Thirst

Ramakanta Samantaray

Translated by Sailen Routray

Photo credit: A. R. Vasavi

Why is the moon on leave

on a night like the full moon?

Do not blame me.

Don't even tell me

my hands are still stained with blood

because I had murdered a long time back.

I had left home in an exile

with tears and sobs.

I had made the procession of stars take a vow

to keep my news without an address.

So, don't think I have forgotten you.

The veins of every stone have water,

even if it's only a drop.

I have broken a whole hill down

just for that drop of water.

Now my throat is sticky with thirst.

Get me a fistful of water from the river 

in the fairytale you are hiding in.

Don't say no. 

Note: The Odia original of this translated poem is sourced from the poetry collection 'Asaranti rekhachitra', published in 2022 by Bhubaneswar-based publication house Barsha Publication. The poet Ramakanta Samantaray, born in 1972, has studied painting at the Bibhuti Kanungo College of Art and Craft (Bhubaneswar), and Odia Literature and Language at the Utkal University (Bhubaneswar). His doctoral work was a meditation on contemporary theatre in Odia. With this combination of literature, language, and the visual arts, he has been constantly working to create hybrid narratives. Apart from being a painter, he has also published fifteen books, including collections of poems and short stories, and novels. He has written and published articles on art, artists, and monographs in Odia. He presently lives and works in Bhubaneswar.