If he found a little liquor,

 

If he found a little liquor,

he would give it to us.

If he had more,

he would drink happily

while we sang. 

where is he now? 

If he had even a little rice. 

he shared it 

in many plates. 

where is he now? 

If he had more, 

he shared it 

in many more plates. 

where is he now? 

He gave us 

all the flesh 

on the bones 

where is he now? 

Wherever spear and arrow flew, 

he was there. 

where is he now? 

With his palms scented 

with lemon grass, 

he carressed my hair 

smelling of meat. 

where is he now? 

The spear that pierced his chest 

pierced at once 

the wide eating bowls 

of great and famous minstrels, 

pierced many begging patms,

and, dimming the images in the eyes

of men he sheltered,

it went right through the subtle tongues 

of poets 

skilled in the search 

for good words. 

Where is he now,

father, mainstay,

king? 

where is he now? 

No more, 

No singers any more 

nor anyone to give anything 

to singers 

As in the cold waters

jalap flowers blossom,

large, full of honey, 

but die untouched, unworn, 

there are many now living

and dying,

without giving

one thing

to others. 

-Translated by A.K.Ramanujam "Poems of War and Love" pp 169-170, Columbia University Press, 1985

Source : http://gunathamizh.blogspot.in/2012/02/blog-post_03.html