Poems by S. VIJAYALAKSHMI, KUTTI REVATHI, and PUTHIYAMAADHAVI

Translated by THILA VARGHESE 

A farm in Tamil Nadu, India. Photo by Flickr user Emily Abrams.

Mullai Nilam (The forest and pastoral region)

Forest Fire
By Vijayalakshmi

My forest is on fire,
and a solar sphere explodes within.
There is fire everywhere,
both inside and outside.
Unaware of the intensity of the fire,
they maintain silence
like the serenity of a corpse.
From the burning fire
bursts out a waterfall tainted in red.
All over the shores have bloomed
the flaming lilies of motherhood.
Even when they smell blood
in those flowers,
they feign ignorance
and dig out the root
roasted in the forest fire embers.
Of the tiny birds that have fallen dead,
their tongues relish the taste of meat
of those cooked to perfection.
They are searching for animals
to turn them into meals,
pretending as if they didn’t hear
their lamentations
in the burning forest.
They raise their cups
filled with dark crimson fluid
from the river
that flows like a red streak
and say ‘cheers’ to one another.
The voices
of the lover,
husband,
grandfather,
father,
great-grandfather,
brother,
friend and comrade,
are all heard
in the second round of ‘cheers.’

Neithal Nilam (The seashore and coastal region)

Salty Tears
By Kutti Revathi

She who has turned into a sea
is totally oblivious
to her longings and sobbing
rising up as thousands of waves
in her tears.
Even in saltwater,
she cultivates immortal plants.
In her silent world,
she lets the life forms that are unaware
of the exterior world roam freely.
Crashing against the rocks
and pounding on them,
her hands drag into the sea
her offspring,
who yearn to reach the shoreline,
and send them to play in its depths.
Denying all her treasures and colours, 
she spreads out her hands
and claims she has nothing.
She keeps going tirelessly
with no sleep or rest.
She, who has become intensely salty,
gives birth, day after day,
to the sun that rises
turning her into blood,
horses, and all eight directions.

Marutha Nilam (The agricultural and plains region) 

Marutham*
By Puthiyamaadhavi

You are meditating;
I close the door
and sprinkle peace
all over the room.

You are exercising;
I wait with a towel
to wipe off your sweat.

You apply cologne on you
after showering;
I wait by the door
until you come down the stairs
wearing wrinkle-free clothes.

The light fragrance
that grazes you
wafts in the air
and gives me goosebumps.

The smell of the child’s diarrhea,
the vomited milk,
the curry that smears on me
as I hastily scoop up the gravy,
and the odour of sweat,
all of them dissolve on my body
in a split second.

As I stack up the periodicals
you’ve read and left untidy,
the pictures of smiling women
with beautiful, trim bodies
disappear inside their folds,
little by little.

*Marutham is one of the ancient land divisions described in Tamil Sangam literature that is said to date back between the 1^st to 4^th centuries. Marutham refers to the agricultural and plains region, in which the drive for ownership of land and property is reported to have played a major role in advancing the dominant role of men, thereby creating a power imbalance between partners back then. Gender inequality continues in modern days as well.

These translations were done with the support of the 2024 ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program.

Vijayalakshmi, a teacher by profession, is actively engaged in the Tamil literary field, penning poetry and articles on literary, social, and environmental issues. An ardent feminist, Vijayalakshmi continues to contribute poems, short stories, and essays to Tamil publications, and has to her credit four published books of poetry, one book of short stories, and two collections of essays. A recipient of literary awards, Vijayalakshmi has also compiled and translated Afghan Landai poems into Tamil (through English). 

Kutti Revathi, a Siddha doctor (Indigenous Tamil Medicine) by profession, is the author of 21 books of poetry, 6 short story collections and 3 essay collections and a novel in Tamil. A former editor of the feminist magazine Panikudam, Kutti Revathi is also a documentary and feature film director. With a focus on body politics, Kutti Revathi’s poetry challenges the traditional norms related to women’s identity and autonomy within the Indian context. A recipient of literary awards, Kutti Revathi continues to engage in discourse on power imbalance and resistance in a patriarchal social setup. She is also currently spearheading the website on the history of Tamil Music, “Karunamirthasagaram”, for the Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman.

Puthiyamaadhavi, a retired bank officer, is the author of seven poetry books, six short story collections, three novels and six non-fiction books. A recipient of literary awards, Puthiyamaadhavi brings attention to contemporary sociopolitical issues and women’s place in society through her writings. Committed to feminist ideologies, Puthiyamaadhavi actively participates in literary forums to raise awareness of social issues arising from gender imbalance.

Thila Varghese is a writer and translator in London, Ontario, where she works part-time as a writing advisor at Western University in Canada. Her translations of Tamil literary works have been published in international journals and magazines. Thila’s translation entry was a finalist in the inaugural 2023 Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation. Her translation of Khaled Hosseini’s Sea Prayer into Tamil was published in India in 2023. Thila was awarded a Mentorship in Poetry from a South Asian language with Khairani Barokka as part of ALTA’s 2024 Emerging Translator Mentorship Program in partnership with the SALT Project. Her translation entry received a First-Time Entrant Commendation in the 2024 Stephen Spender Prize for translation of poetry.