Primal Bond:Arun Kamble

Arun Kamble

Primal Bond

From what generation to what generation

Is this journey?

And I am like this:

What I contain all brightness and all darkness

Why do I bear this dead skin,

these sighs?

From under what seer’s beard

came this insomnia,

this hypnotic coma

embracing Time?

And this face of mine, found in an excavation

is faithful to what connection?

…and this flock of  white swans

Flying up in the sky

This burning vineyard of skinless grapes

What place should be set afire?

In what kitchen was this body made-

A “pure” one?

And this flock of white swans…

All this as if fused together.

How much of this romantic nonsense:

“ I want to paint your picture

I want to sing you a poem

.

I want to fill my eyes with you

I want to marry you.”

Go on walking around the sun flowers

and then quench their sun faces.

You are from that ageless tradition.

But how can I call you a poison girl?

Why are you faithful to

that skeleton found in an excavation?

Turn your dust smeared face this way

And salvage these lives,

a stone lying in the bazaar.

I don’t know why, girl,

But I see in you an ancient skeleton

thousands of years old,

found in an excavation…

The primal  bond of the universe

which blesses the phenomenon

of procreation

is forming in you.

Translated by Jayant Karve and Eleanor Zelliot

Translator’s notes:

Poison girl refers to an ancient story of women who were fed poison slowly until they could kill anyone who slept with them while tolerating the poison themselves. A stone in the bazaar refers to the classical story of Ahilya, turned to stone by a curse and awakening only to the touch of Rama’s foot. The translators’ interpretation of this poem is that it is addressed to a Brahman girl who represents traditional India.