Waves under watch!
Dreams that waves bear under watch!
The soft breeze like sitar music
That shows love for the waves under watch!
The boats
That move on the waves under watch!
The sails of the boats under watch!
The whiteness of the sails of the boats under watch!
Waves over the gallows!
Waves behind the bars!
Waves in tears! Waves!
Waves in the jungle! Waves!
The people are the sea! The waves are the squad!
The waves are dear to the sea!
A knife to the throat of the waves!
New blood from the waves' wounds!
New blood from the waves' wounds
Under the hooves of the sea pirates' horses!
Pirates driving daggers into the ocean's heart
And drinking its blood! Sea Pirates!
Sons of the clay footed great demon
Bandits who roam freely on all shores!
The waves wept
The great sad sea
The waves raised questions
A great roar filled the sea
The waves moved
A great wind all over the sea
Flames on the tips of the waves
An inferno in the sea
The waves moved
The waves roared
The waves wove circles
They touched shore after shore
They brought down the clay footed great demon
On a desert island.
Who can stop the waves?
Who can stop the sea?
Waves as the ocean's labour pains
Are poverty's dreams for tomorrow
Waves are the sea's sword
Waves are the sea's pen
Dawn full of waves
Waves waves waves
Inside you inside me
Waves
Dreams
That waves bear
Heads
With dreams chopped off
Waves under watch!
Dreams that waves bear under watch!
The soft breeze like sitar music
That shows love for the waves under watch!
My translation of the Telugu poem 'alalu', from the collection of poetry 'Sivasagar Kavitvam', by K. G. Satyamurthy ('Sivasagar').
Written in May, 1971.
The poet says:
I recited this poem on the Visakhapatnam beach, standing in front of the roaring sea, in protest against the increased surveillance and harassment of members of 'ViRaSam' ('Viplava Rachayitala Sangham' or 'Revolutionary Writers' Association').'Waves' ('alalu' in Telugu) are the people, revolutionary poets. 'Dreams' ('kalalu' in Telugu) are the symbols of the revolution. 'Soft breeze like sitar music' is the people's revolutionary movement. Waves are also revolutionary squads. The 'clay footed great demon' is imperialism.
Tags: Sivasagar