I slip on a ripe mango
picked by sky creatures
Around this time last year, Udan Fernando, a critic and an analyst of all sorts requested me to translate his first collection of poems.
I'm not a pro when it comes to translating poems. I did the best I could.
01. Warmth
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Wait a bit
Who’s this?
It’s me
Here to check your temp
Give me a minute?
I’ll get into my pants fast
Pants won’t be enough, Mister
Where’s your mask?
Sorry aney,
I always forget
Forehead straight
Hmm! Hmm!
No issues!
Thirty-six point-five
When does it get worse?
Oh, when its tops thirty-seven
We check using the mercury also
Just to make quite sure
02. Pink Colour Green Colour
Those who’ve just migrated
Move to the Army counter
Come Sir, tell
Passport number only
Everything else
We already have
Ok Sir, everything’s in order
Your registration successful
Next
You’re off to quarantine
Now, Sir, this is the system
Pink token for hotels
Green tokens for government hostels
This decision is irrevocable
Think well and tell
Sheraton Kosgoda
Ten thousand per day
Yes, Sir, full board with taxes
A beautiful view at sunset
Government locales here and there
Kandakadu, Minneriya
Rantambe, Pelvehera
Still no place announced
Army runs everything, Sir
Dormitories only
Shared Accommodation
Sir, if you’ve not decided yet
Step aside
Give this other Sir some room
Come Sir, tell
03. Lines and Circles
It’s impossible right, Dileepa
To understand
Those you have underlined
Those circled by me
In that last poem by Sekara
In the Roman tenth chapter-
The one you sent me
Along with Nomiyemi
04. PCR
Those doing PCR
Step to this side of the queue
Sit here
Take off spectacles
Look up
As if staring at the ceiling
Will it hurt doctor?
Will it take a lot of time?
Before we leave
Do we get the report?
Nothing to worry
A Q tip cotton swab goes
Up your nostril
To the back of your throat
In a minute we’re done
Oh my! Doctor
I’m so scared
Slowly, slowly do it
Please, please Doctor
You’re not a baby
No time to pamper you
You people go around the world, don’t you?
You should have stayed in Singapore
Mister, in two or three days
The report will be faxed
To wherever you’re staying
The water bottle’s for you
Those short-eats over there, too
05. Off Route
Look, Mister Driver
Where are you taking us?
It’s been an hour
Since we got on the bus
No one knows
Where they are
Taking us
You people will be
In Punani
Down Batticaloa way
It will take around
Six to seven hours
To get there
With no stops
Anywhere
Now everyone
Make sure to go the washroom
Cause there’s no stops
Along the way
We get an escort
The jeep with red white blue lights
Leads the show
Followed by five buses
Carrying people to quarantine
The white ambulance
comes last
With its red bulb twirling
The parade goes on
At full high speed
Because it’s past ten
No one overtakes
Thanks to the jeep lights
And sirens
Of the ambulance
Lights look weird
Through the windshield
Bus music
Louder than sirens
Sha-Lanka channel
Keeping the driver awake
At this time
Be it EM ES or Weraliyadda
Rookantha, Santhush
And even Kapuge
Sings Davasak Pela
To a six-eight beat
Weariness sets in
A daylong trip
No beauty in music
Instead
A disty-didin sound
Slaps the ears.
I think
Just before I fell asleep
I heard
Menike, I’m Coming Home Again-
That hit by EM ES.
‘Menike Mama Aye Gedara Enawa’, a popular song by M S Fernando
Dawasak Pela, a popular song by Gunadasa Kapuge
Disty-didin - the unbearable beat of bus music
06. Burning Issues
Ascot would be a perfect, Officer
How can one have Arrack
In this hot sun
Alone
Beer is best
In warm, humid weather
But if they find cans
Y’all be in trouble, Officer
Ok, Officer,
We understand
How serious this is
How about gettin’ some
In a Sprite bottle, Officer?
07. England
The vaatha set
Arrives today it seems
Who else
Other than those from England
Don’t think so
Those posh people
From England
Won’t come this way
(Few hours later)
Here..
The Airport PCR team
Has put that set
Into hostels close by
Until results come
For two to three days
On a temporary basis
But in full luxury
(Three days later)
Adoh,
Here’s some absolutely thrilling news
Two are positive
From London, it seems
They deserve it
Those swollen-headed, arrogant jerks
It’s scary, men
What if they send
The whole jingbang
This way
For quarantine
08. Germany
The German set
Lands today.
Seamen
From Hamburg
Two hundred and sixty
Altogether
If they come here
We’re done
Upset place
Yes, many Germans died
Only a little better
Than Italy
England was hit later
(A day later)
Adoh, Good Morning,
Machan, we’re through
Those Germans have landed
In Mattala
Private doctors
Handled their PCRs
In a quarantine center
Somewhere in Galle
No men, all over
Had the last one last night
It’s not good to smoke, machan
Until you have to take a dump
09. Hela Havula
Everyone come
With passport details
What’s the number
Tell again
N...ok
After that?
Address please
Gal..kissa
Grama Niladhari Division?
Can’t remember? How on earth?!
It’s ok
Let’s put it as
Two hundred and three
Name with initials
Esss..Ech Pernandu
What does Ech stand for?
What? Hithesi?
Very strange name
Where’d you say your father was from?
Never heard of a village called Hela Aula
Ok, ok
Hela Hawula
Ok, mister, now go
This is for the certipiket
You get
The day you leave this place
Our Commander
Signs it
Yes, Sachendra Sir
You know why?
*Hela Havula is a coalition formed to protect Sinhala language and native culture
10. Tale of the Corporal
“Tea has come ..everyone”
Corporal Basnayake screams
Standing in line
One metre apart
Everyone takes a steaming cup of milk tea
From the filter
How are you, Corporal?
Asks someone in quarantine
Don’t even talk about it, mister
Haven’t been home
In three months
I take the bus
To go home
I either have to go to the Pettah
And take a bus from there
Else, go to Dambulla
And then come back
To Tissamaharama
Now tilt that filter back a bit
To pour the milk
That’s all we got today
Cooks at the mess are busy
They cook for nearly
Two thousand people daily
Must take another bus from Tissa
To get to Debarawewa
Mahinda Mahattaya’s area
True that Sajith Mahattaya built houses
But that was all useless
Should contest from Colombo
Father’s area noh? Kehelwatte
I’m fed up, mister
Been wearing
This mask
For three months
At a stretch
11. Love Your Neighbour
(Holy Bible)
Can’t you
somehow find
A pack of
Dunhill?
Will call the Lieutenant
That's the mate
Next to your bed
Right after he wakes up
In the morning
By ten
Until three
I watched YouTube, Doctor
Not sure if I
Disturbed you
Sorry
Although beds are lined up
One and a half meters apart
Everyone gets closer
When they stay here
A week or two
It’s pointless talking, Doctor
Although we’ve got
Gold Leaf and Benson here
Oh my!
The pull’s so strong
I’m going to have a bath
Thank you, Doctor
For bringing my food
I’ll bring yours
In the afternoon
Aaa..... Doctor
Here’s Your towel
Looks like you’ve forgotten
I found it inside the toilet
With this piece of soap
12. Quarantine Week
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Saturday and Sunday
Does not make a week, Nirodha
Tea at six
Meals for morning
Tea at ten
Meals for noon
Tea at three
Meals for night
That’s how it is here
All seven days
13. Sekara and Abeysekara
Early one morning
Abeysekara the Postman
Distributes Sekara’s letters
Poetry in Nomiyemi
Removed carefully
Glued with affection
Wrapped in an e-package
Fastened with dew drops
