a humble attempt at translating a poem by shiv kumar batalvi
o virtuous father
dear
when the cotton
does flower bear
o virtuous father
dear
buy me that season
of the year
i lost a song in
this season of yore
that of longing a
garland wore
its face pockmarked
with sorrow such
its eyes full of
water from a ruined well
a song that when by
the lips touched
sends the heart
fluttering along
o virtuous father
dear
buy me that song
o virtuous father
dear
one day me and my
song
in this season
bewitched beguiling
the heart’s soil we
ploughed
and dreams pure we
sowed
with a million
tears we irrigated it
no flower it bore
however
o virtuous father
dear
buy me just one
flower
o virtuous father
dear
what use all your
land
if daughters are to
wither so
what use your mansarovar
if thirsty the
swans go
to what end your
scattered crumbs
against pearls
weighed
o virtuous father
dear
if you can’t buy me
that season of the year
o virtuous father
dear
when cotton does
flower bear
o virtuous father
dear
No comments:
Post a Comment