Mubeen Sadhika, Nesamithran, Paambaatichitthan
Translated by Latha Ramakrishnan
All poems translated from Tamil.
Mubeen Sadhika
Translated by Latha Ramakrishnan and the poet.
The cot where slept the cat’s tail
Never wailing whether tugged at or twirled
Searching for rat at weary midnight hour
On the verge of slipping into slumber
Softly caressing the tip of hair
Pouring street’s retinue
Halting in the fragrant of threshold
When the splendid tree of winter
Severed support on the festive day
Leapt up on seeing the prey
Glowing apple of the eye on the wall
***
Love’s Language Beyond Lexicon (Or)
The Discourse of Love Unsatiable
In fish spreading water
In sky invaded not by darkness
In fire untouched
In stone fissure unseen
In the ache and ease through the air
In the sorrow hating with laugh
In the strength in the vulnerability in flower
In directions that never emerge
In mirror clasping face
In nectar as taste supreme
In poison with neutralizing not spurred
In light impenetratable murky drape
In forest as space denser
In seedling sprouting with shoot
In cosmos whole-personified
In speeding light
In the thunder of delirious dance
In storm not scared by downpour
In the pain gathered with courage
In my never changing parings
In love absolutely loathsome
In the end of rage never ending
Will the desire of virtue be there still
***
Tale Told By Parrot
With luscious green hue
Sprouting on its feathers
Its beak as reddish fruit
purple in anger
Seeing the young woman’s gait
pecked at her head
the prattling parrot
The young girl anguished not knowing the parrot’s tongue and this palm leaf manuscript recording the manner in which Its history narrated by the parrot….
A parrot living on a mango tree
deserted in an island
A species from an alien soil
a golden parrot
came to stay with it
The male parrot
entrapped by the female’s beauty
ordained to captivate the world
in self-conceit
With its grandeur to the maximum
mad with pleasure
which it possessed
the male claimed
The golden parrot
feeling bitter being in that prison
waiting in longing and hope
for the scenario at the vestibule
of dreams to be realized
with all its might
opening the nest
the male one
in abject sleep
falling the leaping cat
mouthing the male parrot
breathing its last
***
Woodpecker's dream
Hard barks
never easy
to drill
nor to peck
sucking sap
grabbing feast
always routine.
Soft spongy
crust and
effortless
piercing
to feed the babe
pre-made cavities
to dwell.
Transformed
to illustrate
deep compassion
perching on
persons and
pooped bosoms
with pitiless pride.
Pigeon's shadow
Coo-o-o-ah
Coo-o-o-coo-coo-oo
the cooing sounds
loaded with metonymies
not cries may be groans
squeaking in a disgruntled
note, informing to mourn
the flight from scare
billowed on to the roof
the fake owls smother
still habitual in the nest
chased away to get dislodged
though the growing size
of the shade hound
to harass pursuing
fatal loss may be
the darkened facet.
***
Delicate Taste
Palm smells cardamom. just now
ground it. mutton needs spice.
all fibres should be cooked in hot
masala. adding lot of
butter. meat pieces contain
salty, sour, sweet tastes. no
odd smell. animal to be forgotten.
flesh to have a succulent characteristic.
soft and tender. fatty tang.
citrus to reduce the odour.
salt used to raise the flavour.
savouriness rich in sauce. tongue
to rule the order. palatable
to be the imagination. moreover
after taste not to be tart.
everytime should be perfect.
memory carries ambrosia. close
to that only accepted. because
blanched or deep fried or grilled
or barbecued would turn the
recipe more fragrant. receptors
never go wrong. always
demanding too. appetitive
mood to bring prosperity. aversive
signal negativity. saliva
secreted to the optimal
level. driving the force
to the maximum. alteration
in the senses make the
system baneful. licking
the last food enables
complete salvation. this
slavery never ending. since
bitterness would chase.
**********
Nesamithran
Daddy
Daddy
after all these
Now, is the substance of our sea enhanced or reduced.
The polythene ball taken from
the belly of the corpse of the temple elephant
under medical examination
staring at our city-street glittering as the polythene ball
pressing the still shivering hand
asked Libi.
As the trace of extracting nerve for
heart surgery
imprints of water soaked all over the walls.
The smaller one on seeing the dust-filled spot
refers to it as his teacher’s handwriting.
Amen
As the sanitary napkins of the river
libraries remain there dense and heavy
The foetus with eyes not opened and
turned round and round choking,
coming out somehow, lies there.
Groaning thinly
everywhere on the road
Fathers with breasts
Mothers with two thousand hands.
The borrowed gods swinging their oars
in boats made of turning upside down the star-eyelids
Governess-syndrome is the fin safeguarded by destiny.
My son,
the seahas gained little more blue;
the soil is soaked with
still more substance.
***
Kissing The Light
As the word repeatedly uttered by her
who was raped and turned mentally deranged
the moon of that sorrow-stricken day
that rises out of the magician’s cap
floats on the wave of that forsaken island.
In the nakedness bearing the colour
that the chameleon wears
on the throes of Death
travels alongside the rays of the
Star escaped
When that ray of light
crossing innumerable light-years
reached the Earth
the star had burnt and extinguished.
I kissed its light.
The merciful smile of he who allows
the pregnancy of the bird inside the cage
which glows in heat
with the help of the needle inserted,
which is in the hue of resin that flows in
tree’s deformity
is made of Tungsten wires.
Forgetting his condom
Satan has arrived at God’s chamber of lust..
The feet of elephants
along with the water moving underground
are tightly enfolded as the ear of a father.
That star had been burnt and extinguished.
I kissed its radiance.
**********
Paambaatichitthan
Poems translated by Latha Ramakrishnan and the Poet.
The Sea Of The Ears
When mother made me wear the
Golden chain
Heavy and bloated as ‘Mumps’
I could feel a chillness inside the ears.
The thunderous sound of the cotton mill siren
The sound of birds chattering
Mother’s laments
So everything went down gradually
And nothing reached my ears.
Then the canto wherein
Wearing hooks in the ears
And with wires and batteries
Hunting down the sounds
Floating in the space
Commenced
As I remove the wires of the
Gadget that stores so safely
Those sounds alone where music dances
From all those collected in the hunting spree
There spring ‘Ultrasonic’ sounds infinite
Inside the sea of ears
Where dolphins innumerable wander
***
Bonsai Bird
Escaping from the scorching
Sun
a tiny little bird
inside the reception hall of a house.
Seeing the bonsai trees there
not astonished
it admonished sarcastically:
‘Tree means g rowing tall;
Birds of all sort returning to their nests
It would make those birds resting on its branches
to shit on the men reposing beneath;
allowing the little boys and girls
to play with it;
making the cattle sit under its canopy
fanning them with its branches;
particularly, living in its own shade.
The next day, same house the same
bird once again.
Blocking its way
wire-net in its windows, seeing the
bird the bonsai trees cried in unison
“Faggot”
The next day with the whole house in shambles, spreading green shade for those rubbles
there stand tall and massive
four giant trees.
*********
Translated by Latha Ramakrishnan
All poems translated from Tamil.
Mubeen Sadhika
Translated by Latha Ramakrishnan and the poet.
The cot where slept the cat’s tail
Never wailing whether tugged at or twirled
Searching for rat at weary midnight hour
On the verge of slipping into slumber
Softly caressing the tip of hair
Pouring street’s retinue
Halting in the fragrant of threshold
When the splendid tree of winter
Severed support on the festive day
Leapt up on seeing the prey
Glowing apple of the eye on the wall
***
Love’s Language Beyond Lexicon (Or)
The Discourse of Love Unsatiable
In fish spreading water
In sky invaded not by darkness
In fire untouched
In stone fissure unseen
In the ache and ease through the air
In the sorrow hating with laugh
In the strength in the vulnerability in flower
In directions that never emerge
In mirror clasping face
In nectar as taste supreme
In poison with neutralizing not spurred
In light impenetratable murky drape
In forest as space denser
In seedling sprouting with shoot
In cosmos whole-personified
In speeding light
In the thunder of delirious dance
In storm not scared by downpour
In the pain gathered with courage
In my never changing parings
In love absolutely loathsome
In the end of rage never ending
Will the desire of virtue be there still
***
Tale Told By Parrot
With luscious green hue
Sprouting on its feathers
Its beak as reddish fruit
purple in anger
Seeing the young woman’s gait
pecked at her head
the prattling parrot
The young girl anguished not knowing the parrot’s tongue and this palm leaf manuscript recording the manner in which Its history narrated by the parrot….
A parrot living on a mango tree
deserted in an island
A species from an alien soil
a golden parrot
came to stay with it
The male parrot
entrapped by the female’s beauty
ordained to captivate the world
in self-conceit
With its grandeur to the maximum
mad with pleasure
which it possessed
the male claimed
The golden parrot
feeling bitter being in that prison
waiting in longing and hope
for the scenario at the vestibule
of dreams to be realized
with all its might
opening the nest
the male one
in abject sleep
falling the leaping cat
mouthing the male parrot
breathing its last
***
Woodpecker's dream
Hard barks
never easy
to drill
nor to peck
sucking sap
grabbing feast
always routine.
Soft spongy
crust and
effortless
piercing
to feed the babe
pre-made cavities
to dwell.
Transformed
to illustrate
deep compassion
perching on
persons and
pooped bosoms
with pitiless pride.
Pigeon's shadow
Coo-o-o-ah
Coo-o-o-coo-coo-oo
the cooing sounds
loaded with metonymies
not cries may be groans
squeaking in a disgruntled
note, informing to mourn
the flight from scare
billowed on to the roof
the fake owls smother
still habitual in the nest
chased away to get dislodged
though the growing size
of the shade hound
to harass pursuing
fatal loss may be
the darkened facet.
***
Delicate Taste
Palm smells cardamom. just now
ground it. mutton needs spice.
all fibres should be cooked in hot
masala. adding lot of
butter. meat pieces contain
salty, sour, sweet tastes. no
odd smell. animal to be forgotten.
flesh to have a succulent characteristic.
soft and tender. fatty tang.
citrus to reduce the odour.
salt used to raise the flavour.
savouriness rich in sauce. tongue
to rule the order. palatable
to be the imagination. moreover
after taste not to be tart.
everytime should be perfect.
memory carries ambrosia. close
to that only accepted. because
blanched or deep fried or grilled
or barbecued would turn the
recipe more fragrant. receptors
never go wrong. always
demanding too. appetitive
mood to bring prosperity. aversive
signal negativity. saliva
secreted to the optimal
level. driving the force
to the maximum. alteration
in the senses make the
system baneful. licking
the last food enables
complete salvation. this
slavery never ending. since
bitterness would chase.
**********
Nesamithran
Daddy
Daddy
after all these
Now, is the substance of our sea enhanced or reduced.
The polythene ball taken from
the belly of the corpse of the temple elephant
under medical examination
staring at our city-street glittering as the polythene ball
pressing the still shivering hand
asked Libi.
As the trace of extracting nerve for
heart surgery
imprints of water soaked all over the walls.
The smaller one on seeing the dust-filled spot
refers to it as his teacher’s handwriting.
Amen
As the sanitary napkins of the river
libraries remain there dense and heavy
The foetus with eyes not opened and
turned round and round choking,
coming out somehow, lies there.
Groaning thinly
everywhere on the road
Fathers with breasts
Mothers with two thousand hands.
The borrowed gods swinging their oars
in boats made of turning upside down the star-eyelids
Governess-syndrome is the fin safeguarded by destiny.
My son,
the seahas gained little more blue;
the soil is soaked with
still more substance.
***
Kissing The Light
As the word repeatedly uttered by her
who was raped and turned mentally deranged
the moon of that sorrow-stricken day
that rises out of the magician’s cap
floats on the wave of that forsaken island.
In the nakedness bearing the colour
that the chameleon wears
on the throes of Death
travels alongside the rays of the
Star escaped
When that ray of light
crossing innumerable light-years
reached the Earth
the star had burnt and extinguished.
I kissed its light.
The merciful smile of he who allows
the pregnancy of the bird inside the cage
which glows in heat
with the help of the needle inserted,
which is in the hue of resin that flows in
tree’s deformity
is made of Tungsten wires.
Forgetting his condom
Satan has arrived at God’s chamber of lust..
The feet of elephants
along with the water moving underground
are tightly enfolded as the ear of a father.
That star had been burnt and extinguished.
I kissed its radiance.
**********
Paambaatichitthan
Poems translated by Latha Ramakrishnan and the Poet.
The Sea Of The Ears
When mother made me wear the
Golden chain
Heavy and bloated as ‘Mumps’
I could feel a chillness inside the ears.
The thunderous sound of the cotton mill siren
The sound of birds chattering
Mother’s laments
So everything went down gradually
And nothing reached my ears.
Then the canto wherein
Wearing hooks in the ears
And with wires and batteries
Hunting down the sounds
Floating in the space
Commenced
As I remove the wires of the
Gadget that stores so safely
Those sounds alone where music dances
From all those collected in the hunting spree
There spring ‘Ultrasonic’ sounds infinite
Inside the sea of ears
Where dolphins innumerable wander
***
Bonsai Bird
Escaping from the scorching
Sun
a tiny little bird
inside the reception hall of a house.
Seeing the bonsai trees there
not astonished
it admonished sarcastically:
‘Tree means g rowing tall;
Birds of all sort returning to their nests
It would make those birds resting on its branches
to shit on the men reposing beneath;
allowing the little boys and girls
to play with it;
making the cattle sit under its canopy
fanning them with its branches;
particularly, living in its own shade.
The next day, same house the same
bird once again.
Blocking its way
wire-net in its windows, seeing the
bird the bonsai trees cried in unison
“Faggot”
The next day with the whole house in shambles, spreading green shade for those rubbles
there stand tall and massive
four giant trees.
*********
