Translation of a Tamil Poem written by Mahakavi Subramanya Barathi 

I, bee hovering the champak flower,
Waiting in the garden in the river bed there,
You promised to come as I was waiting, so eager,
As the moon comes up and I could hardly bear.

You didn’t turn up as you said, you know,
My heart shoots up like a volcano,
In all directions, I could see your silhouette,
Your image is alas just a mindset.

My body burns and I’m missing ‘me’,
As I think of you so desperately,
This waiting perturbs like dizzy vertigo,
My love, where are you or where should I go?

The moon is marching all across
The zenith in the skyway, its midnight past,
The flood of gentle light is on me,
But without you, it’s melancholy.

When the world is in deep slumber down,
It’s a silent gift of peace profound,
For them who sleep but not for me,
I’m treading alone, Will this fire hell freeze?

—Srirangam Ramesh