THE SWAN-BOAT
By SAHANA DEVI
(Translated
by Nolini Kanta Gupta from
the original poem in Bengali)
The
swan-boat
On
its two wings–its twin oars–
Moves
afar–towards the far
Where
the last shade of the horizon
Fades away into the bright bosom of the Void.
Where
is the Path, where the Shore?
Only
a vast unbounded expanse–
A
calm sea of blue, veilless, stainless,
Engulfing
the horizon's belt, spreading out
Tranquil and steady within its own self eternally.
And
below, all along,
The
swan-boat moves on its two wings–its twin oars.
Seated
in her frozen light,
Drowned
in her dreams, the moon sails
In the Night, bereft of sense.
Bewitched by the toxic gleam.
Whose
is the gathering lustre?
At
His feet Night’s hushed soul lies prone and immobile:
Her
veil withdrawn, she bids farewell,
As the last ferry comes along the shore.
The
Unseen
Breaks
through the barriers, comes nearer:
A
guarded secret signal peeps out
On a pregnant moment’s brink.
He
at the helm–
The
swan-boat moves slowly onward
On
its two wings–its twin oars.