Poems of Aduri Satyavathi Devi
Poem-29
A Colossus
Telugu Original: Aduri Satyavathi Devi
English Translation: NS Murthy
Whenever he runs into me
The stink envelopes me even before.
Embalming his skin with earth
He enters like clay sundered by the wintry wind
With a basket of dung overhead.
He infuses life into the awaiting plants
Combing and caressing the roots.
Greeting with his looks,
He teaches words to the sprouting twigs in silence.
Doctoring the infested and the diseased
He bathes the Banana saplings
Like new-born babies
Standing them in order of school children.
Taking the charity of his labour
And relishing the music of his crooning
The tap roots transform to milky ways.
‘Been sun-burnt the whole day
Sweat and soil disconcerting,
He asks for water, becoming a bowl of thirst.
Bringing it in a dazzling steel vessel, I demur.
Reading the essence of my actions
He drinks his thirst out cupping his hands
And throws at me a smiling glance.
I sink my head to that look
Which bears the aeonian nobility and forgiveness.
He walks away…
Like a colossus
Straight and upright.
*****
Telugu Original :‘Niluvettu Manishi’
Aduri Satyavathi Devi was born in Guntur in the year 1948 and settled in Visakhapatnam after marriage in 1969. She began her literary career as a lyricist at the age of 13. She wrote a variety of lyrics numbering about 300 — light, classical, devotional, patriotic, children’s and others. More than 50 songs of Satyavati Devi were broadcast over All India Radio. Eventually she made forays into various other literary genres like Poetry, Short story, Essay, Radio Play, Musical Feature, Books, Film reviews, Forewords etc..She created a substantial corpus of poetry with more than 180 poems included in 4 anthologies of poetry. She received accolades from readers, scholars, critics and litterateurs for her sensitive rendering of poems. She participated in many Poetry Meets, Festivals conducted by All India Radio, Doordarshan and the Sahitya Akademi. She was widely translated into English and Hindi. Some of the translations appeared in renowned journals like Indian Literature (English), and Samakaaleen Bharateeya Saahitya (Hindi).
She published her first volume of lyrics Vennello Venugaanam in 1988. Her first volume of poetry Rekkamudavani Raagam was published in 1992 followed by Jalapaata Geetam in 1997 and Veyirangula Velugu Raagam in 2006. Hindi translation of Rekkamudavani Raagam came out in 2008 as “Pankh an Modnevaalaa Raag” and a miscellany of various facets of her literary endeavour Vennela Paarijaataalu was published posthumously in Dec 2008. She received many prizes and awards for her literary pursuits and accomplishments like STVD Kalasamithi Award for Rekkamudavani Raagam in 1993, and Telugu University’s “Pratibha Puraskaram” as “Best Poet” in 1994, “Krishna Sastry Award” from Andhra Lalita Kala Samithi (Secunderabad) in 1998, UNESCO Literary Award in 2000, and “Ramavruksha Benipuri Janma Sataabdi Sammaan” from Jaimuni Academy (Panipat) in 2002. An English translation of her poem, “Veyirekkala Pavuram” (Myriad Winged Bird) has been included in the syllabus of English texts in the poetry section of Degree year students by the Common Core syllabus Committee in AP from 2008.