Bijay Kant Dubey - O, Palanquin-bearers!

O palanquin-bearers, where you humming, humming the songs on the ways
Untrodden and unknown,
And taking the girl bride away to her unknown destination,
The paths unknown,
The crisscrosses of her fate unknown,
Where the path leading to, taking to.

The girl with in tears, smiling and sobbing,
A little girl quite unknown bout,
What it is marriage,
Just going, going,
As they have supposed it to be,
As they have forced upon
Otherwise who would like to?

May be it hat during the medieval times, it deteriorated
The situation if n India,
The circumstances otherwise
And it came unto the purdah system, the inhuman purdah,
Hiding the crystal sunlight too.

O you, where, where you singing, humming the songs,
The songs on which, which ways unknown,
Going, going with the feet rising in unison,
Rising and falling with the same pitch and accent,
The black-black feet and legs of those hurly-burly carriers, bearers
Humming and going with the wooden palanquin

And the folks on feet or on the bullock-carts if possible,
Basically not,
All on feet, legs rising and falling,
The bridegroom party,
But the girl bride lost in thinking about her home,
Her mother, father, brother and sister,
The familiar scenes and sights of her locality.

The bandmen playing the music
And the bridegroom party men moving along,
Crossing over the forest tract
With lathis and other tools,
Full of wolves, lions, tigers and bears.


Bijay Kant Dubey

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