A HOMAGE
¼J)katyh & yhyk/kj txwM+h English translation by GPBahuguna ½
Facing recession after wealth and
Haunted by fear of going poor again,
The formerly poor,
Pull on the same outer and inner garments the next day also
in disgust.
calling the statement- history repeats itself.
Did not trim his beard for dressing
Did not shine the fate of shoes
The prospects to change body and soul seemed
stuck-up in swamp
The sense organs seem to give way
Before time.
Hands unable to reach where it is itching the back
Blood in calves seems drying up.
On scratching the skin throws off ash like dust
As if one was not living in body but on the funeral ground.
Yesterday churned coffee;
today there are blisters on palms.
He has moved far away from the domain of effort.
Where the money breeds money
Where the money melts into sweating and man takes shelter
In the air-conditioning
On this historic moment
He is obsessed by fear to lose control on his functional organs
And crazy to rely more on sense organs
Due to slump in the capital growth and his bad physical condition
Bearing the sins and fatigue of civilized society
He has been reduced to poor lot pining for love
And dragging on road to frustration and grief
Sometimes the cycle of decency and pleasure
Moves due to sexual drive
Sometime the whole universe seem to revolve
Round on the wheels of money
Sometime the aesthetic sense of beauty
Begins to show up pleasant state of mind
All securities are the result of pains and sufferings
He began to recall
How he was driven to the new world by his temperance being broken time and again
Where an unattractive look also amounts to spreading
Violence.
He geared up himself to remove his whiskers right away
Had a quick bath and changed into fresh laundered clothes
Was inspired by the polished shoes to put on clean shocks.
In the midst of
Running for desire and money affairs his sensibility
Begins to confuse him
Due to imbalance of financial collapse and his sensual urges
There were stray memories of his first sexual adventures
During the thick of his acute penury
When recollection only meant memorizing your lessons.
He had never thought then his climax-forte
May finish in the release of urine only
Or who knows, it may choke like his throat someday.
In the sky Stars were breaking while chasing the stars
The moon followed its moonlight
On lanes strewn with broken glass pieces.
The sweltering sun using air as its towel
When managing its photo energy into vegetation
Which had extended like semen and blood in the birds feathers
He recalled from his memory once a poor young lad
Who had not yet grown his whiskers fully
Happen to pass through lanes of harlot market one day
Later made practice to pass through it everyday
Once a lass old enough to be his sister pulled him
Close to her company
Opened her bosom saying whether he would like to be fed by her
Or he would prefer to act manly
While I will not charge anything for feeding
But will charge ten rupees if he behaved manly.
In that momentous of the beginning
No mother!– Said the overwhelmed youth in trembling voice
I am a poor student, would not you consider some concessions
I have only five rupees…
The rich organic tendencies embedded in memories past
Going weaker day by day
Deserve all compliments
For they make every one poor alike in the end.
Translation into English by Govind Prasad Bahuguna
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