Varun(The Vedic God Of Oceans And Rivers-He Was Later Downgraded In The Heirarchy By Indra) Poem by viren dangwal

He is the copper-coloured god
one eye is the sun, the other moon
dark his tresses
how long, how dirty
how entangled the tresses
rivers flow from his forehead
from his mouth
comes the smell of raw meat and liquor
his fat ring-finger
moving over the axis of my earth

Varun has a wicked thought-The controller
he can make the earth stop
if he wishes to

poor varun
he was dumped in the backyard

yes, his mouth still smells
of raw meat and liquor
and his tresses are longer
how long, how dirty and how entangled
his tresses.

Translator: Ashok Pande