Nov 252012
 

Original Poem in Kannada “ninna taaTasthyadali nanna” By Prof. K.V. Tirumalesh
English Translation by Dr. M.S. Nataraja

I am there for all, who is there for me?
It is a sin even to think like that, maybe
I do not know where “I” end
And where the “others” begin
Or, where selfishness ends
And selflessness begins
Nor, where speech ends
And silence begins.
All opposites seem to encounter, clash
And slide past each other in silence
Leaving no clues behind

Even a flower knows
When to unfurl, when to whither
When to drop its petals and fall
I am the one, clueless by birth
Inadequate, suffering from dearth
Longing to merge into ‘nothing’ –but alas!
Even my universe is devoid of the void!
Having been thrown here in this misty haze
Have lost my bearings in this startling daze
Like a fish looking for the water’s edge
Caught in a net that forms a wedge
Oh, Shadow on the wall, can you tell me

And how much of me, are you?
Should I rejoice that I am gigantic like you?
I am tiny and thin, and yet, Oh setting Sun,
You poured the golden light
On everything on earth, including my face
Like, it is no longer my face but yours.
You will rise tomorrow early in the morning
And billions of lives await your arrival.
Who shall wait for me, and who knows —

If I will wake up at all, in the morning?
Haven’t slept for ages, eyelids are swollen
Heavy like a ton of weight, as though
The entire wait of this universe
Rests on my restless sleepy eyelids
Pretending — despite knowing that
It is mere delusion!
The eyelids dare not shut and sleep
Lest they dream the dreadful dreams
Oh, evening light, freeze, just for a moment
Accept me, in your stillness.

 Posted by at 12:14 AM