Parting Cousins – By Niranjan Selvadurai
Through the lonesome night I stay,
Guarding kurahan fields of clay.
As silence hums my weary plight,
Never once will you cross my sight.
Cousin Sister,
Tomorrow’s wedding bells call for you,
Yet deep sorrow cloaks my evening view.
The village sleeps, no stars in sight—
A moonless sky, a hollow night.
Though I met you secretly,
By the river, unbidden and free,
And waved to you beside the creek,
Love unspoken, words too weak.
Cousin Brother,
Though I gave my heart away,
Parental wish, I must now obey.
Destiny calls—do not weep,
For promises I could not keep.
I built a hut for us to stay,
Yet none can see my lone dismay.
Must I endure this silent pain,
Through endless nights, in wind and rain?
Cousin Sister,
Our childhood love, now torn in two,
Is this farewell, must we undo?
The dream of you as mine once more,
Fades like mist upon the river shore.
May joy be yours, adorned in light,
May fortune bless your steps so bright.
May you say, “I do,” so true –
To a fair princess you woo.
Cousin Brother,
Let goddess Paththini, hear my plea,
May she guard and shelter thee.
But on that joyous harvesting day
Remember me, though far away.
Niranjan Selvadurai
About the Poem:
This is a conversation between two cousins. The girl is to be married the next day and will then move away. The setting is rural village in Sri Lanka, where farming communities live. The story line is based on a haunting Sinhala song “රෑ පැල් රකින කුරහන් පැහෙනා හෙනේ”.
Kurahan is the local term for finger millet, widely grown as a cereal crop. According to folklore, Paththini (also known as Kannagi in South India) is identified as a goddess symbolising chastity.
