Triveni Journal
1927 | 11,233,916 words
Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....
She was breaking stone
I saw her on the path of Allahabad.
There was no shady tree
under which she willingly sat,
Black Beauty in the bloom of youth,
Bent eyes;
absorbed in dear work,
with a heavy hammer in hand,
striking again and again,
in front vista of trees,
a magnificent attic.
The ascending sun
the summer days,
the angry look of the day
shot up the scorching summer-wind.
The earth burnt like cotton
the dust overspread,
Almost midday set in.
She was breaking stone.
Seeing me watching her,
she looked once at that mansion,
discontinuing the work.
Finding none,
gazed at me
with the look of one
who was beaten,
but could not weep.
I felt as if a mandolin was being played on,
I heard the music I never had heard before.
After a moment’s pause
she shivered,
rolled down drops of sweat
from her forehead,
Getting engrossed in work again,
As if she said
�
“I am breaking stone�.
(Translated from Hindi by Dr. K.K. Sinha)