Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Utpalkumar Basu's poem POPE'S REVERIE ( Tranlastion of 'Poper Samadhi' )

            [ VERA PAPA MORTUUS EST]
   A Hungry Generation message on the death of Pope John XXIII

       While looking at the red yellow glass window

suddenly that day
       during the moment of slovenly afternoon I
       untangled 
       staring at the sunrays
          'Pope's kingdom and

       his illness's
mysterious germ's elasticity
       in finger a big
          globe of earth
       showing the circular circumference 
          I had told you at Kolkata
'Pope's kingdom 
       and his illness's mysterious germ's elacticity
          may be measured.'

       Do you not want war against germs ?
          At least I do not
       because if that war is not a holy war then
          In the darkness of whose open mouth at Kurukshetra
            seeing the image of a smaller globe I
       would be like a surprised
       playing doll of the Kauravas ?
Will I not be like a bag myself
shaken the inside
germs' terrorism's shilling-pound's sound,
        of rolling I would make you listen to ?
       Like many other men this twentyseven twentyeight
years of puny aggrieved life's unending
       membrane veins innards
       in profound love with body
       repeatedly descended
          why did we waver ? 
          With real drunkard, sinner,
theologian, pious and thief I could not engage myself.
       Could not travel far on boat
          love did not become strong--
          no disagreement took place on canal side--

Reader, now, from the pulpit of Rome
staring at the far away window
       it seems the halo is extinguished
near Catholic mission
       for the malnourished children of India I
       would easily request for powder milk
after the death of forty ninth Pope in shrewd knowledge
forty Pope's germ free longevity returns-- with this sense.   
          But ours as well
like many other men
        another twenty twentytwo years' lifespan is available.
Till that time I would sit at the air port
        see the departure and arrival of air planes
or visit the printing press and tell them my poems
do not print thumb imprint do not print or
        marks of tail's hoof
               do not print or
        change me
in the main window of mystery
when in darkness yellow blue various colours
are wiped out Pope's kingdom today
       atomic like a germ
            innumerable, shrewd and soft
headman God appeared with retinues.
                  


No comments:

Post a Comment