A Reader Translates V.Seetharamaiah

Our reader ED Narahari, 78 years young and reviving his keen interest in the written word sends us an English translation done by him of a poem by the celebrated Kannada literary giant Prof. V.Seetharamaiah or Vee See.

Prof. V.Seetharamaiah of the old school is a highly revered Kannada literateur, an excellent teacher and a very sensitive poet. This Kannada poem by the celebrated literary giant has been taken from his collection entitled ‘Sneha- vishwasa,’ I have great admiration and profound respect for the Titanic persona that Vee See had and therefore as a tribute to his genius, I decided to translate some of his poems in order to expose them to a larger audience.

THE DELUGE DANCE

This is the deluge dance Of the Divine dancer.

The broken waves of tempestuous ferocity

Splashing the beach

With furious force.

The tinkling melody of the dancing anklets!

The swinging romping waves

That cascade down

In splendid swirls!

The beauty of a Dance

Of the Supreme Being

Who ends all the worlds

Sparing not an atom!

The brave creatures,

The beautiful offsprings

Of an ornate creation,

Who bare their inners

After the Great Destruction!

The dancing bliss of the Lord

Who stands at the very core

And keenly awaits the very last

Of the great annihilation

There’s no sun in the sky!

Nor are the stars

No earth nor sky to get going.

No trace of joy nor of sorrow!

This hysteric ecstasy Reveals an exuberation that surpasses

The boundaries of sentiments and sensations!

The lesser gods who prided with conceit,

Who thought that they are without

A beginning or an end

Are now stripped of their homes and hearths

The Satan who forever and always

Shows an unseemly hurry

Is now shorn of his very existence.

It’s an ecstasy that reigns supreme

Even in the face of hindrances

Caused by the destruction of air and fire.

The astounding ecstasy of the Lord

Who shows up His ash­-smeared physique!

He discards His concerns for protecting the world.

He chews up everything with a smile on His visage

He sings away the travails

With well-­orchestrated melodies and rhythmic tunes.

About the author

 ED Narahari worked as a senior geologist in Geological Survey of India and although he had the urge and passion to delve into the world of words in his formative years, the compulsions of a career did not allow him to pursue his passion. He took up the time to pursue his literary ambitions after retirement and the demise of his wife. His writings have been admired and appreciated by many and Narahari has translated more than 20 books in Kannada and English. His treatise in Kannada on the various aspects of the oceans has been awarded the RLN Memorial prize by the Prasaranga of Mysore University. He has also translated into Kannada, the lyrics some of sacred Sanskrit texts, apart from composing devotional songs in Kannada, that have been set to music by Ganesh Desai. A CD of some of these compositions were recently released at a function held. at Kalagrama, Bengaluru.