Return
midway.
Needlessly,
I return midway
To reach home.
I return midway
To reach home.
On
a whim,
For no reason,
I wait on the way
To watch a Kaitha flower blooming
For no reason,
I wait on the way
To watch a Kaitha flower blooming
A
feeling arises that
On the walk back
I may come across an ant-lion by chance.
On the walk back
I may come across an ant-lion by chance.
In
the scenes of my
Walk backward,
The bridge loosens itself from me.
Walk backward,
The bridge loosens itself from me.
I
see the sky below.
I see myself.
Piercing my reflection,
First my breath
Then me
Immerse in the river.
I see myself.
Piercing my reflection,
First my breath
Then me
Immerse in the river.
The
fish may raise a hue and cry
And swim away to join the sea.
And swim away to join the sea.
With
no apprehension
That the path may end midway
The bridge and the river
Will keep flowing.
That the path may end midway
The bridge and the river
Will keep flowing.
--tr Ra Sh
Reflection -- Kurt Wenner
"Wood apple" is a common English name for two similar Indian fruits, bael or "kaitha" (Aegle marmelos, Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple) and elephant apple (Limonia acidissima). Both are medicinal and sacred to Hindus. The kaitha is used in the worship of Shiva since its leaves resemble the god's trident. The Newari of Nepal use it as part of the Bel baha fertility ritual for girls, who symbolically marry the fruit; as long as it never cracks, the girl can never be widowd even if her human husband dies.
ReplyDeleteAs larvae, antlions are fiercely predatory insects which in many of the 2,000 species dig pits to trap passing ants or other prey. In North America, they are called "doodlebugs" because of the strange marks they leave in the sand. The adult antlions, sometimes called antlion lacewings, are often misaken for dragonflies or damselflies. Their scientific name is Myrmeleo (myrmex [ant] + leon [lion], perhaps suggesting a hunter or destroyer of ants).