”…but what a humiliation when one stood beside me and heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone heard the shepherd singing and again I heard nothing, such incidents brought me to the verge of despair,…”
- The Heiligenstadt Testament: Ludwig Van Beethoven
Pounding on the ivory and ebony
Intimately familiar, is each piano key
Unfailingly, it brings sound alive-
The music of the Danube,
The hillocks, hamlets and vales
And Titans’ fiery wheel
Encircling a muted me.
How nature fused into musical notes
Is one of the greatest mysteries
And then my deafened ears
Quicken to life teeming
Around me
I began to fathom
The many faces of melancholy.
My pianoforte understands that
Music cocoons me,
A language, conjoined inseparably
With my psyche
reminding me, once again, of my sanity.
Ah, at last I sip at
The springs of tranquility.
I pound no more at doors
Of a listless fate.
No more does the cityscape
Lure me, and now I bid
Vienna, adieu.
Humiliation and apathy!
What else have you to offer me?
In Hieligenstadt, the muse is kinder,
My sketchbook messier
Scribbled, amended and refined
Always in a tearing hurry
As inspiration comes to me.
Music makes me conversant with memory
Woods, silence, storm and nature’s bounty.
My symphonic steam, magically
Surges out into – cosmic rhythms
And, lo I proffer
nine-coined symphonies;
a refined ‘Für Elise’,
The Pastoral Symphony,
Testaments of inherent harmony.
****************************
- Mumtaz N K
17-09-2020
This is a 6 stanzaic poem, each with seven lines. I would really appreciate your comments.
All I want to say
Hell yeah!!!
A new discovery for me is Mumtaz. And I bow down to you. You talk of symphony and how it cocoons you and each of the stanza with its seven lines is in symphony…well thought, well read….a sense of satisfaction prevails..thank you for writing this.
Will come here again n again to learn n relish.💚💚💚
Thank you my dear, yes I talk about Beethoven’s battle with deafness and asylum in Heiligenstadt. 💚
Just speechless! Read it thrice to understand every word and its depth😮
Hats off to you! You’re a master of words.💚💚
Thank you Sonali, I’m rendered speechless by your words. 💚
Mumtaz, that’s an incredible read! Too good 💚💚
Thank you Nitika, I guess this has been in my mind for quite some time. 💚
such a beautiful and poignant topic to write on/. I wasnt familiar with Beethoven’s personal life, his deafness, even. Your poem has inspired me to read more about him. The genius of your poem cannot be described with a few adjectives. I will return to it again and again, to learn something new. Thank you for writing it, Mumtaz.
Thank you for your inspiring words! I was inspired by Rita Dove.
Wow ! What did I just read ? Its phenomenal! You are amazing, truly amazing 👏
Thank you Rianka. 💚
Beautiful, a poignant depiction of an artist’s innermost thoughts.
Thank you Sheena —agony births ecstasy!
This poem is expressing the agony of one of the greatest musician. I remember one incident when Helen Keller touched the throat of MS Subbalaxmi and said,” You create great music.”
Superb
Thank you Sarita, wow, I wasn’t aware of this incident. I’d love to read it up.💚
My deepest gratitude to all fellow writers and ArtoonsInn for providing writers and poets with a platform, and offering an ever ready cuppa inspiration.
Your poem is a treat for the eyes. A sigh of relief in these gloomy days. Incredible.
True that The whole Universe conspires to rekindle the artist within an artist. Hats off to you. Waiting for more to come 💚💚
Thank you I’m humbled.
What a beautiful way to describe the angst of the world’s greatest musician. It was almost as if you were him. Good work Mumtaz!
Thank you, Shail. I guess writers get into the skin of the characters.
Beautiful!
Thank you Jaya.
Hey this is just awesome 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you Kirti V. The protagonist is my muse
Wow! Awesome, dear Mumtaz
Pooja, do read Rita Dove’ s poem on Beethoven. Thank you dear.
Mumtaz, I read this poem again and again to get a deeper understanding.
An artist’s angst is expressed so beautifully
Must compliment you on your study of the great artist
Looking forward to more writing from you
Thank you Pradnya, I might sound pretty stilted in replying in crisp thank yous. But I’ve been awaiting a response, to understand how, this, as well as, my other work appears from a readerly lens.
Remarkable. I had to read thrice to understand. His agony is explained very well.
It is a long poem and the verse format that I had in mind doesn’t appear.
I hope you liked it, yes his agony is followed a sense of ecstasy.