Kanjika: Some Lamentations 3
This is the first night
Dry flour is scattered
on the ground
She will come
she will come
she will put her foot down
she will go
We will sleep
we will sleep
even in grief we will sleep
She will see
she will see
she will never see us again
We will tear
we will tear
we will tear out our hair in the morning
She will stop
she will stop
halfway down the road she will stop
We will forget
we will forget
in this very grief we will forget
In North India grief-stricken mothers scatter flour on the floor the first night after the death of a child, and wait for the soul of the dead child to leave a footstep or trace of its next birth there.
This is the first night
Dry flour is scattered
on the ground
She will come
she will come
she will set foot [and]
she will go
We shall sleep
we shall sleep
even in mourning we shall sleep
She will see (look)
She will see (look)
she will not see (look at) us afterwards
We shall pluck
we shall pluck
in the morning we shall pluck our hair
She will stop
she will stop
in midway she will stop
We shall forget
we shall forget
in this very sorrow we shall forget