CLOTHES, UNCLOTHED - KAMALAKAR KADAVE (BHAT)'S "BATTALA ARIVE" ಬತ್ತಲ ಅರಿವೆ

Kannada original: ಬತ್ತಲ ಅರಿವೆ BATTALA ARIVE

Poet: Kamalakar Kadave (Bhat)

Translated into English by: S Jayasrinivasa Rao

CLOTHES, UNCLOTHED!

While

I was sitting

doing nothing,

I became naked;

I lost the clothes I was wearing.

All secrets were

out in the open,

out in the daylight.

I opened my eyes slowly bit by bit,

a body without clothing.

Legs knees thighs waist belly.

 

Nakedness is so simple.

 

Shall I spread myself to the breeze?  I shall fly and float.

Shall I pour myself into the water? I shall float and swim.

The creatures of air and water would then play on my naked body.

As I soar up in the air, I am drenched and I dripped water in the sky.

A keen bird, caressing that shower in flight,

hitches a ride on me.

Intrigued by its charm, I become quiet.

Waah! As I float I watch

that keen bird pouring saliva from its beak,

it flows on my body

coating my whole body like glue,

and would it stick to my body like a delicate garment?

What do I see?

I’m not naked, I’m wrapped in cloth.

It’s dark all around

Like a child fearing the bogeyman

I hide in a corner, curl myself up

I be asleep. 

*****