O Palar River, Vellore, Tell Me About Deaths Away From! / Death At Vellore! Poem by Bijay Kant Dubey

O Palar river, Vellore, tell me about the deaths
Away from home,
Far and far away
Of the ones moving in search of life
With the expectancy to be returned back
And lengthened
But failing to return,
They moving far and far away,
But returning they not,
Tell me, tell me, O Palar river,
Who the people burning the bodies
On the unknown banks of yours,
Lighting the pyres hastily
With sorrow in heart,
Who the strangers
Unable to carry the load
Of the lifeless body,
Offloading the things,
Unable to carry on,
Deleting the messages!

O Palar river of Vellore, tell me about the deaths
Away from homes,
The candles extinguishing far,
Far from their location,
Far, far from the range of acquaintance,
Who, who they burning,
Who, who they helping them,
O Palar river,
On whose banks see I the eyes heavily
Laden over,
Tears falling down the unknown cheeks
Of the unknown relatives,
O Palar river,
Say you,
Who they,
Who they doing the panda-dana,
Hanging the asthi-kalasha to be immersed into
To back home hastily
Not with the body
Weak and ailing,
Sick and diseased
And frail,
But the memories heavy upon
Full of sighs and relief!