TRANSLATIONS: ARUNAVA SINHA

After The Last Kiss

After the last kiss I’ll bring back a fallen hair
Life won’t change, I’ll take away this brief mistake
A momentary death, a synonym, over how many lives?
You sucked an ocean from my lips with sweat on your brow
Give me, give it to me, let me drink it, I am exhausted
How much of life did I have before this last kiss?
How much will remain afterwards? Just this lock of hair
Which I’ll wrap around my finger, a finger that touched you
Touch me, touch me more, let life leave in a flash
From my finest man I’ll seek a secret child
Whose hair’s just like yours, infinite space

~

The Story Of A Garden Somewhere

Every day you come to water the plants
Every day you go back gathering dry branches
In what simple flames
Do you cook your meal, gardener?

You give me the sun every day
Twice a day you water the earthen pots
Regular, measured love
I’m not an ill-fortuned woman

How long will you go on collecting fallen leaves?
Look at my green, all this green is yours
Ashes lie in the swabbed oven, I shan’t
Put fuel into it every day

The roots have settled in deep
You think they bind the soil of life
Uprooting this household
I shall escape from the garden

~

Rajani

Just Rajani’s luck
Any man she likes
They’re all married

Her aunt told her yesterday
If you heart awakes from sleep
It’s proper to raise your eyes

What’s the use of doing that
Saris dry in their garden
Playing in that arbour is wrong

Still the full moon is the sky’s guest
She climbs to the roof, a silent urge
Mesmerised by moonlight, the girl

You’ll jump, Rajani, won’t you?