“Dangerous” translated by Basudhara Roy
Khatarnak by Leeladhar Mandloi (Hindi)
With those I have spent fifty years
what happened so unforeseen
that their love alchemized into disgust
and their religion into war?
The mouthful that once cohered on their plate
is now hemlock.
Burning embers have replaced
the moistness of their tongue.
All hope of justice from them
is forever lost.
The expression of hate
deepens in their eyes.
Human sacrifice has become again
a part of their worship.
No one can fathom
the danger this forebodes.
“Strike that Man” translated by Basudhara Roy
Us aadmi par waar karo by Leeladhar Mandloi (Hindi)
At the centre of things
beyond visibility
he is the most dangerous criminal
of this century.
Revamping the whole country
into his restroom
he glues like a leech
to the personalities of our venerable.
With the indolence
of a domesticated cheetah
long into the night he sharpens his nails
to the last frontier of death.
Each morning
in the thick of terror
our homes are ransacked
for evidence against the enemy.
Newspapers
grow quiet
hinting at some man-eater
in their headlines.
The police patrols forests
and he switches disguises
every day
consistent in his attacks.
The venerable are silent
death’s pallor increasingly becoming
an unbroken part
of their countenance.
At the centre of all
beyond visibility
he is the most dangerous criminal
of this century.
Strike that man.
Leeladhar Mandloi is a writer, poet, filmmaker and photographer. He has published 36 books on poetry, literature and culture and produced/directed documentary films.
