Tragic-most

By Nirmalprabha Bordoloi

If somehow the smell of the wintry fields
Reaches my nose
I recover my father

In the fragrance of the gamosa 
Laid open from its folds in the shop
I recover my mother

For my children
Where shall I leave myself,
Where?

Translated by Krishna Dulal Barua

Nirmalprabha Bordoloi (b.1933-d.2004) was an Indian poet, lyricist and folklorist of Assam.

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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