THE DANCE OF SIVA
Dr. PUTTAPARTHI NARAYANACHAYULU
Translated from Telugu by
Dr. B. RAJANIKANTA RAO
[Saraswatiputra,Kalaaprapurna,Padmasri
Dr. Puttaparthi Narayanacharyulu
was an eminent and renowned poet of Andhra Pradesh. He was a polyglot well versed in 14 languages and was able to write poetry in 8 languages, including English. He was a phenomenon on the contemporary Telugu literary scene.
His passing away in September last
is an irreparable loss
to Telugu literature.
The following is the
first part of his great literary piece, Sivataandavam,
rendered into English. –Editor]
What an exhilaration
On this planet earth!
–now in vigorous abandon
and now in delicate elegance,
’tis the virulent dance of Siva!
Siva’s graceful measured step!
like surging billows of muscle and marrow
like precious dreams of a golden halo,
like birds of coral feathers,
unravelling clouds of varying rim,
lo, Siva’s dance of destruction,
and the dance of creation!
is it a horde of astral damsels
in the guise of rain-bearing ravishers
comes down to witness Siva’s dance?
what an orb of bliss on this earth
the revelations of ancient wisdom
that the winged prophets declaim
imitating as though the jingling syncope
on the anklets of dancing Hyma!
have the branches of trees
with mirthfulness
been moved from
the core of their hearts to dance
jostling their heads,
and dropping on the earth
bunches of flowers
in intermittent earth showers.
should every dropping blossom
smile as it were to become conspicuous
in the floral decoration
of the mountain princess!
“jham jham taka tari kita jham jham”
in patterns of varying rhythmic
hum-drum
when the Lord of the universe–
erect in a peacock’s pose,
starts dancing
is it to provide
the sonorous drone
that the bees ebriated of honey
start flipping
their buzzing appurtenances!
On whose intimation
but the Supreme’s daylong dance
do the virgins, as it were,
of hill streams
run along with pride
as their encircling shirts
get disentangled from feet!
oho ho! ho!
it is beyond one’s fancy
this mirthfulness and joy
on this planet of the earth!
Oh dame of evening twilight
what’s all this flurry about?
why this bashfully sweet,
straight, oblique side-long glance?
in your swinging waist of
coquetish curvature–
oh bashful beauty,
why does your zone,
just like you
not make a wee bit of noise?
against whom
do you don this haughty indifference?
is it all for the worship of Siva?
O dame,
who has narrated you this tale,
could it be the earth?
They say the Lord of the cosmos
is dancing aloft;
why don’t you tarry,
oh jewel of the day?
do you run in a hurry
to narrate the whole tale
to the people living in the other hemisphere?
Why do the animals
shed tears off their eyes?
the sacred water could it be
for the feet of the Lord of universe?
What is it about,
the lendershoots in the folliage
prattle with delight in low-tone-muttering
what else ’tis
but about the world’s keeper’s dance!
Oho! ’tis
beyond anybody’s comprehension
the mirth and joy
on this globe of the earth!
కామెంట్లు లేవు :
కామెంట్ను పోస్ట్ చేయండి