Long Madras Poems

This is the Second Part of the Translation from Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel-Laureate Philosopher Poet from India. 





Father only smiled; thought, "women
are emotionally heated balloons! 
Life is a difficult  salvation, they don't have that knowledge", 
After...

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Translation of Mahakavi Bharathiyar’s poem: “Asai Mugam” or “Beloved Face”
                         ...

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K373 and K374 of the THIRUKKURAL: Translated with Commentary

The poet's name, THIRUVALLUVAR [Thiru = Sacred and Valluvar = the name of the priesthood caste of the « Pariah » (whom Mahatma Gandhi prefered to call...

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Asian Epicurean Quest

At the heart of China Town, Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia) is Petaling Street.
  
Domain of hustlers, hucksters, cheap-jacks and diblers; purveyors of street food, rude t-shirts, and rubber sandles to put...

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Part Two

           a hardly flickering oilwick open trough lamp lighting
limply other framed coloured pictures of Ganapati
two half-empty troughs of kunkunum and vibhuti
on the half-opened cicatrised...

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OUR TIN POT NAVY so THEY SAID in 1914 Sydney in the first World War 1

In 1914 German cruisers were cut loose 
and Emden she was one…………….…(fired 38lb shells)
the Indian ocean she did for hunting...

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Part One

“The Kurral owes much of its popularity to its exquisite poetic form. A kurral is a couplet containing a complete and striking idea expressed in a refined and intricate metre. No translation can convey...

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III

This is the land of the convectional rains
Which vie on the monsoon back scrubbing streets
This is the land at half-past four
The rainbow rubs the chilli face of the afternoon
And an evening-morning pervades the dripping, weeping
Rain...

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Stepping down from the AC coach
on to the railway platform
A hot wave of salty moist air 
drenches me
On my customary visit
to this city I'm tethered to
by my memories..
She coyly calls herself Chennai
like a new bride...

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Madras

Hotel lobbies, hotel bars
Hotel rooms, air conditioned cars
City sights and sounds and smells
A smile, a frown, a shout impels
The thoughts within to exude
And express themselves without interlude

Here no blossoms, no sweet fresh air
Save the scented...

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                            Beautiful Scars


     ...

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MY SINGING STAR

Annual days in our University existed before too, only in annals,
Until the day, she on the ramp thrilled our hearts that came to the ears;
We had ‘Abbey Road on the River’; we lived...

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Heavenly Meat Pies

Nostalgic memories -
An awesome aroma
And an unforgettable flavor of
Freshly-baked, hot-out-of-the-oven,
Magnificent, “melt-in-your-mouth,”
Homemade mini meat pies.

Flaky, golden brown pastry crusts,
Filled with lots of love and stuffed with  
Savory bite-size bits of tender beef,
Cubed potatoes,...

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Your stand with your hand on your hip
I must presume, I will not get a tip
Yes, the soup is cold I know 
But Gazpacho is meant to be so
The reason the curry is not “hot”
The...

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in spicy Madras
mosquitoes target bite ass
night and day harass!
I applied some sticky cream
to deter their evil scheme!

early dawn herd buzz,
million flights of buggy curse,
park on my reverse!
my cream from castor oil farm,
trapped them like a...

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I
You have seen them tell ... of things Indian
In dark South Africa, in the 1960s, BOMBAY ...
MADRAS, and CALCUTTA were destinations
As great as LONDON! We didn't know NYC, or Paris
Yes, old cultures have stories, much...

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‘I’m 19 Madras’
My unit and fellowmen 
More than anything for me
On earth,
My words – the oath ultimate
Until the last drop of blood enters my heart.
Out of the cruelest of storm
Or savagely violent, brutal
And sadistic blitz...

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'Jesus Christ Superstar':
this might tell you where we are.
With open sky and stars above,
it's just another summer of love.

Bota bag across my breast
(Strawberry Hill is the best).
In sandals and long madras gown, 
out for a...

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The scent of water steamed off your skin
-I felt boyish, vulnerable;
you peeked through a wisp of hair and beckoned,
then all of the stars shot and scrambled.
You blurred in their midst - smiling.
I was your madras...

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Summer Succumb
Segue Cicadae,
Enwrap in sunray,
Warble a tuneful "Hooray!",
Solstice sing-song night/day,
Hydrangeas on display,
Honeysuckle blooms bouquet
Melons savor away,
Berries & cream entree,
Splashing a la Bay,
Reading enjoy, listen to Mozart play,
"Zimmer's" here! So our stars don't stray,
Our belief GPS...

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