Rajput Paintings

Rich as the Sesodias of Mewar,
The heart dreams in colour,
And seeks out celestial jewels on distant peaks.
The lowborn artist, to himself a prince,
Becomes, through the brush’s manoeuvres,
Hero, lover, emperor, or god.
Endless manifestations of the One
Are reconciled in devotion;
Blue Krishna gallivants with maidens
Beside the river, and seduces the trees
With the fingering of his flute.
The puns and metaphors of poets
Are smelted into passionate icons,
As love draws lines like spiderwebs
Through body, mind and soul.
Nine moods of the human liturgy
Demand the connoisseur’s contemplation
In the garbha griha of the eye.
Let the snakes and birds of the forest
Hear the songs of lovers,together or apart,
The music in a watercolour,
Replete with tones and undertones.
Like a red girl on a swing
In the springtime trees,the world
Arcs back and forth,up and down,
Dizzy with joy forever!