Black Marigolds: fifty stanzas of kisses….

Ever heard of this amazing, exquisite and ..haunting love poem, which I feel is probably the best love poem ever written?

"The Black Marigolds", about also known as the Chaurapanchasika: The Fifty Stanzas of Chauras.

It was written many centuries ago, by a young poet who knew he was going to die, for having loved the king's daughter. His love lament survived, and was translated from the Sanskrit by E. Powys Mathers, with great skill and sensitivity, for us all to enjoy. To me it is one of the most beautiful love poem of all time.

And sometimes we look to the end of the tale that there should be marriage-feasts, and find only, as it were, black marigolds and a silence.--Azeddin el Mocadecci

Here are some of my favourite stanzas:

Even now
My eyes that hurry to see no more are painting, painting
Faces of my lost girl. O golden rings
That tap against cheeks of small magnolia leaves,
O whitest so soft parchment where
My poor divorced lips have written excellent
Stanzas of kisses, and will write no more.
Even now
I know my princess was happy. I see her stand
Touching her breasts with all her flower-soft fingers,
Looking askance at me with smiling eyes.

There is a god that arms him with a flower
And she was stricken deep. Here, oh die here.
Kiss me and I shall be purer than quick rivers.

Even now
If my girl with lotus eyes came to me again
Weary with the dear weight of young love,
Again I would give her to these starved twins of arms
And from her mouth drink down the heavy wine,
As a reeling pirate bee in fluttered ease
Steals up the honey from the nenuphar.
[στα ελληνικά δεν υπάρχει μετάφραση αυτού το καταπληκτικού ποιήματος…ή τουλάχιστον έτσι νομίζω] [by Tzeferis peter] [Τζεφέρης Πέτρος]
[ΚΑΛΟ ΚΑΛΟΚΑΙΡΙ]
Black Marigolds