THE
SEA WAS CALM
(Translated
from Gujarati)
The
sea was calm, exhausted, breathing softly,
Palpitations inaudible.
The
water-splashed sands lay impeccably spread out.
Inhaling
the freshness of the morning hour,
I
walked briskly along.
Just
I turned my back, a row of footsteps chasing me!
“What
are you after?” “Of course, we are following you.”
“Me?”
“Look! that horizon throwing up a terrible tide.
Save
us from the carnivorous waters, swallowing us.”
I
was pensive for a while.
And
the sea leapt up and devoured the line of footsteps.
–Was
the tide-music singing the footbeats of innumerable
men like me?
The
waters receded in utter exhaustion.
–Was
the sea listening to the footfall of Time?
–UMASHANKAR
JOSHI