Poems of Aduri Satyavathi Devi
Poem-10
Melody of Open Wing
Telugu Original: Aduri Satyavathi Devi
English Translation: Munipalle Raju
The reverie stretches long-like an ocean unbound,
The sight is far ahead by one century full
The waves of Tanpura deep down the throat
Shake and dance to unsettle the spinal beads
The burning spark of intellect bursts
Into starry splits to light the inner worlds many.
Yet, the highway is unseen
And the coast is unsighted.
Time slips away beyond all wishful reach
Like the spring descending on a Barren Rock.
Reflections rise sky-high with varied Hues
Heart waits, ripened like a keyed-up string.
The hungry fire of wisdom silent
Knifes through despair dark
To indicate the blazing trails few.
Yet, the breath struggles with thirst
And the dawn has not opened its lids
Nor the slumber of ages dissolved yet.
The Ink Pot overflows from its brim
Drop by Drop it falls into a swim
Turning into a desert down pour.
Forming into a stream of live coal burning.
Yet, this journey sans respite and rest
Converts into an ancient lyric wearing
A thousand wings
And goes on singing and where is the break?
*****
Telugu Original : ‘Rekka Mudavani Raagam’
Aduri Satyavathi Devi was born in Guntur in the year 1948 and settled in Visakhapatnam after marriage in 1969. She began her literary career as a lyricist at the age of 13. She wrote a variety of lyrics numbering about 300 — light, classical, devotional, patriotic, children’s and others. More than 50 songs of Satyavati Devi were broadcast over All India Radio. Eventually she made forays into various other literary genres like Poetry, Short story, Essay, Radio Play, Musical Feature, Books, Film reviews, Forewords etc..She created a substantial corpus of poetry with more than 180 poems included in 4 anthologies of poetry. She received accolades from readers, scholars, critics and litterateurs for her sensitive rendering of poems. She participated in many Poetry Meets, Festivals conducted by All India Radio, Doordarshan and the Sahitya Akademi. She was widely translated into English and Hindi. Some of the translations appeared in renowned journals like Indian Literature (English), and Samakaaleen Bharateeya Saahitya (Hindi).
She published her first volume of lyrics Vennello Venugaanam in 1988. Her first volume of poetry Rekkamudavani Raagam was published in 1992 followed by Jalapaata Geetam in 1997 and Veyirangula Velugu Raagam in 2006. Hindi translation of Rekkamudavani Raagam came out in 2008 as “Pankh an Modnevaalaa Raag” and a miscellany of various facets of her literary endeavour Vennela Paarijaataalu was published posthumously in Dec 2008. She received many prizes and awards for her literary pursuits and accomplishments like STVD Kalasamithi Award for Rekkamudavani Raagam in 1993, and Telugu University’s “Pratibha Puraskaram” as “Best Poet” in 1994, “Krishna Sastry Award” from Andhra Lalita Kala Samithi (Secunderabad) in 1998, UNESCO Literary Award in 2000, and “Ramavruksha Benipuri Janma Sataabdi Sammaan” from Jaimuni Academy (Panipat) in 2002. An English translation of her poem, “Veyirekkala Pavuram” (Myriad Winged Bird) has been included in the syllabus of English texts in the poetry section of Degree year students by the Common Core syllabus Committee in AP from 2008.