Water-Born Poem by Kushal Dutta

Tearing the water, grows on the water
The poetic scenes of the restless waves

By welcoming it and having seated it
On the bow of the boat,
My boat moves upstream to the paddy fields

In the stroke of the oar show off
Pani-paruwas* Elengs* Ilihis*
Jump apart like grasshoppers

Hearing your laughter?

The picture of the fully grown paddy
Waiting, looking at us,
How unbearable!

Go
Reap the paddy
***
*Pani-paruwa: A kind of water insect.
*Eleng: A kind of flat white fish of medium size.
*Ilihi: The hilsa fish.

[Translated from the Assamese by poet Ajit Barua]