Yellow Stem (Poem with Telugu Original)

పసిడి కొమ్మ (Yellow Stem)

వచ్చింది, వచ్చింది 

పసిడి వన్నెతో

ఓ పసుపు కొమ్మ 

కొమ్మల మాదిరి, ముద్దు గుమ్మల 

గుంపుల ఒంపుసొంపులతో 

జడ కుచ్చులు వేళ్ళాడుతూ 

మా అమ్మ పిన్నమ్మ ల రోజుల్లో 

ఉండియుంటే 

అక్కడివి పండియుంటే (పెరిగితే) -

అమ్మ 

వేసేది మా అక్కకు జడలో గుచ్చి గుచ్చి 

రంగు రంగుల పూల వరుసలు

దివిలో ప్రత్యక్షమైయ్యేది 

ఓ నడిచే నందనవనం!

రెండు మూరల కుసుమాల  

కొమ్మ!

తెనుగులో ఏమనాలి నిన్ను?

కలువపూల  కత్తి?

పుష్ప ఖడ్గము?

అంతర్చక్షువులుండాలే గాని 

ఈ జగత్తులో అందానికి కరువేది?

కీట్సు, కృష్ణశాస్త్రి, నాలాంటి కవులకు

ఒకప్పుడు మా తోటలో 

ఉండేవి ముప్ఫై కత్తి పూలు 

మూడు నాల్గు మెట్టతామరలు  

రెండు రంగుల సుగంధ  

ఐరిస్ పూలు

ఇప్పుడు ఈ 

పసిడి రంగుల 

కత్తిపూలు తెచ్చాయి 

ఒక అపురూప అనుభూతి 

ఒక వారము నా ముందు 

చిమ్నీ దగ్గర ముద్దుల స్నేహితురాలుగా 

నవ్వుతూ ఉంది ఓ బుల్లి కూజాలో 

రోజుకో పచ్చల రవిక విప్పుతూ!  (Copyright 2018 by the author)

Yellow Stem

It’s come, come

With soft golden sheen

One yellow stem

 

Like ebullient damsels with

Graceful curves and

Long braids, with swinging tassels

 

If only …

Had these been available

If only …

They were bred

During my mother’s and aunt’s yonder days

 

Mother would’ve decorated

My sister’s oily braid

With rows of colorful

Florets

Then we’d have gotten a walking

Heavenly garden on earth!

Two cubits of floral stem!

 

What should I call you

In Telugu?

Sword of lilies?

Floral blade?

 

For poets like Keats,

Krishnasastri, and myself

Where is the dearth of beauty

In this world?

Only one needs the inner eye

 

Once we used to have

Thirty gladioli, three four cannas,

And a pair of scented irises

In our garden

Now this golden colored

Gladiolus gifted me

An indescribable feeling

For almost a week

It stayed fresh in front of me

Near the fireplace like a lovely

Smiling lady companion

Seated in a tiny vase

Disrobing the green blouses

One a day!

(Copyright 2020 by the author)

 

Something To Ponder Upon (Grace)

    Something To Ponder Upon (Grace)

    There are a few things I would like to share with youngsters. Currently all over the world times are hard and very trying; there is no assurance that the near future will be any better. Though this writer is biased (in a positive sense) towards the Indian subcontinent, he is fully aware of his readership across continents. Now, in this post and some future ones I would like to narrate close encounters with “grace”. This I do with utter humility – not to bloviate. Perhaps some distraught youth may get inspiration from my humble experiences and overcome imminent despair. Like “freedom”, we need the guru in the beginning, at the start. Alas, life does not work like that. Our ignorance (or burden of past ‘karma’) is so great, it overwhelms every instinct to do good acts, follow basic norms of decency (dharma), and be generous to others and us. Grace is accessible to everyone; it is there for all genuine seekers. No one is rich or poor in the eyes of “grace”. We’ll be unnecessarily harming ourselves if we ignore this important aspect in life. There will be times when we lose friends, companions, and close relatives in the long journey of life. Or, when we encounter incurable disease. At such times one has to draw on inner strengths. Our rishis have great inner strengths. Personally I’ve known or seen several such great austere personalities with utter inviolability and authentic inner energy. Nothing would perturb them in the slightest.

 

    These narrations are not in any temporal sequence. I just follow my thoughts and the quick fingers do the rest. It is like catching the falling (spiraling) maple seeds or colorful autumn leaves. You have to gather fast and not let any one beautiful leaf escape your grip.

 

    It was during a severe snowstorm. Normally we try to avoid driving during heavy snowstorms/blizzards. Even with excellent snow ploughs (salt and road cleaning) one may get stuck on the road. The traffic gets jammed and often you see cars skidding, hitting the curb or sliding off the highway into shoulder. I was returning from a short shopping trip and was just barely two miles away from home. A slight mistake and the front tire went over the six-inch high sidewalk (curb). Everything came to a standstill and I got stuck. No amount of maneuvering would work. It was a front wheel drive vehicle and the front wheels were skidding. Of course, eventually I would be rescued or towed to the nearest gas station. But before the AAA rescue vehicle came, a strange intervention happened. Someone came out of nowhere and lifted my van with bare hands and put down the passenger side wheel on road. Instantaneously everything got solved efficiently and before I could express thanks, the Good Samaritan miraculously disappeared without a trace. Now, one could surmise such an event as just fluke, sort of a random event. But this writer would only count it as “pure grace”. (The writer would not like to boast but he has studied deeply logic, sufficient and necessary conditions, delved more profoundly into mathematical topics such as various types of infinities, real and imaginary numbers, transformations, and probability theory – certainly had more exposure to science and mathematics than many in the world.)

 

    With the same vehicle earlier I ran into another dangerous situation on the highway. Once I went to the dealer to find a part to fix the bonnet (hood) prop rod. It is a small plastic clip that is held firmly to the body. Due to age and extreme cold weather the original plastic part got cracked (broken) and I had to improvise with a twist tie. Finally I got the part from the dealer and installed the piece right in the parking lot. But I made a serious (tragic) blunder; I forgot to drop the hood from two feet high and forcibly shut the spring-loaded latch. What was I thinking? Or, just being utterly careless and absent minded? We laugh and blame surgeons for leaving a scissor or scalpel in a patient’s body. But here I made a deadly stupid mistake. I let the hood rest loosely and hurriedly got on to the expressway at full speed (50 - 60 mph). The house is barely five miles from the car dealer. Now you can guess what happened. Bang! The unlatched hanging hood got swung out (like a loose door during strong wind) with a massive force and hit my front windshield – while I was driving at 60 mph. When I opened my eyes, the entire front (windshield) glass got broken into hundreds of one inch pieces, with cracks all over the viewing area, and I was literally shaking in my driver’s seat. Luckily, not a single glass shard came loose. Nothing hit me, truly thanks to some unknown grace. Now, in retrospective how could I’ve saved myself in such a dangerous situation? I could’ve hit a vehicle, a tree, or median. It was beyond my limited human ability, beyond my skills. There was no time even for a prayer. Fortunately I got everything repaired professionally to a flawless perfection. Luckily I escaped the accident unscathed both bodily and fiscally.

 

    A more recent accident happened near an ancient temple. (This writer did not do any special act to deserve any grace or reprieve for any infraction or unkind act in life!) I was trying to wade into the river waters and do an abbreviated “ablution” (మార్జనము) as part of the temple visit. I am always attracted to water, rivers, lakes, ocean, or even swimming pools. Perhaps I’ve developed this aqua-instinct due to living my formative years next to the Godavari canal. I learnt swimming a bit late in life but I never had the fear of water. The steps to the river were covered with green glistening moss and I was fully aware of the danger while entering the waters. Still, without any warning I momentarily slid and fell into the river. When you are young, falling is no big deal. At the most a few bruises, a little bleeding, or perhaps a snap of bone is all that occurs. But it is entirely a different situation when you are a grownup, thousands of miles away from home, and among strangers. On top of that, my doctor expressly advised me to avoid all falls due to valid reasons. Now, here in the shallow waters (near the bank) I got totally wet and I had to change. Changing of clothes and drying water dripping freshly pressed shirt and trousers – that was no problem, no big deal in the larger scheme of things. Again, some thing intervened and I was fully saved. I just landed gently on the smooth sandy layer over the concrete river steps. When I stood up there was not a scratch on the body. It was as though some hand (or something) was protecting me all along. Perhaps, the “grace” wanted to give me a full bath in the sacred river. Why an “abbreviated” act? It was as though some voice was speaking to me thus: “Earlier you bathed in this river and showed me your devotion and innocence. Why are you hesitating today? You brought spare clean clothes, didn’t you? Have a nice ablution facing the divine couple. They are none other than your loving parents. Do not miss this unique opportunity.” The same Lord Narayana watched over us through all the tiring travels and took us around many holy pilgrim places.

 

    Accidental falls can be disastrous for anyone, young or old. They may result in hip fractures, hairline bone fractures, or deadly blood clots in the brain. Simple bone fractures or joint dislocations can heal. But clots in the brain (hematoma) can be fatal if not treated immediately. Complex hip or knee joint fractures may impair ones mobility permanently. (to be continued) Copyright 2020 by the author

Meaning of "antalOnE tellavaarE" Song

antalOnE = Just then, suddenly, so soon; tellavaarE = the dawn happened (so suddenly!), the white brightness (of twilight, dawn, daybreak) appeared; ayyO = alas, sadly; Emi = what; cEtunE = will I do? kaantuni = lover’s, darling’s; manasenta = how much (his) heart, how much (his) mind; noccenO = got hurt, pained, got damaged; inti = lady, female companion; eTu = how (will I); saitunE = bear, tolerate;

kontasEpu = (for) some time; priyamu laaDi = indulge in playful acts with affection; centacEri = got close to, in close contact, came into close proximity; cEjaapi = with stretched out hand; dOra = prime (in age), just ripe or mature; naa saami = my lord, dontara = stack (of betel leaves), series (of pans), one after another, serially or sequentially; viDemandukone = picked up the pan, accepted the pan; 

chekkilipai = on the cheek(s); konagOtito = with the tip of finger nail; okkasaari = (not even) once; kosaralEdu = did not touch teasingly, did not ask for touching the cheek, did not play (with the cheek) amorously; makkuvutO = with love, with affection, with passionate gesture; gOpaaluDu = (Lord) Krishna; konta = a little, a bit, just a little; parihaasamaaDu = play jokes, jestingly, make a tease; (n)antalOnE = just then, so soon, suddenly, right then; 

[Additional notes: We use both ‘antalOnE’ and ‘intalOnE’ interchangeably. Both have the same connotation. They refer to the sense of time. Both phrases (adverbs) mean “immediately, closely spaced events”. dOra = prime, just about ripe, not raw but not too ripe either. We refer this ‘dOra’ adjective with Guava fruit commonly. If the fruit is raw, it tastes sour/tart (like gooseberry, amla fruit). If the fruit ripens too much, then it is soft. Of course, elders appreciate soft fruits. Youth usually prefers the semi-ripened Guava. There is fun in munching on the hard fruit – which tastes a bit tart, sweet, and juicy. This is the “prime age” epithet the composer is appending to Krishna (or the lady companion). What is the use of perky youthfulness? Young age or prime youth contains all these qualities: a bit of daring, teasing, making jokes, surprise, and testing the limits of decorum (normal) or gentle behavior. Youth’s behavior may border on errors or infractions of established rules. But Krishna never did a wrong thing! (So says Annamayya in a song.)]  Copyright 2020 by the author

See https://pattri-pulu.blogspot.com/2018/01/lyrics-of-antalone-tellavare-song.html

for complete Telugu lyrics.

Inspiration

మది చల్లగనుండ గీతము తధ్యము వచ్చును

శారద కృప యుండ సభాసదులు గ్రాహకులు తప్పక మెచ్చుదురు

సకల జగత్కారకుడు శిఖిరజాత్ముడు నుండ నీ ఎద

భూజన సుందరాంగనల ప్రేరణ గ్రీరణ నీ కెందుకే ఓ మనసా?  (Copyright 2007)

Inspiration

If the mind is at ease (peaceful)

Definitely a poem (or lyric) will sprout

When Sarada’s grace exists

Listeners and audiences

Will surely applaud and appreciate

When you’ve the Uma’s dearest

and the sole Cause (Lord Siva) at your heart

Why do you need inspiration (or support)

From

Earthlings and beautiful belles

Why do you need

O mind? (Copyright 2020)

(Obviously the Telugu original came first. Several such poems were posted at Sulekha. I did not translate many of my Telugu poems and lyrics into English. But now I make it a point to post both Telugu and English versions for the benefit of wider community.)