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.
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