KRISHNA SASTRI’S POEMS

 

Translated by Dr. B. V. L. NARAYANAROW

 

Soothing Night

 

The whisper

of the birds

the rustle

of the leaves

the melody

of the bamboo

and the ripples

of the pond

made me think

mistakenly

that you came

and called

my eyes

brim with tears

I look around

In your company

I find

the jasmine

dancing in my mind

the moonlight

swaying in my eyes

and this night

soothing

do not leave me

never ever

dashing my heart

on its wing.

 

Mysterious

 

Her eyes

have shades

of the endless

blue sky

I see in them

profound shades

of sleep

in the heart 

of the tranquil lake.

 

            Sometimes

I hear

in them

murmurs

of darkness

of the leaves

of the tallest trees

during twilight time.

 

Oftentimes

the drops of water

behind black clouds

I see rising

in her eyes

they are

strange

sweet

and fascinating.

 

Traveller

 

Like me

he cannot restrain

his surging thoughts

any time of night

surprised

and scared

watching

stars descend

and lights

flash

a little melody stirring his heart

he bursts into song

and dances wildly.

 

Face aslant

he writes

in the air

moving his hand

many times

between the earth

and the sky

looking for his foot

to fit the song

and sprinkling cool wine

every foot

he moves

like I do.

 

The Prince of Dance

 

At the end of everyday

you attend

to the ever-fresh sport

of Cosmic dance.

And the worlds

lose themselves

in happiness

and fail to give

our appreciative nod.

In that nectarine

sweet flood

that excels imagination

my petty life

gets swept away

unreplete.

I go crazy then

and

try to sing like you

and

dance like you

uninhibited

or else,

with so much thirst that burns me

how can one

live?

How else can I

dedicated to Beauty

manage to live

even for a minute

here

if your anklet didn’t jingle

my life’s empty way?

Like one

skilled in song and dance,

O Lord, let me dance

till the completion

of this seemingly endless journey

till I’m in your presence.

 

Sylvan

 

Dissolving

in a leaf

a flower

a branch

an offshoot

shall I hide myself

in this wood

and here remain

forever?

Becoming

a wave

of the gentle breeze

the melody

of the song

the stream sings

shall I hide myself

in this wood

and here remain

forever?

 

Inspiration

 

A desire

clinging to my inmost heart

my mind,

my life’s sweet alleys,

you make me sing

the burdens of my life,

my love!

 

Bereaved

 

In my garden

I grew

a red rose plant

pouring my love

to water it.

A few days later

a flower smiled.

Growing fond of it,

I thought

It was the flower

of my very life.

We spent the time gazing

and our hearts talking

to each other.

One day

a cruel sunbeam

sliding through branches and leaves

made my flower

wilt and vanish.

A nightingale saw me

and the stem

and wept

aloud.

The breeze

passing by

sighed

pitiful.

 

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