By Rajeswari Sarangi
Translated from the original Bengali by Kiriti Sengupta
Scars
Blotches, darkness
and a few sleepless
nights are beneficial.
Flowers croon,
the sun gently
descends and deep loneliness
paints dew on a gloomy day.
Bound in shadows,
can our last wishes
morph into a wandering
minstrel of our spirits?
***
Chill
Pillow embraces
the slumber of tears.
We must learn
to awaken the body
before it turns to ice.
Blurring our vision,
may a deer arrive as a cheerful wave
on a green afternoon—
in this city of loss and grief
before all is ravaged.
***
Chhotomasi
Ma has three sisters:
two older and one younger.
My eldest aunt has
gone to the light.
Malady is the only one
the older aunt looks up to.
My youngest aunt was as
tender as a turmeric flower.
She remained aloof and fell ill.
She once appealed to Ma: “Chordi,
you have a lovely saree! Could you
give me one in the same colour?”
Her wish became her last words.
She now exists
in the realm of flames.
Glossary
Chhordi: The youngest sister among the older ones
Chhotomasi: The youngest aunt
Bio:
An ardent admirer of Kumar Sanu, Rajeswari Sarangi holds a Master’s degree in Bengali literature from Vidyasagar University. She has published three poetry collections in Bengali, with her work featured in various print and online magazines. Residing in Midnapur with her husband and in-laws, Rajeswari enjoys listening to music, tending to her terrace garden, and cooking for her family when she is not writing or reading.
Kiriti Sengupta is a poet, editor, translator, and publisher from Calcutta. He has been awarded the 2018 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize for his contribution to literature. He has published eleven books of poetry and prose and two books of translation and co-edited six anthologies. Sengupta is the chief editor of the Ethos Literary Journal. More at kiritisengupta.com
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