Nalan 1.06 Sickly Heart Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Heart broken

When Dhamayanthi told
Her love in all words bold,
To Nalan, on his face straight,
She saw him backing out.

Everything then, she suspected.
With heavy sigh, she breathed.
Her face began to sweat.
Speechless, she fell down flat.

Life withered

Hit by Cupid’s arrow,
Her heart felt sorrow
O’er the turn of events,
That led to her distress.

Tears from her eyes
Flowed like floods.
Like tender leaves
Baked in fire, she was.

Her life withered
And she was tired.
She lost her shame
Yet helpless she became.

Desire never left

Her speech was very sweet,
Like Yazh’s musical notes.
She could speak hardly
But she whispered slowly,

“Cupid arrows made holes,
My life went thru these holes
Yet, my desire never left
Thru them, is it my fate? ”

(Yazh = String Instrument)

Time for Sunset

The world lost one day.
No more light in the sky.
The stream had lost its birds.
And salty backwater, its herds.

Peacocks lost their pairs.
Inviting the darkness,
The sun set and hid
Behind the mountain side.

Darkness came

On the sky, the hot Sun
Drew the dark curtain
In the stage, for all, to see,
How darkness would be?

At a distance, the sound
Of Veda recital aloud
Marked the sun set in
Behind the tall mountain

Slowly moved the evening

Bees blew jasmine buds,
Like conch did on all sides
Cupid’s flower-bow
Started its work by now.

Jasmine flower garland,
On shoulders, landed.
Step by step, the evening
Towards darkness, was moving.

Evening did the trouble

The above-said sunset
Did create its ill effect
On the minds of lovers,
Who were not together.

When two enemies fought
Both sides were in fright,
Likewise, separated lovers,
Worried for each other.

Cool Moon was hot

Dhamayanthi, with her eyes,
Spear-shaped-dark-lined ones,
In the court yard, was resting
Under the moon shining.

The darkness disappeared
When the moon appeared,
That almost was drinking
Her life that was sinking.

Moon as fire

The cool moon tore into pieces,
And drove out the darkness,
That was like the dark pastes,
Applied to the maiden’s eyes.

But the same cool moon,
For her, became hot soon.
She was lying down
Facing this hot moon.

Alive if I come?

“Oh Swans, You’re gone.
Also, the Sun is gone.
The dark night is here
That’ll leave never.”

“Accompanied by lightning,
The rain showers are falling.
You can call my name,
Alive, if I come? ”

Boils in the cool sky

“Oh my dear maidens,
By the heat of the moon
Boils are in the sky
They’re stars, you say why? ”

False story nailed

“The forest, wide gardens
Are the Cupid’s prisons.
The sky is his chariot path.
The sea is his fish-flag-cloth.”

“The whole world is
His working place,
Where he dominates
With his activities.”

“If that be the real case,
The Cupid’s story goes false,
Into ashes, Shiva burnt him,
Long ago, once upon a time.”

The night’s evil heart

“My life is looted and gone.
The wild moon is like a thorn.
The night has an evil heart.”
Like this she cried out.

Right thru the night
Aloud she cried out.
Her severe love-sickness
Landed her in weakness.

Why this burning night?

“Why this dark night
Burning my body right?
Is it for the mere reason,
It ate the heat of the sun? ”

“Or is it due to the heat
That arose from my breast?
Am I baked in the heat
The moon has spit out? ”

Heat from the Moon

Her body was burnt,
With the moon’s heat.
All these evil spirit,
Formed one full night.

“Why cock, the keeper of time,
Didn’t sound its alarm?
Like she was crying
That was unending.

Unbearable Sorrow

The speckled bees flew,
Near her eyes’ view.
Her breast heaved high
With a long deep sigh.

When she was love-sick
She became very weak.
She could not even guess,
How to overcome this?

Cupid’s Flower Trap

“Oh you Cool Moon,
As Cupid fries everyone
Did he send his flower
To capture you forever? ”

“Did he send the night
To befriend you right?
Have you any special reason
To burn her in this moon? ”

All her Sufferings

Under the moon’s heat
Her head became too hot,
Besides the bees’ wings
Flew around her like rings.

Black her garland became,
From her hot breath that came.
The night stood as a witness
To all her sufferings.

She did penance

Honey-like speech she had,
But now tears only she shed,
Her bangles loosened and fell
It was like living in a hell.

Cupid’s arrow burnt her
The pain almost killed her.
She did penance all the night,
To reach her lover straight.

Like a public woman’s heart.

To pass that terrible night,
It wasn’t so easy and light.
The night was too adamant
To care for any torch light.

Like a public woman’s heart,
For none cared, the dark night.
So, heartless was the night
Can it do anything right?

Night sentries alerted

Making their loud noise,
Alerted the night sentries.
Their hands held spears.
And walked with no fears.

They wore night dresses,
And had long swords.
Their colour was black
Like the night that was dark.

As the night-vigil-guards,
They came on their rounds
The night went on disregard
Of these vigil guards.

The World Slept

In their own covered sheds
Entered, all war-elephants.
All the Yazhs did enter
Into their own covers.

Cupids arrow entered
Its box well covered.
Swarming bees slept well
After the day’s toil.

With the sea around,
The whole world,
With no obstacle,
Had its sleep cycle.

Ghost slept Night

In its mouth, a ghost kept
Its prey that slipped out,
When, to sleep, it went
Amidst tiresome night.

Tears rolled

One eye, peacock kept shut,
While the other eye, open it kept
To watch closely its mate,
Even during every night.

That also became false,
In the mate’s absence,
For which it cried out
And in search, went out.

She cried out, likewise,
As from the sickly loneliness,
She suffered in that night,
And was in a pitiable plight.

Am I a prey for the night?

“Oh King, like mountain,
Your shoulders remain,
Why this darkness fry me
Could you please tell me? ”

“Am I a prey to the night,
That eats me bit by bit?
Like this she wept
Thru out the night.”

Can’t bear North Wind

“Any sword or spear
Dark night had no fear
But there came north wind,
For the night, it didn’t mind.”

“Like a flower, with no honey,
That was drunk by bees many,
The evening ate the essence
Of my life, and left nothing else.”

“Even that North wind
Has come with a mind
To tease my soul
And fry me well.”

With shyness, heart broke

Her love-sickness, like flame,
Had caused a serious alarm.
Suddenly she would stand.
Then fall down in her bed.

She held on to the pillar.
Then sit down on the floor.
Her heart sunk like this.
She felt shy to express.

Life of fire

The darkness of the night
Spread o’er the moon light.
Holding her hair in her hand
She lied flat in the bed.

Her very life became fire.
She breathed out fire.
In bed, she got up and sat,
Not being able to lie flat.

Like this, she was restless,
Spending a night sleepless.
When she fell into sea of grief,
No posture gave her any relief.

Unmoving Night

“The night has no power,
Since its full power,
O’er me, it showered,
Leaving me withered.”

“Or, the dark night loved,
So deeply the devil Cupid,
That it has no mind to go.
Perhaps, it may be, is it so? ”

Got up and swooned

Sometime she swooned.
After that she regained.
Rapidly her heart bet.
She fell down in heat.

Aimlessly, she walked.
Within herself, she talked.
Her ornaments slipped.
With no sleep, she was tired.

Is there safety to life?

The stubborn dark night
Had its deep root.
Even the evil ghost
Couldn’t pass thru it.

In such a horrible night
How a life had felt
With no proper safety
But allowed only to cry?