Odia Poems by Manoranjan Sahoo in English Translation

admin — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:52:59 +0000

Mundapota Kela


He swam like a fish on the land 
walked like a tortoise 
ran like a horse
and barked like a dog
near the rice vessel, 
sitting on the date leaves mat, 
gazing at the palm leaves bag 
and the iron crowbar
at last, he 
buried his head in the soil
exhibiting his stomach 
etched in the world of hunger. 


*Note: A tribe in Odisha earns their livelihood through the interment of their heads. 


Fear 

My son goes to school
in the city 
where the eye and kidney 
rackets are rampant.

My daughter’s bank 
PO exam hits—
letting my daughter board
the train 
I return home at 12 in the night. 

My wife suffers from 
asthma, 
a disease that restricts 
her breathing. 

A stray dog outside 
has gone uncontrolled
as I step out I’m 
engulfed by a killing fear.  
 

Indian Democracy 

A widow is promised   
for marriage, but not 
as dignified as the 
lady who gets wedded 
for the first time. 


Kendrapara

In the letterhead of the 
education minister, the peon 
writes a love letter. 
The nude photos of a rape case 
and the audio recorded  
unveil a mammoth racket. 
After getting caught
with some girls and boys 
suicide becomes the escape.
And the Gobaree River 
following in 
Kendrapara gets buried.  

Translated from the Odia by Pitambar Naik

Bio:

Manoranjan Sahoo earned a Bacherlor of Commerce from Utkal University and a Diploma in Pharmaceutical Business Retail and Wholesale from Kendrapara Autonomous College. He has three collections of poetry—-Apadebata, Khalihatare and Kicchi Kabita Kichhi Nirabata. He was born and brought in Indupur, Kendrapara in Odisha.

Pitambar Naik is an advertising copywriter. When he’s not creating ideas for brands, he writes and translates poetry. His work appears or is forthcoming in Singapore Unbound, ellipsis… literature & art, The Dodge, The McNeese Review, The Notre Dame Review, Packingtown Review, Ghost City Review, Rise Up Review, Glass: A Journal of Poetry and elsewhere. He’s the author of the poetry collections, The Anatomy of Solitude (Hawakal) and the forthcoming translation, Fury Species (Republic Publishers). He grew up in Odisha and now lives in Bangalore, India.

The post Odia Poems by Manoranjan Sahoo in English Translation first appeared on Prachya Review.

Odia Poems by Sudhir Kumar Meher/ Translated by Pitambar Naik

admin — Tue, 02 May 2023 16:36:30 +0000

Migration 

 

Don’t think, I have been obsessed
with the blue sky.

As I don’t have a place to sit in peace
I am up in this vacuum.

Else, who loves to be in a foreign soil, 
leaving one’s own beloved land?

Mirror


Whenever you've come 
with intense love
I've upheld you
in a fathomless heart.

When you giggled, 
I giggled
when you screamed 
I screamed.

The stars of my eyes
reflected on all your needs.

This counts a lot 
just because of 
a bit of silver dioxide
behind the chest.

Else, who are you 
and who am I?

The Past 


You're lonesome 
like a spinster gravely 
gazing at the moon
under the open sky.

You're obscured
like an antique and 
dogeared letter.

However,
it's like a bruised tigress
the sudden intrusion 
of yours proves that 
you're still alive.

Famine


Further, the trees won’t bloom or 
bear fruits

with our conceited hands, we’ve
chopped up the wings of the clouds

there will neither be blood to drip
nor will there be thirst to be quenched
even if you squeeze the breasts.

Henceforth, fire will smoulder
the earth will crack open

and thousands of hands will elongate 
from there to throttle our necks.

The Forest 


The day when that stranger 
loaded you in his truck 

and transported you after 
maliciously tricking you  

the very day our heart was 
intruded by a sin

and then onwards you’re 
theirs, not ours.

About the Poet & Translator:

Sudhir Kumar Meher teaches science in a high school with B Sc & B Ed degrees. He has 3 collections of poetry – Michha Udana, Mati Moha and Nirbak Ishwara. His awards and include Odisha State Level Short fiction Award, Vikash Bharati Puraskar, Vana Jyotsna Puraskar among many others. He grew up in Chicheiguda, Kalahandi in Odisha, India.

Pitambar Naik is an advertising copywriter for a living. When he’s not creating ideas for brands, he writes poetry. His work appears or is forthcoming in The McNeese Review, The Notre Dame Review, Packingtown Review, Ghost City Review, Rise Up Review, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, The Indian Quarterly and elsewhere. He’s the author of the poetry collection, The Anatomy of Solitude (Hawakal). He grew up in Odisha and now lives in Bangalore, India.

The post Odia Poems by Sudhir Kumar Meher/ Translated by Pitambar Naik first appeared on Prachya Review.

Pitambar Naik - Prachya Review

Odia Poems by Manoranjan Sahoo in English Translation

Odia Poems by Sudhir Kumar Meher/ Translated by Pitambar Naik