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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 myflower
wilt and vanish.
A nightingale saw me
and the stem
and wept
aloud.
The breeze
passing by
sighed
pitiful.