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‘Unbind me’ and other poems

Irom Sharmila

Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist, 2013

 

victorious worm

since death hasn’t embraced me, I’m able to
see!
kanglei, the mirror of my vision
on the new page of history
so written in red ink
in the battle between god and worm
worm has killed god
man of integrity
is revered as god himself,
a dirty worm like me
detests those as enemies
who won by sinning against the almighty
for them darkness prevails everywhere in the end

 

unbind me

unbind me
from this chain of thorns
that binds me in this narrow room
for no fault of mine
a caged bird
in this sinister prison cell
myriad voices cascade
no, not the garrulous chatter of birds
nor the crescendo of merry laughter
never a sweet song of lullaby
but the wailing of mothers
their children ripped from their breasts
women separated from their men
the widows’ lament of despair
drawn by hands lads clad in olive green
i see a flaming ball
a terrible face of holocaust following
kindled by the spectacle of knowledge
in the path of experiment
they turned to lotus-eaters
slaves of hedon
intoxicated
their mind and intellect
nipped in the bud
while floating submissive in their revelry

time and tide
sweep away their wealth and honour
far beyond
the nine lofty ranges
it’s a boon for others far away
smiling they reap the harvest
helplessly watched by the impotent souls
life is precious
only to depart too soon
like a light which illumines darkness
let me plant the immortal tree
sow the seed of ambrosia like a bird

let me wing to earth’s every corner
to reach the proximity
where meets the living with the dead
and sing the carol of humanity

unbind me
remove this chain of thorns
let me not deflect my course
do not fault me
this is the only desire of a caged bird

 

when the curtains go up

how thrilling the sound of clapping
long had I derived pleasure
by reproaching fate
i who am blind and unsightly
had been deafened
by the mocking of many
ah, how this refreshing wind
washes my impure heart
in my dark world I remained
besieged by regret and despair
but now a change has come over me
i have suddenly developed a desire
to embark upon a new voyage
and live for a hundred years
in the course of my life’s journey
i have always done something or other
slowly but surely
being conscious of the inexorable passage of
time to a blind person like me
there is no day and night
pride, I have not

a re-making of our jaded history
has metamorphosed all for me
like a snake slipping out of its old skin.
today, hope imbues my life anew
beacons from a brighter future beckon me
in my mind’s eye I picture
the frail mingling free with the mighty

at this promising hour
a spirit of love and tolerance
reinforced by a sense of equality
infuses the ambience
and an explosion of hope, as it were,
greets everyone
when the curtains go up

These poems were first published in Irom Sharmila’s collection of poems titled Fragrance of Peace, published in 2014 by Zubaan Books. They have been translated from Manipuri by Tayenjam Bijoy Kumar Singh, Longjam Joychandra Singh, and Kshetrimayum Chetan.

Poems © Irom Sharmila; translation © Tayenjam Bijoy Kumar Singh, Longjam Joychandra Singh, Kshetrimayum Chetan; image © Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist.

Irom Chanu Sharmila, also known as the “Iron Lady” is a civil rights activist from Manipur. She has been called as “the world’s longest hunger striker” for her hunger strike beginning November 2000 till August 2016 as a protest against Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), 1958. Amnesty International has declared her a Prisoner of Conscience.

Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Natural Resource Planning and minor studies in Community and International Development. Ian worked for a variety of non-profits before pursuing photography full-time. Since 2009 Ian has been a constant contributor to the Burlington Free Press, Vermont’s largest daily.