Chariot Of The Camel Poem by Pradip Saikia

A pair of eyes of the shooting star
Remains awake throughout the night

The flying cinders fall down
Smearing smoke smearing ash
The bird in the pyre

Sound of Onker wafts
Surreal flute
‘Namo Tasas bhagbato arhato samma sambudhhasastee'

The strumpet dances
The cursed slave

Time crawls by
In the darkness of winter solstice
The cold snake shades its skin

An eunuch
Rings the rocky bell

The echo is broken by the crown of the temple

The sun walks away
One step at a time
A chariot pulled by a herd of camel

Pulling away at the
Blood yellow time

# Translated from Assamese to English by: Bibekananda Chowdhury