Poem
Rajendra Kishore Panda
The Lioness in Her Cave
Like a godin a doorless temple,
a cave in the column,
the lioness in her cave.
Outside it a lion.
He is faith,
also faithlessness.
Ah, a cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
A wound in the navel.
An ache in the heart.
Love oozes,
tears fill the eyes.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
Let Lord Nrisingha
be calm,
let the wood go wild.
Let the boy grow
in the womb of the lioness.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
The boy is raging
over this world,
the one above it,
the one below.
The boy will now dance
in the posture of a lion.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
The demon, the demon,
the demon.
It comes to life.
Its life takes the form
of a column.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
© Translation: 2006, Rabindra K Swain
Nrisingha: or Narasimha, the half-man/ half-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu mentioned in Puranic texts of Hinduism and worshipped by several Vaishnava groups as the Great Protector of devotees in times of need.
THE LIONESS IN HER CAVE
© 2003, Rajendra Kishore Panda
From: Dujanari
Publisher: Metanym, Bhubaneswar
From: Dujanari
Publisher: Metanym, Bhubaneswar
Poems
Poems of Rajendra Kishore Panda
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The Lioness in Her Cave
Like a godin a doorless temple,
a cave in the column,
the lioness in her cave.
Outside it a lion.
He is faith,
also faithlessness.
Ah, a cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
A wound in the navel.
An ache in the heart.
Love oozes,
tears fill the eyes.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
Let Lord Nrisingha
be calm,
let the wood go wild.
Let the boy grow
in the womb of the lioness.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
The boy is raging
over this world,
the one above it,
the one below.
The boy will now dance
in the posture of a lion.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
The demon, the demon,
the demon.
It comes to life.
Its life takes the form
of a column.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
© 2006, Rabindra K Swain
From: Dujanari
From: Dujanari
The Lioness in Her Cave
Like a godin a doorless temple,
a cave in the column,
the lioness in her cave.
Outside it a lion.
He is faith,
also faithlessness.
Ah, a cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
A wound in the navel.
An ache in the heart.
Love oozes,
tears fill the eyes.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
Let Lord Nrisingha
be calm,
let the wood go wild.
Let the boy grow
in the womb of the lioness.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
The boy is raging
over this world,
the one above it,
the one below.
The boy will now dance
in the posture of a lion.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
The demon, the demon,
the demon.
It comes to life.
Its life takes the form
of a column.
A cave in the column
In the cave, the lioness.
© 2006, Rabindra K Swain
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