Original language: Assamese
Translation by: Bibekananda Choudhury
Photo by: Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Garden
Had been mine till it bloomed
Lost ownership after it bloomed
Timely manure
Timely upkeep
Now this much is my job
The blooms
Dances swaying to and fro
In front of me
They sing oblivious of the surrounding
I gaze transfixed
Though feel like touching
I pull back my extended hand
Afraid the petals would fall
Throughout the day
Throughout the night
I remain engrossed in the thought of the garden
Still totally ignoring my existence
The bumblebees and honey bees
Enter into the garden
And suck the honey
I remain mute like a helpless spectator
The joy of the flower
Is my joy too
*
Surya Namaskar
The sun is indeed the eternal poet
Light is Sun’s indestructible poem
It is one Sun that lights up the entire world
But my poem is not read by my neighbour
Even then the one reason for my writing a poem
Is not throwing a challenge to the Sun
The Sun too has its own refuse
I too have a ramshackle house
That much we both got singed in our abode
The world and the house are running smoothly
Everywhere it’s chaos if the sun fails to shine
Even for a couple of days
If I fail to venture out
For a single day
The hearth remains cold
It’s a matter of pity
The sun is burning more fiercely every passing day
In the orb bereft of ozone
I am also bouncing like a spark in anger
Within the four walls
If both of us burn to ashes
Like this
What would befall on the family and the world
I look down as I cross the threshold
Pushing the question to the Sun
Many a people proclaim me to be a devotee of the Sun
Noticing this
Yes
Since when did I turn a devotee of the Sun
As I ponder
A long poetic sigh comes out smoothly
About the translator:
Bibekananda Choudhury, an electrical engineer by profession working with the State Government of Assam has completed his Masters from BITS-Pilani. He has also earned a diploma in French Language from Gauhati University. He has got published works (both original and translated) in Assamese, Bengali & English in popular periodicals and newspapers.
Guna Moran is an Assamese poet and critic who lives in Assam, India. His poems have been published in various international magazines, journals, webzines and anthologies such as Story Mirror, Spillword, Glomag, International Anthology of Poems on Autism, Best Poetry, and many more. They have also been translated into Italian, French, and Bangla.
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