Sookha (Famine): Dohe

सूखा

सूखी धरती, सूखा बीहड़, सूखे नदिया-ताल ।
अब के बरस भी होगा, लागे, पिछले बरस सा हाल ॥

बिनती कर-कर बरसे नैना, भीजे सगरे गाल ।
बरस ना तरसे सूखा, अब तो बरसो गगन बिसाल ॥

मौसम धरती के चौपड़ पे चलिहै ऐसी चाल ।
गरमी थै-थै ताण्डव करिहै, सूरज देवे ताल ।

बनी मछरिया जात आदम की, नियति फेंके जाल ।
प्राण भी भीते हिरन सा ह्ड़के, हुआ आखेटी काल ॥

सूखा गोकुल, सूखी जमना, सूखी कदम की डाल ।
प्यासी गइया माता घूमे, प्यासा किसना ग्वाल ॥

भाल भाल पे फ़ैला, देखो, चिन्ताओं का जाल ।
बगलें झाँके बच्चे, जब-जब पूछे भूख सवाल ॥

थाल भरे मुर्दा डंगर के, जीमें गिद्ध-सियाल ।
महाकाल साक्षात बिराजे, बन के महा अकाल ॥

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Famine (Translation)

The land is parched, the jungles arid, the rivers and ponds have all dried up.
Apparently, this year will not be too different from the last one.

See, these eyes pour as they pray ceaselessly, and my cheeks are all drenched.
O great big skies, pour down now, donot let the year go by dry again.

The season plays crooked moves on the earth’s chessboard.
The heat dances ‘Tandava’ (Lord Shiva’s dance of destruction that he performs to bring about apocalypse) to the beat of sun.

The sons and daughters of Adam are akin to fish, and destiny- a merciless fisherman.
Life scampers about like a frightened deer; death follows on its heels like a determined hunter.

Gokul is dry, the river Yamuna is dry, dry is the tree of ‘Kadam’. (Gokul is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Yamuna and Kadam-tree are also symbols of Lord Krishna’s childhood).
The mother-like cow roams thirsty, and so does Kisna- the cow-keeper. (Lord Krishna was a cow-keeper himself.)

The entangled net of worries is cast on everyone’s forehead.
The children don’t know which way to look when hunger raises a question.

The table is set with the corpses of cattle, as the vultures and jackals feast.
The Grim Reaper himself comes visiting, in the guise of famine.