A Friend’s Comment

Hiren Bhattacharya

Hours before I'd a few glasses of liquor
The inebriation hasn't died down altogether
Perhaps in this way
The entire night will pass over

Sometimes I drink in this way!
And its inebriation shifts me to the serene woods of my mind
Where
I converse with myself
About issues never conferred with anyone before

How pleasant are these nights!
Where the puffed paddy of words burst*
Among stars in the azure sky
The river of my heart cleanses
The wholesome body of the night
With its cool mellifluous water



...............
* puffed paddy of words burst : distinct articulation of words (Assamese idiom)

Translated by Krishna Dulal Barua

Hiren Bhattacharya (b.1932-d.2012) was an Assamese poet and lyricist best known for his lyric poems.

Krishna Dulal Barua is a prominent translator and writer based in Nagaon, Assam. He received the Katha Award for translation in 2005.

Click here to read the original Assamese poem.

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