When a Star Finally Dies Down
K. Padmakumar *
Standing alone at the top of the multi-storied building
My mind filled with unnamed feelings
Like a hornworm caterpillar shaking its head,
I look around and see
Darkness spreading out slowly
Over the deep and enchanting hills
And woods at far off places.
What I have seen is just a speck
A minuscule dot on the point of a needle.
There are many things
I did not see but do now,
Many things there are
I would not be able to appreciate in this life.
Nothing I am in this rich earth
And it will not be poorer when I am dead.
The universe keeps on expanding frighteningly
And I become smaller and smaller
Almost like a dew drop shaking and swaying in the wind.
I think with a sinking heart
My death will not affect the endlessness of the world
The sky does not miss much when a star dies down.
How lovely is the time of day when the first light appears!
How amazing is the onset of spring after a hard winter!
How enchanting is the four-day-old moon!
She will shine after my death like she does today.
In this great play of the world and in the storyline that fate
has ordained
I begin to wonder what my role is.
Like the thumb and the fingers that stick out from the hand
are different
Even though I belong to the lower social strata
And even though I take a back seat, a place is set for me.
O the immortal one! This poor little thing
Even when it is flown away like a kite with its strings
snapped
Uprooted by the strong winds
It appears I would remain firmly glued to a placev
Somewhere in the domain of your family.
(Translated from my father's Manipuri poem Thawanmichak ama kenkhibada by K. Radhakumar.)
* Poem written by K. Padmakumar ; Translated by K Radhakumar which was published at The Sangai Express
This poem was posted on September 10, 2017.
* 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.