The Unknown Sister

(Padmavathi, the girl-poet, passed away in April 1920, ten days after her marriage with Mr. Nabhi Ramakrishna Rao of Berhampore. In his bereavement, the young man ransacked the note-books of his lamented bride, and prepared the type-script of the greater part of her poems. It is proposed to publish them after they are edited by Shri Harindranath Chattopadhyay. But meanwhile, Mr. Ramakrishna Rao has very kindly passed on a few of them to the Editor, Triveni, his friend from childhood. Readers of the Journal will remember that in April 1928, Mr. G. Venkatachalam, the well-known critic of Art and Literature, contributed an article entitled "Padmavathi: the Girl- poet."–Editor, Triveni).

(1)

Levona with her eyes so bright,
Levona shedding baneful tear,
Levona one dark and summer night
Mourned for her one lost dear.
"O Wind that hears her whispers sweet,
What bears my proud love for me ?
Tell me wind as kind thou art."
O Wind that knows my dear one's heart,
Yet the wild wind echoed round
"Not for thee Levona,
No, my sweet Levona."
"O flowers that breathe her morning breath
What words of love did whisper she?
Ye have met her laughing eyes
O flowers that bloom, were they for me?"
"O waves that dance around her feet,
O waves that light her crystal eyes,
What looks were there unknown to me?
Ye knew it well, what meant her sighs?"
Yet the wild waves echoed round
Not for thee Levona,
No my sweet Levona!"
"Alas! alas!" Levona cried,
"woe for me that knew
And loved thee dear–so well, so well,
But sister, thou art not true."

(2)

The Moon crept high, I sang,
I sang a song to thee;
Far and near I search in vain
Wilt thou come to me?
Ere I knew what love was
Thou vanished far from me,
Ere I knew to learn thy name
Thou wert nought for me.
As a dream you vanished, yet I love,
So sweet is memory.

(3)

The East Wind blows so cold and dreary
My heart within is sad and weary.
The sea doth swell along the sand,
To mock me gleams the moonlit strand.
Come , Oh! come to me!
The world is nothing without thee,
The flowers will fade, the wind will wail,
What thou wert will be a tale.
What the star is, so thou art,
What I give my star, I give to thee.
I wait and love my star so well;
As for her, so for thee I live.

(4)

O world, my world that breathes so sweet,
Why bitter is the world to me!
O stars, my stars that never set,
Your smiling faces why hide ye!
The moon doth shine, all cold and bright,
To me it is eternal night.

(5)

I hear a step above the path,
I am waiting long for thee;
A white robe steals across the room,
But thou art not she.

(6)

(Enfolded)...Why ask for whom
When thou knowest for whom longs my heart.
Home is sweet, O sweet home!
But sweeter than my mother, sweet thou art.