THE EMPEROR’S CITY, PALACE & THE SEA-SHORE

A poem by Deebachelvan
Translation of his Tamil poem titled _
ARASANIN NAGARAM, MAALIGAI MATRUM KADARKARAI
Translated into English by latha ramakrishnan

The Emperor’s City revels,
Laughing throughout the night.
My friend, after the conversation
I remained waiting, at the sea-shore
for long.
Forcibly removed from there
being in front of the ‘Vaadi’ tenament
where I was staying
I keep sending you
along with the sea-shore
all possible messages.
Please, can you tell me,
what am I to do, henceforth?

The Sea-shore keeps telling
something.
The roaring laughter of Power
keeps going past the Sea
Spreading in all directions.
The Sea doesn’t derive any
Happiness.
Pushing off its waves on
all sides
It keeps telling something.
All the communications so full of appeals,
it is the Sea which is giving
a thorough reading.

How to reveal that those communications
which, taken away,
were crushed and grounded?
With whom we can share
our humiliations?
That Palace which is being
fed and nourished by Power
has confined us in a
small tin-shelter.
It has pasted our
still damp blood
everywhere.
The Monarch keeps laughing
always.

The Palace reverberates
with the great joy of the Monarch.
From the dream-torn Sea-shore
that is kept as an exhibit
in the street opposite
what at all can be uttered?
Wherever we turn we see
the Monarch laughing
From atop the images of
our defeated sand-mounds.
Their City is still
celebrating the Victory.
Devovouring our lives it shines.

I have to make you realize
how cruel were the words uttered
by the Monarch –
Yet, I am unable to
repeat them.
With our faces darkening
we suffered wordlessly.
The Minister said that we should
clap and laugh happily
to please the Monarch.
Some of us did oblige,
doing their best
to keep the Monarch amused.

One and all stood
facing the sea-shore,
telling that they had
lost their smiles and hands.
Only after the Monarch had
reached his abode
and relished his food
we were allowed to go to our
‘Vaadi’ tenaments.
After all these, even after several days
I’m not able to share with you
anything; anything at all.
We are being cheated; deceived
ever so.
Unlike our Nation here
we can have
the nights in full.

Night after Night
the smiles and hands of one and all
have been taken away
across the Seas.
The Monarch’s City too keeps laughing
night after Night.
On the sea-shore I remain
spending the entire night.
O
* 12.10.2009 – Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksam A Meet, Colombo, the old Parliament structure, Sea-shore.