Kala Ramesh, Norman Darlington and Yajushi

A triparshva renku in English and Esperanto
Esperanto version by Norman Darlington

 

The Hawk's Grand Swoop

the winter sun –
its slow rise above
the hawk's grand swoop

on the corner
men huddle around a fire

our plan takes shape
in scribbles on a torn-off
scrap of paper

dispelling any doubt
your allergic sneeze

in the warm air
a fragrant scent of jasmine
through the moonbeams

I seek a little shade
in this parched riverbed

* * * *

Hanuman leaps
over to Sri Lanka
landing centre-stage

spinal damage to the
Tamil dictionary

a moment's glint
from three points on your face
as lightning flashes

her longing eyes search
the rain-drenched path

this velvet touch ...
how can I be expected
to resist?

quietly, the heavy door
shuts out the future

save the forests!
a human chain of students
on a morcha1

our shadows bend and rise
around the scarecrow

rich and poor
on towers of silence2
underneath one moon

without a thought
the dragonfly floats away

* * * *

they come together
fingers and a thumb
to pinch the salt

through golden rice
a roaming herd of does

hissing steam
the old engine as it
struggles up the hill

a neighbour's bold kite
dives to meet the meek

her voice
mango blossom fresh
fills the concert hall

laughing loudly as my
shirt turns red and green

Super Akcipitroplonĝ'

lante leviĝas
super akcipitroplonĝ'–
la vintra suno

ĉe stratangulo viroj
kunkaŭras ĉirkaŭ fajro

el skribaĉoj sur
deŝirita paperer'
formiĝas plano

forigas tutan dubon
via alergia tern'

en aer' varma
jasmena bonodoro
tra lunradioj

mi serĉas etan ombron
ĉe riverfund' sekega

* * * *

Hanuman saltas
Srilankon, surteriĝas
en mez-scenejo

spine vundita estas
la vortaro tamila

reflektetas tri
punktoj de via vizaĝ'
dum brilas fulmo

ŝi sopirokulumas
vojeton pluvmalsekan

velura tuŝo ...
kiel, kiel mi povos
ĝin rezistadi?

kviete la peza pord'
elŝlosas la estonton

savu la forstojn!
homĉeno de studentoj
faras morĉaon

ombroj klinas malklinas
sin ĉe birdtimigilo

riĉaj kaj povraj
sur la silentoturoj
sub unu luno

senpense la rojeto
de libeloj forŝvebas

* * * *

ili kunvenas
fingroj kaj polekso por
pinĉi la salon

tra orkolora rizo
vaganta cervinaro

vaporsible la
lokomotivo aĝa
luktas je la mont'

kajt' aŭdaca najbara
faligas la timeman

la koncertejo
plenas de ŝia voĉo
mangoflorfreŝe

laŭtride ĉemiz' mia
ruĝiĝas kaj verdiĝas

 

1 Morcha: protest march (Indian English)
2 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”)

Participants:
Kala Ramesh: verses 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 21
Norman Darlington (lead poet): verses 3, 6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22
Yajushi: verses 2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 17, 20
Verse 18 is from Kalidasa's Sanskrit poem Ritu Samharam (Gathering of the Seasons), Canto 4 (5th century CE)

The poem is 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.
The English text first appeared in Simply Haiku, Summer 2006, vol. 4 no. 2

 

Kala Ramesh writes that ‘searching’ is the one word that seems to say everything about her. She progressed along the path of Indian Classical Music, first instrumental then vocal, and from the South Indian Classical tradition crossed over into North Indian Classical music, performing in various cities throughout India. Then she plunged into yoga, Hindu philosophy and vipassana — which accidentally led her to haiku in 2005, and since that time it has been haiku, senryû, tanka, haibun and renku that she breathes.

Co-founder of Darlington Richards Press and co-editor of Journal of Renga & Renku, Norman Darlington lives on a hill in rural Ireland, raising vegetables, chickens and children. He’s been enchanted with haikai since first reading Hiroaki Satō’s 100 Frogs more than 30 years ago. Having been involved in numerous intercultural renku exchanges, he is convinced of the overarching good which collaborative linked verse can bring. Some of his published poetry can be found at Xaiku.com.

Yajushi (Marella Ram Vinodh) was an Indian poet from Hyderabad. He passed away on 30 September 2006.