My back aches as at dawn
with a broom I turn into past
the pockmarked fronrtyard
of the sleeping house.
May be the rain left this frontyard
Drenched last night, and the earth-worms
lost their sleep in ploughing the earth
and builiding in the dark their tiny homes-.
only to be razed and scatter
as a row of nail marks left
by the palm-frond fingers of the broom
once the dance of a woman’s bent back is done.
Sweeping over, when sunlight spreads
and the house opens its eyes to the dawn,
how neat lies the frontyard,
no footmarks, not even a dry leaf!
When the newspaper drops
through the filters of the night,
this one who has stretched herself after sweeping
just longs to drink some coffee to the lees.
Translated By : K.Satchidanandan
- - - - alternative translation - - - -
Sweeping The FrontYard…
The back aches,
as the broom sweeps
into memory, at dawn
soil-pimples sprouted,
on the front yard
of the house in slumber
eyes deep shut.
Perhaps the rain could have
eased the ground
last night.
Earthworms must have
stirred it under,
toiling, maybe sleepless, to
build tiny homes of earth.
Only to be razed,
to be spread,
in finger-streaks
the broom leaves behind
after the sweeper girl’s
morning dance,
her bent back step.
The sweeping done,
dawn alights
Light falls, the eyes
of the house open
No footprint,
Not even fallen leaves,
how clean it is !
The newspaper arrives
having scoured
the depths of night,it falls
stumbling against the door.
Then, she rises from cleaning the shreds
So thirsty, she’d drink the coffee to its lees.
Translated by J.Devika
