Where did you go, King?
She searched for Nalan,
But he had already gone.
Tears dropped from her eyes
Like a chain of white pearls.
“Oh King! Where’re you?
Where can I search for you?
With the two hands of her,
She searched all the floor.
She saw the cut sari
She saw the cut sari
And cried, “I’m sorry,
Where’ve you gone?
What’s the reason?
She fell down
That empty floor bed,
Many times she touched,
She became worried,
Then cried and cried.
She searched everywhere,
Every nook and corner,
In all the directions there,
But found him nowhere.
She fell down tired,
And was deeply worried,
Where he would have gone
Leaving her there alone?
Vimarasan’s flag fell down
As the flag of Vimarasan,
Till then, she did remain,
But she cried and fell down
Like this flag, shot down.
The Cloud and the lightning
From the cloud, that was moving,
Towards the earth fell a lightning.
Similarly, she fell on the floor,
Not finding her missing lover.
Cock tribe crowed
Cocks saw her sad plight.
With their wings straight,
They hit their bellies,
To express their sorrows.
They all crowed to invite,
The sun to shine bright,
With his rays of light,
And say ‘goodbye’ to the night.
Sun showing the way
The sun, from his chariot,
Gave light to the forest,
Like showing the way
To find Nalan by day.
She talked and talked
“What was my fault?
Here, I was brought
By you only, but
Alone why you left? ”
“Oh you mighty king!
Why you’re not talking?
Is there an end to my trouble,
In this situation horrible? ”
In flood, she fell
Tears, her two eyes shed.
In that flowing tear-flood
She got herself drowned
Not finding a helping hand.
Can you show him?
“Oh deer! Have you seen him?
Oh peacock, did you find him?
You’ll live for a long time.
Like this, she asked them.
Went near python
Not finding an answer
From those creatures,
She was more upset
And cursed her fate.
She saw a hungry python,
With its mouth wide open,
Ready to swallow anyone
On see it, she fell down.
Python swallowed.
Leaving her head side,
Up to breast it swallowed
Like Snake Raghu, the big one,
Swallowed the big moon.
For help, she cried
For help, she began to cry.
“Oh King, before I die,
Come here and save me.
From this python free me.”
Your face, without seeing
“Oh dear, I’m now dying,
Your face, without seeing,
I’m still inside this python.
To save me, is there none? ”
Will you see him?
“Oh parents of Nalan
Will you see your son?
Why my life is still with me,
When my partner left me? ”
She prayed
Her both palms, she folded,
And like this, she prayed,
“Won’t you say goodbye
To me, before I die? ”
A wonderful elegy, The grief of this lonesome and frightened lady comes down to us through the centuries as fresh and poignant as if it only happened yesterday. This is a tribute to your great skill and sensitivity. The last lines are superb. Always your distant friend, Sandra
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Really it is painful to read Dhamayanthi's plight, that too in the mouth of a python!