As I Lay Dying
K. Padmakumar *
The corporeal body is one entity,
And the spirit another,
Distinct and separate the two are.
The body lies stiff
Like a lump of wood
With eyes deadly dull.
The soul moves,
Sees beauty and beauty only
All around.
Oh, the soul of my soul!
What an artist you are!
It is a wonderful play
Carefully orchestrated by you.
It is my pleasure
I have seen it but for a moment.
A pack of lies
One after another –
Mother and father
Wife and children –
It makes me think they were mine
Makes me happy, makes me laugh;
Makes me sorry, makes me cry,
Makes the play complete in itself.
When one lay dying
And the soul
Is about to jump out of the body
No perch is allowed to be seen.
Nothing is allowed to be remembered.
Not even a single being of the human species
Is allowed to be seen
The death throes
Which badly burn
Die down in a moment.
The ills and miseries of life
Vanish into thin air.
The soul takes on a voyage
All alone and without any bother.
(Translated from my late father's Siramdai by K. Radhakumar)
* Poem written by K. Padmakumar ; submitted by K Radhakumar which was published at Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition)
This poem was posted on December 09, 2014.
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.