Melancholetta

One of the best english language poets that india has ever produced. though his poetry is extremely underrated in india atleast. seth, i believe , is a wonderful master of verse who manages to put across deep empathy without using much imagery or any such twists of language. his style is lucid yet testing to the reader, because he often has a different purpose to his writing, than the one normally perceived.

this is my favorite seth poem, from a collection of the same name. read it and check out the foot notes:

All You who Sleep Tonight

All you who sleep tonight
Far from the ones you love,
No hand to left or right

And emptiness above -

Know that you aren't alone
The whole world shares your tears,
Some for two nights or one,
And some for all their years.

-- Vikram Seth

p.s: this poem , is on the homepage of the gaybombay sight. seth is a well known supporter of the gay movement in india, though his own oorientation is not in question.. he has written a number of poems about the apathy of gays in india, and this issue finds constant reference in almost all his works.

and in case u have any doubta about him being straight- check out this one!

its called "round and round".

Round and Round

After a long and wretched flight
That stretched from daylight into night,
Where babies wept and tempers shattered
And the plane lurched and whiskey splattered
Over my plastic food, I came
To claim my bags from Baggage Claim

Around, the carousel went around
The anxious travelers sought and found
Their bags, intact or gently battered,
But to my foolish eyes what mattered
Was a brave suitcase, red and small,
That circled round, not mine at all.

I knew that bag. It must be hers.
We hadnt met in seven years!
And as the metal plates squealed and clattered
My happy memories chimed and chattered.
An old man pulled it of the Claim.
My bags appeared: I did the same.


hope u enjoyed that,

love
chitra