Mmgl Part 006-002 - Distress Sounds Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

"Some burn the dead.
Some leave the dead
For dogs or fox to eat
By dead of night."

"Some in deep pits
Bury the dead ones.
Some leave the dead
In low areas closed."

"Some keep the dead
In big pots covered.
Like this day and night,
People come and visit."

"Here none would like to stay,
But they come and go this way,
Making their terrible noises,
With their sorrowful voices."

"To remind those who're alive,
That one day they'll also die,
The dead ones' drumbeats
Shook the living hearts."

"In honor of the dead ascetics,
Prayer chants by their followers,
The crying sound of near relatives,
The howling sound of foxes, "

"The hooting owls' sounds,
All such graveyard sounds,
From Chakravalam one can listen,
Normally not visited by anyone."

FIVE DIVISIONS

"Henna, Kudai Vela, Vagai trees,
They're tall eastern trees,
Surrounded by desert plants,
Where a ghost group haunts."

"This is called Vagai division.
The second Vellil division,
Where, with skin, Vilaam fruits,
The group of birds eats."

"The third one is Vanni division,
Where the Kapalikars remain
To perform ceremonies
Under the Vanni trees."

"The fourth Irathi division makes
From the dead ones' skulls
A garland to hang on Ilandhai trees
And worship in their rituals."

"Some corpse-eaters took,
In the pots what they cook,
And this one was the last one,
Which's called Vellidai division."

"The broken fire pot pieces,
The mud pots for last rites,
The corpse carrying poles,
The thrown away cloth pieces, "

"The strewn flower garland pieces,
Paddy, puffed and cooked rice,
This is the Chakravalam place,
For anyone the final resting place."

THE GRAVEYARD'S MORAL

"High rich men or great ascetics,
Innocent young girls or boys,
God of death has no choice,
Old or young makes no difference."

"In this cruel task many he kills.
Many bodies the pyre swallows.
Though rich men many see this
They go not virtuous in their lives."

THE GHOST DANCE

"This kind of a graveyard,
Sarngalan, a young lad,
He thought it to be a town,
And a special security zone."

"This decaying body is made
Of bones, flesh, and blood,
But people attached to this
They forget what virtue is? "

"A decaying body dead,
Badly soaked in blood,
It was lying in the yard,
Reduced to half, worm fed."

"It taught many lessons,
To the worldly persons,
But they never listen,
Even after this vision."

"One of its soft foot,
A fox pulled and ate.
It started howling thereafter,
Having satisfied its hunger."

"Its open naked breast
An eagle pricked and ate.
The bird made a big sound
O'er the joy it had found."

"Once bangles worn hand,
Now bone from this hand,
A dog took it for a bite.
It barked o'er the joy it got."

"Once rubbed with sandal paste
Now the open breasts' taste
A donkey was enjoying,
And it started braying."

"All those mixed sound waves,
Shook up and down the graves,
Amidst heaps of body ashes,
In that graveyard premises."

"A ghost woman plucked
The head of that dead.
She ate its both eyes
And did ghost dance."

THE LAD SAW AND DIED

"After seeing this scene,
The lad, due to shock, ran.
He fell down dead then.
A mother had lost her son."

THE MOTHER'S CRY

"His mother stood at the gate,
Hugging the dead body tight,
And said, "My husband is blind.
My dead son is now on my hand."

"Oh Sambapathi, you're our goddess,
Supposed to protect all of us,
But why you've no grace
In my innocent son's case? "

SAMBAPATHI APPEARED

"In this ghost moving place,
When none here even to trace,
Why you called me here? "
Goddess asked the mother.

THE MOTHER'S APPEAL

"To help me, there's none.
This is my innocent son.
By the graveyard side,
He went and died."

"Due to his ill fate,
His life a ghost ate.
As if in sleep now,
See, he looks how? "