ABOUT THE POEM:
This is a translated version of a captivating poem from Tamil literature, AGONY OF ESTRANGEMENT. It is about what the lover said to himself about his lover’s predicament as the flora and fauna around her might have reminded of her estrangement from her lover and tanned her skin. He elaborates in the course of the poem that the exquisite things like the torrential rains, sprouting mango trees and cuckoos singing their mating melodies should have aggravated her agony.
AGONY OF ESTRANGEMENT
The downpours have begun
enabling farmers
in their agricultural labor.
On the stream bed
the dark sand lies delicately soft
The designs on it
apes a snake's stomach.
The dazzling Mango trees are ablaze with green shoots.
Cuckoos roost on them
singing their mating melodies.
Roused by the tilting tune, my darling
will be brooding about me
and cry with overwhelming sadness,
the brilliant spots
on her tanned skin
like pollen lying dispersed
from the Vengai blooms
next to the tapering rocks
(REFERENCE: Pterocarpus marsupium, also known as Malabar kino, Indian kino, Vijayasar, or Venkai is a medium to large, deciduous tree that can grow up to 31 m (102 ft) tall. It is native to India (where it occurs in parts of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka-Kerala region and in the forests of Central India), Nepal, and Sri Lanka.)
Wikipedia contributors. "Pterocarpus marsupium." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Apr. 2022. Web. 1 Jan. 2023.
