Devi (Goddess) Poem by Bharati Nayak
Devi (Goddess)
Bou
(Oh Mother}
What a beauty there
In your vermillion smeared face
When your nose and eyes
Were watering
From the smoke of firewood
Billowing from Katha Chullah(Hearth)
You were busy
In tidying the house
From early dawn
When there was still darkness
Without caring even
How messy your looks gone
Whether the vermillion
Was in its place or smudged
Or your hair became
Knotty and rough !
You only cared
Whether your children
Ate properly or not
You loved to bake for us
Chapatis or bread
Cook rice and fry small fishes
To our tastes
Preparing curry of greens
Dishes after dishes
Oh what a taste in them
As if there was
A nectar's touch.
Today as I
Make a darshan(reverential visit}
Of Goddess Durga
In this Dusshera festival
Your vermillion smeared face
Splashes before my eyes.
I see the weapons
Sharpened with your determination
To cut down the sufferings and pains
Of your children
Glittering
In the grips of your raised hands.
.
Superb writing Bharati...as we grow old and older, it is a wonderful truth that our memories unfurl mostly the days we spent with our mother only...this can neither be reasoned nor ruled out....it is again the truth of Nature....the human Mother is none other than the Mother Goddess only....great poem...God bless you dear
Thank you Madam Indira Renganathan for your appreciation of my poem.No matter how old we grow, memories of mother's love live with us.
A beautiful describetion of Bou. I liked your poem. Thanks for sharing 10++++
Our mother is a facet of Godess Durga. A very insightful poem is shared..10
The mother figure and the Goddess image merge so well........! In fact the distinction between the two is so lean! A mother is the goddess of love and caring on Earth! She has no time to tend to her needs as she places the needs of her children far above! A fitting tribute to your loving mother Bharati!
Life of a mother........busy in house cleaning and cooking with care for her children with lots of sacrifice......in a different role Goddess Durga, the Mother of Universe, being worshipped to destroy the evil from the earth....what a lovely comparison....like the real mother bent upon destroying the sufferings of her children...hats off to you for your noble lines.....
Thank you! ! ! ! Thank you for translating this poem of yours into English so that I and many other members of PH can read it and enjoy your imagery and word-magic. I know that copying my favorite lines from this will seem like I am copying your entire poem- - -but these lines spoke to me and touched my heart so lovingly and tenderly- - - ] Bou (Oh Mother} What a beauty there In your vermillion smeared face When your nose and eyes Were watering From the smoke of firewood Billowing from Katha Chullah(Hearth) You were busy In tidying the house From early dawn When there was still darkness Without caring even How messy your looks gone Whether the vermillion Was in its place or smudged Or your hair became Knotty and rough! You only cared Whether your children Ate properly or not - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A bouquet of 10's my dear Bharati and a place on my list of Favorite poems.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/26/2024 7:43:19 PM # 1.0.0.1119
The word BOU invites the reader to look over your shoulder as you address your mother. This poem superimposes the image of a hard-working housewife with that of a heroic goddess. Being in a hurry to feed her children, your mother smears her vermilion mark and has little time to comb her hair, yet the dishes she cooks leave a taste of heavenly nectar in her children's mouths. The world of gods begins to mingle with the human world through selfless service. Durga got rid of a monstrous bull that caused disorder on earth (like Hercules ridding the earth of monsters) . Your mother is the guardian who fought against disorder in her household. Like a protective goddess, she armed herself to do battle with darkness and endured trials of fatigue and stinging smoke. The goddess figure is not high above our world in a transcendent realm; she engages in worldly struggles on a scale befitting a goddess. The goddess merges with people who are striving in daily life: her image becomes a way to visualize certain powers and virtues embodied by human beings. The glittering weapons gripped by the goddess come to resemble a kitchen knife and ladle.
Thank you Denis Mair for your valuable comment. My mother(It is also the case of all mothers) sets aside her own needs to take care of her children.There is no comparison for a mother's love. In Dusshera festival, the idol of Goddess Durga is worshipped..She has ten(in some cases eight) hands and she holds different weapons in her hands..She is seen killing Mahisasura by Trishul( a long handle trident) .
Thanks for clarifying that for me, Bharati.