Bhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-18

Bhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-18

English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli

Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 

18. Rebecca

To reach Manginapudi beach
via Chilakalapudi
if one starts from Bandar by bus
sky becomes entrance of the home
frolics standing on the way
like a slant pot sea appears.

Beauty— sea
naughtiness— sea
health— sea
youthful life so buoyant.

The longer one caresses her body
the more one views her charming appeal
the longer one to listens to her roar
no satiety-
never allows one to leave shore.
The more she distances one
the closer one is drawn towards her,
she makes one in lotus posture
adopt posture of standing on head.
As one holds water for rope mistakenly,
it snaps suddenly.
When one seeks sand for support
it slips through fingers.
On the shore she looks menacingly
if one ventures in, reaches titanic depths.

Women who playfully step in
fondly weave waves around necks
as ornaments,
men slide eyes along her curves,
for children sea is for playing marbles,
ball game, diving and swimming.
Sea looks like racing horses,
like devotes swinging in trance
at Katta Maisamma temple,
as mother feeds stretching her hand,
akin to great war acquiring fierce shape,
one may visualise as fancy flies
everyone eminently enjoys!

Any number of times one may
disfigure her face—
many times one may abort the embryo—
with a single wave
reshapes her body and cheeks
sea, the beautiful Rebecca.
One may hurt amply her fluid soul,
one may upset the blue shore—
in a dynamic world
except victory, defeat unknown
to the sensational Gladiator, Lord of ocean!

Life is not a bubble
an ocean.
Whoever makes life sublimely valiant
and exquisitely stunning
lives gloriously like an ocean!

*****

(To be continued-)