The pregnant full moon
giving birth to moonlight
weaves a garland of jasmines
around my dark Malapalli*
Soft light
through the Rellu+ grass
flashes honed smiles
that pound my heart
The wild flowers by the stream,
dewdrops, like little bells around ankles,
touch my feet and beam
The sweat that silently drops
from the furrows of my forehead
becomes ears of rice
that bow and salaam me with humility
But!
He, still adjusting his janeu, is edging,
towards the borders of the hill,
away from me…
My translation of the Telugu poem 'naaku duurangaa..' by J.Gautam ( from his collection of poetry 'nalu dikkulanunchii ranDi' ).
* Malapalli : the Mala quarter of a village.
+ Rellu: kind of reed, saccharum spontaneum, used for thatching and as fodder ( J.P.L.Gwynn's Telugu-English dictionary).
Tags: J.Gautam