot

In Cināre heart.

 

57

Hard to please

Was N.T.R,

But won Cināre

The former’s heart.

 

58

Cināre’s lyrics

Or celluloid reels,

Bestowed which

To which glamour?

 

59

It’s by folk touch

Which he gave

Got such verve 

The Telugu song.

 

60.

Alien though are

Bhajans Mērā’s,   

Imparts pen his

Telugu touch.

 

61

Of the innate

Child in him,

Power ’n position

Couldn’t rob him.

 

62

Taught in Telugu

Schooled in Urdu,

Feathers he adds

To both their caps.

 

63

Forewords his

To books of theirs,

Help all authors

Make their mark.

 

64

No great deal to

Guess it right

Makes who face

Of Andhra arts.

 

65

End eras

To bring new ones,

Ends not time

His poetic hold.

 

66

Pelt ’n see

Stones at him,

Turn they pearls all

As he smiles. 

 

67

Fatherly love

That he bears,

Fills the heart

Of Ms. Ganga.

 

68

Won he laurels 

Others he lauds,

Get bluestockings 

Share their due.

 

69

Takes the cake

Late better-half his,

It’s in her name

He hands out.

 

70

Ever he values 

Fair sex more,

Proved he siring

Girls all four.

 

71

Looks his belie

Passed he through,

Years all those

Full seventy-four.

 

72

Not for him

Is writer’s block,

Ever he pens 

The verse he breathes.  

 

73

Why not Cināre

Take fresh guard,

And get going

For thy ton.

 

74

When that happens

Won’t Gibbon

Come down to note how Telugu

Muse so rose high in years all those.

 

75

Look ye forward

For that day,

But for now have

Dwana’s nānēs.