Poems of Debarati Mitra
Translated by Sourjya Roy
1.Afterlife
I have seen Afterlife - -
His voice, meek, oozes
Compassion and humbleness.
His face reveals glints
Of intense light
And tireless darkness.
Since the start, he has been saying
"Your son is not with me.
He is just a kid, probably had taken a fall somewhere,
Come here, and search.
If he sees you, he will sing for you from afar.
Let me think how far and what else we can do."
2.
The Lemon Tree of Fairytale
Life could be like the lemon tree
Of fairytale!
Where lemons stay young forever.
They don't fall. They don't die.
Only new lemons come
To adorn the tree with an everlasting
Viridity.
But
No one told me what happened next.
Don't want to think or know about what lies ahead.
I am just an old woman,
With zero knowledge of philosophy or mental maths.
I only know how to live.
Debarati Mitra is a noted Bengali poet. She has published eight collections of poetry. Her poetry is resolutely ‘modern in subject and style’. She has earned a distinctive place in Bengali literature. Her first book, Andha School e Ghanta Baje, was published in 1974. Subtle, metaphorical and delicately wrought, her poetry has been widely acclaimed. She received the Ananda Puraskar for poetry in 1995.
