Dear friends ... I received my copy of eminent Kannada poet, playwright, and translator Prof. HS Shiva Prakash's collected poems HOGI BANNI RTUGALE ಹೋಗಿ ಬನ್ನಿ ಋತುಗಳೇ on Friday, 12th November 2021, sent with great affection and care and alacrity by Rajendra Prasad ... and a little bit of drama enacted by two post offices that sent me into a state of anxiety and frantic phone-calling ... this was two days before the formal launch of the book ... though I very much wanted to, I was not in a position to go to Bangalore to attend the launch-function ... in my own way I decided to celebrate the launch of this much awaited 'samagra samputa' by translating a poem from this collection ... I completed my draft to my satisfaction and sent it to Sir on the 13th late evening for his approval and permission, knowing fully well that he would be busy the next day ... he promised to read and respond ... and I am pleased to say he has cleared the translation with slight changes and has graciously permitted me to share it with all of you ...
So, my English translation of Part 1 of the poem
Kannada original: AVALOKITESHWARAA/TRAILOKYESHWARAA ಅವಲೋಕಿತೇಶ್ವರಾ/ತ್ರೈಲೋಕ್ಯೇಶ್ವರಾ
Poet: H S Shiva Prakash
English translation: S Jayasrinivasa Rao
AVALOKITESHWARAA/TRAILOKYESHWARAA
Avalokiteshwara is the Most Compassionate form of Buddha; A well-known representation of Avalokiteshwara can be seen on the murals of Ajanta. Trailokyeshwara is the three-headed statue of Shiva in the Gajapuri (Elephanta) cave-temple near Mumbai. I wanted to write this poem on 6th December 1992; but was able to write it on 13th December 1992.
To
The dog that came to bite me on the night of the 13th, and went away quietly unable to bite
– ONE –
Avalokiteshwaraa,
The cool sun in your left eye
The warm moon in the right
Dipping my finger in
the pleasing vermillion of
dawns and dusks,
I mark a tilak on your
stone-forehead
That serene face of yours,
let it stand guard
till this world is destroyed,
as it already has now!
But now is the festival of tridents!
Trident, spear, lance, axe
flashing in hands
in the heartbeats of the land
to beat out of rhythm
to heavy-striding feet
lit by the volcano’s
heat, the burning heat, the heat
as the sun catches fire and blazes
nigi nigi nigi nigi
on the sky’s crown like
a blood-red tilak,
the procession sets off
towards the netherworld
of serpents
Coiled black cobras
came alive
rushed forward in
human-sized hordes
on the holy streets of
the cultured city
In my heart resides
mocking images of
that heady
show of piety.
*****
Posted on 15th November 2021
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