நம் குரல்

Monday, August 2, 2010

A Dream Destroyed


what is destroyed:
a fragment of a beautiful dream
and a little ignorance

on this battleground
there is no tomorrow for
the trees that beautify
its earth

what more
for lifeless monuments and statues

not a trace
of the great warrior

nothing left but to wait for their demolition,
one by one

in every corner
the proud stand with serious
meaningful stares

hopefully everyone's prayers
are answered

he has toyed with us
and taught us a lesson

perhaps they were built
because
the writing on monuments
will never disappear

the hidden message
behind all this destruction:

look, all you people
who want to build monuments
for living or the dead

what is in the heart is not certain to be respected
what more monuments without life!

N. Patchaibalan

(Translated into Malay by Dr.Gana)
(Translated into English by Tanja Jonid)

Voices of Malaysian Poets - An Athology of Malaysian Poetry
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur, 2009

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