Water-lilies
at the lake were till smiling
half-consciously
They
didn’t see the pale moon waning over the
horizon.
Rising
stars bend towards the east ;
The
morning rider has not yet arrived in his
scarlet chariot ;
The
dead are released from their graves
And
walk cautiously in the sleeping country.
Dead
mothers peep through the door
To
see their children by glow-worm light
The
dead child kisses the sleeping mother,
And
cries I pray you rest, my poor mother,
The
dead sister rocks her little brother on her lap ;
They
will not play in the playhouse of this world again.
The
sound of Azan comes floating from a distant village,
Earth
moves with its melody and
The
magnificent cry vibrates over the sky.
The
tune is tossed from higher notes.
The
flaming fiend looms in the eastern sky
She
spites blood over the earth, laughing fiercely
At
the sound, the dead vanish into their graves,
At
the crematory demons and devils stop their noise
And
suddenly the stars are fused.
The
moon is burnt into ashes and covers the plate
of
the sky.
Azan
continues
As
if disaster is approaching nearer.
If
you are asleep, open your eyes
The
robber has surrounded your home,
Shojan
wakes from his sleep,
What
has he done that he feels so perturbed ?
He
sees a crack in his bamboo flute
And
mice have scattered his belongings.
He
rages at his flute and curses the mice,
But
flute and mice ignore him completely.
Shojan
runs with his flute towards Duli’s home.
In
morning light the road wears the colour of dawn
Date-palms
are ripe today, cane fruits look tempting
In
the curving branch the mango look delicious
And
he can bring it down with a stone.
He
will call Duli and show her all these, and
They
will pluck and share the fruits.
At
Duli’s sight his heart was full,
Come
Duli, are you still asleep ?
The
boys are picking date-palms, hurry,
As
Duli dashes out, her mother calls,
Have
you shame to run out
At
such early hour a girl of your age ?
Seven
vultures couldn’t eat you up grown as you are.
The
little girl with big dark eyes looked amazed
Why
mother come show me
How
I have aged so all of a sudden ?
Only
yesterday I played in woods with Shojan
And
you didn’t mind my age then,
Does
age come overnight ?
I
shall not pick your grey hair again.
This
sparked out anger and her mother hit her hard
Shojan
looks on with a blank face.
How
unfair life is.
Shojan
left Duli’s home alone and sad
He
was not afraid to enter the quiet forest by himself.
Lush
green leaves held a canopy overhead and hid the sun
And
wild vines embraced the narrow road tight.
Wild
hog ran wild and the foxes joined the jungle coir.
Snaky
vines scratched Shojan’s body till it bled
Spider
webs cast their spell.
Shojan
stopped at Rais’ lake.
Black
is the colour of its water.
Translated
by Hasna Jasimuddin Moudud.
Jasim
Uddin
(1903—1976)