Abdul Jameel is a poet. He lives in Marudhamunai, Amparai District, Sri Lanka. He is currently working in a school. He has been writing since 1990 and has written 10 poetry books so far. It is noteworthy that his tenth poetry book 'Aaayath' was released in December 2022. All the above poems are written by Jameel in Tamil and translated into English by Lata Ramakrishnan (India).
THE LANGUAGE OF THE TREES
Does the breeze converse with the trees
Or the trees speak with the breeze
I am confused
Haven’t the birds residing in the branches
From time immemorial
spoken a word to the trees
could it be that
the birds know the tongue of the trees
at times
looking at me the tree waving its branches
invite me
Oh, in which language will it chat with me
What could be the Mother tongue of Trees
When being stamped by the feet
Cracking and disintegrating
the withered leaf wails in anguish
Alas, whose lingo is this?
LIGHT FROZEN IN FOG
Soaked in fog
Falling onto the vast stretch of fields
the moon glows like
golden string.
Like a silk worm
it huddles and folds in winter
and buries light-rays
Inside the paddy-shoots.
All at once I draw
a wintry attire
and clothe the moon with it
Now
without shivering,
just as my darling child
it crawls all over the fields
reading and relishing Night joyously.
VAGRANT WIND
The wind knows not
to travel quietly
Has none taught it
to be organized; upright?
Barging into nooks and crannies
breaking some
grazing some
It goes on and on
Ants that never go anywhere
near the school
even in rain
going in a line
Hasn’t the wind seen?
What anguish weighs heavy inside
making it swing its hands and legs
all along its course -
Who knows…..
Throughout its trail
withered leaves are strewn
with wounds still bleeding
But
Wind is brainy
It leaves not its imprints _
if there is any or many.
DISTRIBUTION
Is it fair to take home all the grains
gleaming as golden beads
Of them
the sparrows would eat some
Some would be washed away by the stream
Some would scatter into the adjacent field
Some more would turn husk and whisked off
same is the case with the one and only
Life evanescent
Except that which is being wasted away
we have to share some
with our siblings
Some with near and dear ones
Some with who we love
Some with those passersby….
How many of us are
paddy shoots here.
THE UNBROKEN SHADOW OF THE BIRD
The 'long distance' birds
go crossing the river
Their shadows fall upon the water
Yet the river remains silent
Taking the floating shadows
to be prey
when the starving fish
go behind them in hot chase
and peck at them
the calm of the river is broken
Escaping from the net of the
threatening fish
the shadow of the bird in the river
though fallen
moves on unbroken
in search of prey
day after day.
Translated By: Latha Ramakrishnan
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