Udan's Quarantine Poems (Translated by me)

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