The Plea of a Clay Pot (The Telugu Tableau Through Translation)

A Shashirekha Reddy

Telugu original by: A Shashirekha Reddy

Translated by: Atreya Sarma U

Image courtesy: dreamstime.com 

In the blazing heat of this summer season

With the earthen pot of water atop your head

Walk along warily, oh lovely lassie!

So dear is each and every drop of water.

Nothing but a little clay pot am I;

A pet daughter of Mother Earth, yet, am I.

Cool drinking water to the world I supply.

To the souls distressed with thirst, source of life am I.

In no way, a worthless thing am I,

Though with no silver, gold or gems decked am I.

I’ve taken my shape from the wheel of the potter

Whose body is full of clod both black and red.

I am a cooling angel in the scalding summer.

Lives go on thanks to the cool, sweet water I carry.

In my heart alone nestle all the elements five

That give life to every facet of Nature in this world.

The life-sustaining sky-earth-water-fire-wind fivesome

Lives in me potently, in every pore of my womb.

The water I hold is the source of life for everyone;

So, serve and preserve me the clay pot, oh little baby!

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Bio: Dr A Shashirekha Reddy (b. 17 July 1936), from Hyderabad (Telangana) is a polyglot, well-versed in Telugu, Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi, English, Urdu, and Gujarati. She has written and composed songs in all these languages. A gold medalist in PhD (Sanskrit), she retired as HoD (Sanskrit) from Kasturba Gandhi College, Hyderabad. This ‘Yog-Ratna’ has been practising and teaching Yoga for more than 75 years. She has taken part in a number of Yoga and literary conferences. ‘Yogamayam – Janapadula Jeevana Vidhaanam’ (Jayanthi Publications, Hyderabad, 2012) is her doctoral thesis. Her poetry, articles and translations have appeared in several journals. She has attended a number of academic and literary conferences. She is a life member of many literary associations. 

Mob. +91 76618 28484

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Setu, July 2022