The Life of a Poem
Kedar Mishra
Translated by Sailen Routray
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| A girl putting flowers to Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex at Yerevan, Armenia Photo Credit - commons.wikimedia.org/Aleksey Chalabyan |
A
night without the possibilities of mornings;
darkness
with no end in sight.
A
night in which the moon, the
stars,
drift into nothingness;
set
to the fading tunes of ululations and haribol.
Friends,
you will not ask me for specificities.
You
will not ask me
which place is this,
which
night, which darkness.
You
will not ask whose house
this
darkness is gobbling up,
the
lines of which river
disappear
from the earth.
No
one knows what all has been lost.
The
top of the temple of dadhibamana
lies
buried in mud.
The
beats of satyanarayana’s songs
lie
digested within the entrails
of
dark, moonless nights.
The
moon has since long been absconding
from
its usual place
over
the heads of tender coconut fronds.
Oh
god of beguilements,
who
have made us forget our paths,
and
wear dark clothes!
Is
this your private heaven,
where you
have dragged me in this darkness?
He
will not answer any questions my friends.
After
having returned,
I’ll
read a poem for you.
This
poem will drop from my eyes
for
seven minutes,
minutes
that shall be the
full
expanse of life here.
Although
it might sound incredible,
those
seven minutes
are
also the only reliable account of our world,
of
this night and its darkness.
Note: Kedar Misra (b. 1971) was born in Sonepur and now lives in Bhubaneswar. He is a leading Odia writer and editor of his generation, and has a significant body work as a translator and art critic as well. He has published several collections of poetry including Shunya Abhisara (2003), Raga Kedar (2008), Premara Dura Geeta (2014), and 'E Nuhen Mora Desha' (2020). His latest collection of poems titled 'Sosara Sthapatya' has been published in April 2022 by Barsha Publication, Bhubaneswar. Among other honours, he is the winner of Utakla Sahitya Samaj Youth Writer Award for the year 2014.
The flavour, images, fragrances, rhythm and sensibilities of the original piece and the Odia rendition thereof unhindered, unhampered you have put up another master translation, Sailen.. Kudos..
ReplyDeleteHonoured that a poet found this competent.
DeleteI haven't read the original, but your words convey that Kedars poems seem to capture the profound poignance of life with such vibrancy, thank you. Love how rich imagery and plain speaking are juxtaposed, making it a timeless piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and the kind words. Glad to know that the translation works for you. Your continued engagement with my writing means much to me. Thanks again. Regards.
DeleteThe vivid and vibrant imagery so deep rooted in the context of origin even when translated, leaves behind a lingering feeling.such is the experience created.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and for taking the time out for giving this feedback. Regards.
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