Mellow Autumn Poem by Prayag Saikia

MELLOW AUTUMN

Place the pearl of dew on the Doob
Whiteness of the fallen jasmine in the bosom

She is coming
She shall come
The one, who caused the death of Durga, the demon

As the saying goes
Durga performed deep penance
Obtained a queer boon from the Creator
Snatched the rights of the gods, to usurp
The books of Vedas at their altar

The books have the Mantras that connect god with man
Absence of book means the end of poetry
Absence of poetry distances the hearts

The offerings are of no avail
The sacred fire is doomed
The enemies of the demon
Losing their valour
Like the decaying moon
And the rise in the terror of the forces of darkness

You shall come
You will adorn the Doob with the pearl of the dew
Your arrival shall mean that she has returned
And the good tiding of the Shruti
Being released from the realm of the demon

Who else, other than the mellow autumn,
Could bring the news of
The lotus of wisdom
Of a world brimming with poetry.

***
Original Assamese by Prayag Saikia
English translation by Uttam Kumar Borthakur