At The Summit

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.

AT THE SUMMIT

(Translated by E. D. Narahari)

Who is he?

A master of men,aware of his scope and strength.

He has ascended the summit

While the rest of the world

Is in deep slumber and in oblivion.

While the world is half-conscious

In the darkness of dreamy amnesia

He has climbed atop the pinnacle.

He has climbed the summit

At a time when darkness departs

And a new dawn arrives.

To savour the scene of magnificent earth

He has climbed the summit

At a time when the earth is enveloped

In the pristine cover of a newer dawn.

He has climbed the summit

In suspenseful wait of an enriched world

He is the mate of flying birds

He climbs and climbs with tuneful lips

While his mind blooms with bountiful love

He climbs with the thought

That he repaid a debt to the noble earth

Before the others wake up,

Before they pass him,

He climbs the summit

With a thought to banish the lethargic mind.

He climbs the summit

And revels in the mountain breeze

That rewards him with a light that dazzles.

He climbs the summit

To usher a new path and beckon his mates.

About the author

Ed Narahari

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.