The
Hawk's Grand Swoop
An
Indian Triparshva Renku
by
Kala Ramesh - Pune, India
Yajushi - Hyderabad, India
Norman Darlington - Bunclody, Ireland (lead poet)
with a guest verse from the fifth century Sanskrit poet Kalidasa
Composed January to March 2006
|
| Verse |
|
Author |
Season |
Seasonal
Topic |
|
| hokku |
the
winter sun –
its slow rise above
the hawk's grand swoop |
Kala |
Winter
/ Shishir |
winter
sun |
| wakiku |
on
the corner
men huddle around a fire |
Yajushi |
Winter
/ Shishir |
fire |
| daisan |
our
plan takes shape
in scribbles on a torn-off
scrap of paper
|
Norman |
ns
(no season) |
|
| 4 |
dispelling
any doubt
your allergic sneeze |
Kala |
ns |
|
| 5 |
in
the warm air
a fragrant scent of jasmine
through the moonbeams |
Yajushi |
Summer
/ Grishma |
jasmine |
| 6 |
I
seek a little shade
in this parched riverbed |
Norman |
Summer
/ Grishma |
dry
riverbed |
|
| 7 |
Hanuman
leaps
over to Sri Lanka
landing centre-stage |
Kala |
ns |
|
| 8 |
spinal
damage to the
Tamil dictionary |
Norman |
ns |
|
| 9 |
a
moment's glint
from three points on your face
as lightning flashes |
Yajushi |
Monsoon
/ Varsha |
lightning |
| 10 |
her
longing eyes search
the rain drenched path
|
Kala |
Monsoon
/ Varsha |
rain |
| 11 |
this
velvet touch...
how can I be expected
to resist? |
Norman |
ns |
|
| 12 |
quietly,
the heavy door
shuts out the future
|
Yajushi |
ns |
|
| 13 |
save
the forests!
a human chain of students
on a morcha
|
Kala |
ns |
|
| 14 |
our
shadows bend and rise
around the scarecrow |
Yajushi |
Autumn
/ Sharad |
scarecrow |
| 15 |
rich
and poor
on towers of silence
underneath one moon
|
Norman |
Autumn
/ Sharad |
moon |
| 16 |
without
a thought
the dragonfly floats away |
Kala |
Autumn
/ Sharad |
dragonfly |
|
| 17 |
they
come together
fingers and a thumb
to pinch the salt |
Yajushi |
ns |
|
| 18 |
through
golden rice
a roaming herd of does |
Kalidasa |
Frost
/ Hemant |
golden
rice |
| 19 |
hissing
steam
the old engine as it
struggles up the hill
|
Norman |
ns |
|
| 20 |
a
neighbour's bold kite
dives to meet the meek
|
Yajushi |
Spring
/ Vasant |
kite-flying |
| 21 |
her
voice
mango blossom fresh
fills the concert hall |
Kala |
Spring
/ Vasant |
mango
blossom |
| ageku |
laughing
loudly as my
shirt turns red and green |
Norman |
Spring
/ Vasant |
Holi |
Dedicated to the memory of Yajushi's mother, M. Radha Sundari, who died
on 11th March 2006, having lived to see a thousand full moons.
|
Glossary
and notes:
morcha: protest march
(Indian English)
towers of silence: Parsees (Indian Zoroastrians) dispose of their dead
in an open tower, leaving the corpses to the vultures. This structure
is known as a dakhma (Avestan: “tower of silence”)
Verse 18 is from
Kalidasa's Sanskrit poem, Ritu Samharam (Gathering of the Seasons), Canto
4 |
