What is he, I understand it not,
A modernist, post-modernist or avant-gardeist,
A poet of Allahabad,
But one dislocated and displaced definitely
Telling of things surreal,
Talkative and conversational,
Poetical not, un-poetical
As means it not
What he says, communicates
Apart from situational, circumstantial.
A poet not, going to bazaar,
Buying things, enquiring about rates,
Meeting people on the way,
Seeing things,
Smiling not,
In a vortex of thoughts and ideas,
A poet un-poetical,
Himself confused
Confusing others.
His white and flowing beards
Not Tagorely,
But the kaash grass blooms
Similar to white beards
Long and flowing,
A saint poet not,
But earthly and mundane,
Disordered and disarranged,
Never transcendental and metaphysical,
A poet surreal,
Talking and going.
Poetry to Mehrotra is gossips,
Conversation,
Talks,
Tidbits of thought and idea,
Poetical not,
U-npoetical,
A poet confused
And misinterpreting poetry,
A poet not,
But a non-poet as a poet.
Hoshang Merchant commented: ' No.no/ Mehrotra has to be read whole /The early with the late poems /The prose with the translations /Then u will appreciate him/'
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
In response to Hoshang erchant's comment: Such a comment I liked it asking me to do an overall assessment, a total evaluation as it is by now as an extension of the whole he has furnished