Daily Poetry — August 25, 2026

ताज (Taj)

Composed by सुमित्रानंदन पंत (Sumitranandan Pant)

Original Hindi

हाय! मृत्यु का ऐसा अमर अपार्थिव पूजन! जब विषन्न निर्जीव पड़ा हो जग का जीवन! संगमरमर के स्निग्ध ढले निश्चल साँचे में, ढल जाता है अकाल मृदु यौवन का वैभव। गतायु का स्मारक! कवि, यह कैसा अमरत्व! जब अश्रु -कणों से न द्रवित हो मानव का मन, करुणार्द्र-व्यथित नत मस्तक हो। एकल विस्मृत जन, यह अट्टालिक नहीं, मृत्यु का ही है श्रंगार।

English Translation

Alas! Such an immortal, unearthly worship of death! While the world's life lies sorrowful and inert! In the smooth, still mould of marble, The gentle splendor of youth prematurely dissolves. A monument to faded ages! O poet, what immortality is this? When the human heart is not softened by tears, Nor empathetically pained, with bowed head. Oh, you lonely, forgotten masses, This is no grand edifice, but merely the adornment of death.

AI Generated

AI Echo (Hindi)

फिर क्यों न उठे करुणा का स्वर, जब प्राणों पर पड़ा हो भारी दुख का प्रहर? मिट्टी के घरौंदों में सिमटी जो साँसें, क्या संगमरमर से ऊँची नहीं उनकी आसें? जीवन का वैभव, प्रेम का सार, क्या दीवारों में कैद, या मुक्त संसार? मौन पत्थरों की गाथा व्यर्थ, जो न छू सके हृदय, वो किस अर्थ? सच्ची अमरता तो कर्मों में वास, प्रेम, सेवा, करुणा का जो हो प्रकाश।

AI Generated

AI Echo (English)

Then why should the voice of compassion not rise, When heavy hours of sorrow weigh upon lives? The breaths confined within earthen homes, Are their hopes not higher than marble domes? Life's splendor, the essence of love, Is it captive within walls, or free like a dove? The tale of silent stones is vain, If it cannot touch the heart, what's its gain? True immortality resides in deeds, In the light of love, service, and compassionate needs.

Literary & Historical Context

Sumitranandan Pant (1900-1977), a towering figure of Hindi literature initially associated with the Chhayavad (Romanticism) era, later embraced progressive and humanist ideologies. His poem 'Taj' is a poignant critique of the iconic Taj Mahal, questioning its monumental grandeur against the backdrop of human suffering and inequality. Pant views the monument not as an eternal symbol of love, but as an 'immortal, unearthly worship of death' that stands in stark contrast to the 'sorrowful and inert' lives of the common people. He laments the resources and labor expended on a tomb while the 'lonely, forgotten masses' endure hardship, implicitly challenging the socio-economic disparities of the time. The poem is significant for its shift from purely romantic themes to a more socially conscious and critical perspective, highlighting that true immortality lies not in inanimate stone but in empathy, human values, and deeds of compassion.

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