The poem ‘आकाशका तारा के तारा’ (Akash ka tara ke tara) is a Grade 10 Poem (CBSE) written by हरिभक्त कटुवाल (haribhakta katuwal). ‘आकाशका तारा के तारा’ roughly translates into ‘What of the stars above the sky’.
As you might guess from the ‘Grade 10’, it has some pretty difficult words but I chose the one with the easiest words.
Since this poem is long, I am just providing Translation and Transliteration above each other. To see the uninterrupted texts, click here.
I have tried to translated it line by line according to how it appears on the text, but very few times some words go up and down.
MEANING
प्रिये! (priye)
= Loved one!
आकाशमा चम्किने नौलाख तारा! (aakashma chamkine nau laakh tara)
दुइ तारा ल्याई लुर्कना बनाई (dui tara lyai lurkanaa banai)
तिम्रा बुच्चा कानहरुमा (timra buchchaa kaanharu ma)
झुण्ड्याइदिन सके कस्तो हुँदो होला ? (jhundyaidina sake kasto hudo hola?)
= The nine-hundred thousand stars that shine in the sky,
If two stars could be turned into ornaments
and in your bare-ear lobes
(it) be hung, How would it be?
तर प्रिये! (tara priye!)
= But loved one!
ती तारा टाढा आकाशमा रहनाले नै तारा छन्, (ti tara tadha aakashma rahane nai tara chan)
हातले टिप्न सक्ने फल झैँ (haatle tipna sakne phal jhai)
फल्दा हुन् त ती तारा रुख रुखमा (phalda hun ta ti tara rukh rukh ma)
तारा नभई झटारा हुन्थे । (tara nabhai jhatara hunthe)
= Those stars are stars because they are in the far sky,
Fruits that could be picked by hand easily,
If they start fruiting like that in the trees,
They would not be stars but (would) be a nuisance (unworthy)!
टाढा छन्- त्यसैले तिनको सम्मान छ, (tadha chan- tyasaile tin ko samman cha)
कवि कलाकारको मुखमा (kawi kalakar ko mukhmaa)
ताराको गुणगान छ (tara ko gunkaan cha)
उनिहरुकै तथ्य खोज्नमा (uniharu tathya khojna ma)
ब्यस्त विज्ञान छ । (byasta bigyan cha)
= They are far- that’s why they are respected,
In Poets and Artist’s mouths
The praises of the stars lay there,
In order to find their secrets
Science is occupied (by it)
पृथवीका जीवले (prithwi ka jiv le)
आकाशमा ती तारालाई मात्र (akash ma ti tara lai matra)
देख्छन् तारा, (dekhchan tara)
टाढा देख्ने ती आँखाले (tadha dekhne ti aakha le)
देख्न सकेनन् वरिपरिका (dekhna sakenan waripari ka)
पृथ्वीका तारा, (prithawi ka tara)
= The creatures of Earth
The stars on the sky, they only
seem stars there
The eyes that see far,
Failed to see the STARS around them,
The STARS of this Earth
चामे, रामे, हर्के, वीरे कति तारा (Chame, rame, harke, bire kati tara)
छन् पृथ्वी मै- तर देख्ने कसले ? (chan prithwi mai- tara dekhne kasle?)
= Chamay, Raamay, Beeray,so many stars there
Are in this Earth= But who will see them?
तारा भएरै पनि ती बिचरा! (tara bhaerai pani ti bichara)
गाँस्-बासको डोहो-डोहोले (gas bas ko doho doho le)
पिई आँसुका नुनिला धारा (peei aasuka nunila dhara)
गनी गनी टाढाका तारा (gani gani tadha ka tara)
कुकुर जस्तै हीन भएर (kukur jastai hin bhanera)
बिताइरहेछन् जीवन सारा (bitaairahecha jiwan sara)
= But poor them, even though they are stars!
Facing The hardships (scarcity) of living and food (Costs)
Drinking salty stream of tears
Counting The distant stars
Being just like a destroyed dog,
This way they spend their entire lives!
आकाशका तारा के तारा ? (akashka tara ke tara?)
न उनमा छ आफ्नैपन क्यै! (na un ma cha aaphnaipan kyai)
= Stars on the sky, oh what are they?
Selfhood they don’t have anything special!
एक सूर्यको ज्योतिमा नै (ek surya ko jyoti ma nai)
ती ताराको अस्तित्व हराउँछ; (ti tara ko astitwa haraucha)
= One shine of the Sun,
And the Stars lose their identity.
तर यी तारा- (tara yi tara)
हर्के, विरे, चामे सारा (harke, bire, chame sara)
कसले चिन्ने यिनीहरुलाई ? (kasle chinne yiniharuklai?)
चिन्न सके त (chinna sake ta)
-एक हर्केमा, एक वीरेमा, (ek harke ma, ek bire ma)
एकेक सूर्यको शक्ति निहित (ekek surya ko shakti nihit)
एक चामेको, एक रामेको (ek chame ko, ek rame ko)
विवेक-ज्योतिले विश्व सिंगार्छ! (bibek jyoti le bishwa singarcha)
= But THESE stars-
Harkay, Biray, Chamay all…
Who will recognise (acknowledge) them?
If they (their existence) were recognized (acknowledged)
Inside every Harkay, inside every Biray,
Inside every beam (strength) of the Sun lies
One Chamay’s, one Ramay’s
Knowledge (that) will penetrate the world!
अन्धो पृथ्वी – अन्धा हामी! (andho prithwi – andha hami)
हाम्रा लागि घरको दूध पानीसरि छ, (hamra lagi gharko dudh panisari cha)
नौ-लाख तारा टाढा हुनाले तारा छन् (nau lakh tara tadha huna le tara chan)
रामे, चामे, हर्के, वीरे झटारा छन्!! (Rame, chame, harke, bire jhatara chan!)
= Blind Earth- Blind Us!
For us, home’s milk (from cows we own) are equivalent to Water,
The nine Hundred-Thousand Stars are stars (valuable) because they are distant,
And the same reason why Ramay, Chamay, Harkay, Biray are a nuisance (worthless)!
भयो प्रिये! (bhayo priye!)
= Enough, loved one!
आकाशका ती तारा ल्याई- (akashka ti tara lyai)
लुर्कना किन लाउने ? (lurkana kina laaune?)
पृथ्वीका तारा स्याह्रार्न किन नथाल्ने ? (prithwi ka tara syaharna kina nathalne?)
= By bringing the stars (that are) high above the sky-
Why should it be worn as ornaments?
Why don’t we all start caring the ones down on Earth?
प्रिये! अझै अलिक दिन बुच्चै बसिद्यौ (priye! ajhai ali din buchchai basidyau)
बुच्चा कानमा लुर्कना होइन (buchcha kan ma lurkana hoina)
पृथ्वीका रत्न बटुली (prithwi ka ratna batuli)
तिम्रो मनको कालो आकाशमा (timro man ko kalo akashma)
ज्योति सजाउँला । (jyoti sajaula)
= Loved one! Please keep your ear-lobes bare longer
And in those empty ear lobes, it is not ornaments (that will decorate it)
(It is) the diamonds of this Earth that I will collect
And in your dark, black sky inside your heart
I will decorate the (collected) light
_________
VOCABULARY:
प्रिये (priye) = Loved person; Loved one
आकाश (akash) = Sky
नौलाख (naulakh) = Nau (nine) + Lakh (Hundred Thousand)
तारा (tara) = Star
लुर्कना (lurkana) = Ear-ring; Ornament
बुच्चा (buchcha) = (here) Empty
कान (kan) = Ear
झटारा (jhatara) = Event which comes unexpectedly, leaving us to Disappointment and/or shock
सम्मान (samman) = Respect
कवि (kawi) = Poet
कलाकार (kalakar) = Artist
गुणगान (gungan) = Praises
तथ्य (tathya) = General Talk; Gossip
ब्यस्त (byasta) = Busy
जीव (jiv) = Living Being; Creature
मात्र (matra) = Only
वरिपरि (waripari) = Around
पृथ्वी (prithwi) = Earth
गाँस्-बास (gas bas) = Living (and food costs)
डोहो-डोहो (doho doho) = (here) Scarcity
आँसु (asu) = Tears
नुनिला (nunila) = Salty
धारा (dhara) =Tap
टाढा (tadha) = Far
सूर्य (surya) = Sun
ज्योति (jyoti) = Light
अस्तित्व (astitwa) = Identity
निहित (nihit) = Inside (something)
विवेक (bibek) = Mind; The knowledge that possesses the ability to distinguish between right and wrong; good and bad etc.
अन्धो (andho) = Blind
रत्न (ratna) = Diamond
______
NOTES:
Chamay, Harkay, Biray, Ramay etc. are names of people.
In the last line, when the poem says ‘ratna’, he meant the bright things and not literally ‘diamonds’.
This poem is about giving priority to things close to us than to things that are distant. We usually find ourselves neglecting things that are close to us, which this poem is clearly showing.
In the beginning, the poet is saying how he will decorate his lover’s empty ears with ‘stars’. When he mentions stars, he is trying to mean distant things, on how it always fascinates us but we always ignore (not give priority) the ones close to us.
______
Can you answer these questions?
QUESTIONS
1. When the Poet says ‘ dui tara lyai lurkanaa banai timra buchchaa kaanharu ma jhundyaidina sake kasto hudo hola?’, what does he mean?
2. Why do the stars lose their identity in the daytime?
3. When the Poet says ’hamra lagi ghar ko dudh pani sari cha’, what does he mean?
4. Why is the word ‘tara’ used here symbolically? What is the poet actually try to mean by the word ‘tara’?
5. What is this poem’s primary message?
________
If you need clarification or some ‘analysis’ or just want to ask about this, or anything, then you can ask.