A Poem by Deebachelvan titled‘Kuzhandhaigal Azhudhukonde Irukkiraargal
Translated into English by latha ramakrishnan
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Thus I have to give you
but abominable nights always.
Even if it day
I am not able to come
any closer to you.
We are doing everything
out of compulsion.
Of my motherhood
which leaves you abandoned,
what do you lament,
shedding tears?
I did hope that
the lullabies that lie entwined
in the space
would make you sleep.
They say that they would
safely bring you back to me.
In the course of the journey
looking at the houses, wishing them
and so undertaken
a friend has given birth
to a child.
It is for the official enquiry
pertaining to safety measures
that we are detained here.
Refusing to sleep
and turning utterly spent-out
not seeing the Sun
in the morning you are sleeping.
As we can’t go anywhere freely
I ask you to bear with it all
for a while.
My eyes too remain damp.
When I am overcome
by sleep
I am in the unfortunate situation
coming and introducing myself
to you all over again.
Here, along with carrying their babies
on their shoulders
they have brought their better-halves too
with them.
Oh, why have they separated us?
This night is stretching far too
wide, elongating
monstrously.
Who at all can show me
your face which bemoans
in some faraway camp,
with tears streaming?
For various things
children keep on crying.
Tomorrow too come in great haste.
How am I to send my response to you…
They do keep assuring me
that they would bring you to me.
Heeding to my words
and waiting far too long
Your throat has turned
terribly choked
alas, I can tell only that
which they have mouthed…
That these are cruel nights
you would have realized without me
having to tell you.
Your wail can be heard quite close.
Asking you to bear with it all
a little more time-
Oh, how merciless those words
would sound.
My dream is so full of the laps
that cradle you
and tend you to sleep.
All the children
for something or other
keep crying forever.
---------------------------------
but abominable nights always.
Even if it day
I am not able to come
any closer to you.
We are doing everything
out of compulsion.
Of my motherhood
which leaves you abandoned,
what do you lament,
shedding tears?
I did hope that
the lullabies that lie entwined
in the space
would make you sleep.
They say that they would
safely bring you back to me.
In the course of the journey
looking at the houses, wishing them
and so undertaken
a friend has given birth
to a child.
It is for the official enquiry
pertaining to safety measures
that we are detained here.
Refusing to sleep
and turning utterly spent-out
not seeing the Sun
in the morning you are sleeping.
As we can’t go anywhere freely
I ask you to bear with it all
for a while.
My eyes too remain damp.
When I am overcome
by sleep
I am in the unfortunate situation
coming and introducing myself
to you all over again.
Here, along with carrying their babies
on their shoulders
they have brought their better-halves too
with them.
Oh, why have they separated us?
This night is stretching far too
wide, elongating
monstrously.
Who at all can show me
your face which bemoans
in some faraway camp,
with tears streaming?
For various things
children keep on crying.
Tomorrow too come in great haste.
How am I to send my response to you…
They do keep assuring me
that they would bring you to me.
Heeding to my words
and waiting far too long
Your throat has turned
terribly choked
alas, I can tell only that
which they have mouthed…
That these are cruel nights
you would have realized without me
having to tell you.
Your wail can be heard quite close.
Asking you to bear with it all
a little more time-
Oh, how merciless those words
would sound.
My dream is so full of the laps
that cradle you
and tend you to sleep.
All the children
for something or other
keep crying forever.
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