“The Female Poets’ helplessness” translated by Sudeshna Chakravorty
Streekaviyon ki Zahalatein by Anamika (Hindi)
A poem is a woman too, after all
no one listens to it.
Or even if they do,
they do not understand.
All are her lovers, and none a friend!
How lonely is she
trapped in this touched-up, empty fleshliness-
Fleshliness,
of that tiny pigeon-
who had gone to Raja Shivi
hounded by the falcon, seeking asylum!
“Love” Translated by Sudeshna Chakravorty
‘Prem’by Anamika (Hindi)
Love
Let there be something – may some leaf move somewhere
There must be something in life now
Something like understanding – in our speech
Something like a destination- in our journeys
The spark of something concrete ‘happening’, amidst all our routine ‘doing’,
I hear- this is possible only in Love.
Only in love is it possible
To cross every border!
Stories of love are greater far than love itself
The most beautiful thing about love- and about God-
Is this after all:
Whether man created them-or they created us-
You cannot say with any certainty
But who created what- how does it matter!
What is beautiful is the thought-
That ‘something’ be created.
That ‘something’ BE…
May some leaf shiver somewhere.
For there must be something in life now
Some words worth saying…worth understanding,
Some journeys that seem like destinations
The spark of happening in the doings!
I hear, this is possible only in love!
Anamika is a poet, social worker and novelist writing in Hindi, and a critic writing in English. She is known for her feminist poetry. He is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2020.
