Translated by Vidyanand Jha from Maithili to English
TRANSLATION My eyes made through swimming in the waters of the pond full of algae carry greenery, see greenery everywhere. My blood made of the juice of Ladubbi mangoes, flow in my veins continuously, sweet, juicy. Made from pieces of Rohu fish, made from Garai Garchunni fish, my body is shimmering, slick. The sound of the hooves of Salhesh’s* horses, the reverberations of the sound of the Chaukitora dance, the desolation of the consequences of Vidyapati*, and my voice, my clear language made from mixing all these — Gets translated — speaking an unknown language outside my home, spending my life in an unknown place, some other place, losing myself, making myself into someone else making myself into a customer in a glittering market. And my Maithil existence gets translated into Indian citizenship. *Salhesh is a folk deity in Mithila(Nepal and Terai region in India) *Vidyapati (1352-1448) was a Maithili poet TOGETHERNESS A filled in disused well reverberates with the mumbled Sahajiya song of a Vaishanvi*, mixed with your name whispered softly, mixed with the sound of a thundering river flowing in full spate. So many eager songs swirl, straining to come out of our souls to touch the heights of the sky. Sounds are mumbled, words are mumbled in a filled disused well. On the banks of a water tank under a tree with leaves falling, in a locked old box are kept for many years so many embraces, kisses so many, pressed and folded for many years, the touch of your skin on mine - quivering, exciting, impulses so many, so many disappointments. Everything is folded and kept inside. A box that is rusting slowly is thrown away. It’s becoming one with the earth slowly. Routes to many cities utterly unknown, paths to many villages deserted wait to be measured by your feet, by my feet. Many fabulous scenes, strange scenes many, sad scenes many, grotesque scenes many await our eyes, lost in an unknown corner of this Earth, in a deathly silent lost village, Or in an utterly unknown strange city. Would my being be yours? Or maybe on the path of annicca*, I would be, you would be separately, alone. Or is that that I wouldn’t be, you wouldn’t be? *Sahajiya -- a form of Hindu tantric Vaishnavism; Vaishnavi -- a woman follower of Vishnu *annicca—Buddhist principle of impermanence
Vidyanand Jha is a poet, short story writer and literary critic in Maithili. He is also a translator translating texts from and into Maithili primarily to and from English. He has been publishing Maithili poems in literary journals since 1980s. He has three poetry collections to his credit: Parati Jakan (Like a Morning Song), published by Sahitya Akademi in 2002, now in its second edition; Bicchadal Kono Pirit Jakan (Like a Lost Love) published by Antika Prakashan in 2019 and Danufak phool Jakan (Like Danuf Flowers) published in 2021. He has received many prestigious awards for his poetry in Maithili. His translations from Maithili have appeared in journals like Indian Literature and Anthologies like The Book of Bihari Literature. He was awarded Katha Translation Award in 1998.
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