Thursday, July 02, 2020

अन् कोसळला भुईवर होऊन खाक... होऊन खंक...The Lament for Icarus

"...
याची कुंडली निघाली दरोबस्त दगलबाज.
नजर केले तिनं  त्याला मेणचटलेले पांचट पंख.
हेच पंख फुलवीत निघाला हा सूर्यबिंब गिळायला
अन् कोसळला भुईवर होऊन खाक... होऊन खंक
..."
(इकारस, सदानंद रेगे, 'निवडक सदानंद रेगे', १९९६- २०१३, पृष्ठ २६)

Robin Waterfield, 'The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold', 2011:
"…Within his cell, Daedalus fashioned for himself and his son strong wings. Great eagle feathers covered a light wooden frame, which could be strapped to the arms. The feathers were coated with wax, both to glue them to the frame and to make them strong enough to bear the weight of a human being. When all was ready, the two of them, man and boy, perched on the window ledge of their lofty prison and launched themselves into the air.

Daedalus’ latest invention was astounding: human beings could fly! As they began to flap and glide their easy way toward Sicily, Daedalus warned Icarus to steer a middle course. “The peril stands equal, my son,” he said. “If you fly too low, the hungry waves may lick up and drown you; but if you fly too high, the sun may melt the wax which binds your wings together. Fly not too high, my son!”

Again and again the anxious father had to warn his son about the danger, and every time Icarus obeyed at first, but soon began to experiment, as teenagers will, with the limits of his father’s marvelous invention. He swooped and soared to his heart’s delight, and Daedalus was pleased to see that the wings were sturdy enough to stand this much stress. But in such hazardous ventures, one mistake is all that is needed. Icarus rose too high in the sky, preparing for a joyous dive. The wax melted, the feathers fell off, and the boy plummeted headlong to his death in the sea.”

"The Lament for Icarus", 1898 by Herbert James Draper (1863- 1920)