Carry me on to the forest whose face is
aglow in light.
I put down golden words
in the raptness of lovely green
...
Evening bells toll in the temple
Birds flatter their wings
the merchant sails off by a distant river
...
If the breeze hums at the arrival of my words to you
suddenly sometimes
stars of your eyes stay tuned
Assume that the moon after the clouds
...
I searched so much
for ornaments of raw gold
in the markets of Maibong,
Gold is only in name
...
From the finger with joints I have known
The finger is of whose hand.
From the gold ring have I known
The ring is from whose hand.
...
Your heart and mine
Two halves of a pumpkin
Let them be red forever
...
How are you all? enfolds
the night and wraps the bird's call in sorrow
Flowers on my palm bend over
...
With whom did you come all the way
as the yellow of mustard blossoms
does the drum beat in your bosom
...
pledged to each night your days,
your sundry drems, sodden
range from rivers to changing skies
...
Summer descended
The sky and earth
Shifted from their places
The smoke clamor darkened people
...
I have disclosed only before you, don't leak it out
If the king comes to know, we've had it
The fact keeps flowing with people
...
Yesterday was where I belonged to
Yesterday I'd been in the ration shops queue
Yesterday I was a pedestrian of the pavement
yesterday I exchanged with many a mate
...
The fishermen are coming
Down the fields of ripening grain
Hope clings on to the evening flowers
below the eaves of their seeping roofs.
...
When I was having a pain in my heart
Unknowingly I started to turn page after page of
the book of your face
...
Darkness trembled on the flute of the night
sitting in darkness I wrote
the dialogue of undigested sorrow
...
I change myself into certain events that issue forth
from the depths of floating time
plucking an undecomposed flower
woven into the tapestry of my heart
...
An evening meal
of roasted potatoes and tea
Green and yellow and blue smile
...
Through the heart of Kundil town
the blue river of the night
all agog with ripples
...
Carry Me On
Carry me on to the forest whose face is
aglow in light.
I put down golden words
in the raptness of lovely green
with pure conviction I see the reflection of every
standing tree on wild streams
Carry me on to the forest with a
moonlight-rinsed face, to the cootage of peace
where every moment is enriched by sweet
chirping of birds
I place the footprints of murderous men
on every humble tree
Carry me on to the depth of dense forests
I plant one tall tree of love-laden heart
on the flowing breast of every travelling river
I tear off fruitless human blandishings
Carry me on to the eternal free forest,
to the erect trees growing in a slope
I look for pollens of every season in
every tree which donot know how to stoop down
I sculpture on every tree symbols of
futile human pride
Carry me on.
Translated from the Assamese by Pradip Khataniar