Rubaiyat of Shamil

Poet and writer Manhar Kothari – “Shamil” published a book of rubai collection in gujarati a few years ago. It was greeted with considerable acclaim and subsequently recognized with an award. Friends and fellow poets encouraged Kothari to translate the rubaiyat into English. Crisp and concise as the form of rubai is, it does not easily lend itself to transplantation in an alien habitat. Challenging though the enterprise was, Kothari undertook to translate the 150 rubais into English. It was not an easy task. There were days when he nearly decided to call it quits. But he persisted and plodded on with unremitting toil. Then one day early morning, he wrote the first rubai unconsciously in iambic pentameter. Kothari expressed the imagination and thoughts of the rubaiyat in melodious words. While writing rubais he captures the iridescence in the ephemera momentarily, not only the whole spectrum of the rainbow but also the entire kaleidoscope of creation-an unbidden expression of Art.