Translated from Maithili to English by Ashutosh Jha
Translator’s note
I try not to compromise meaning in my translations. Normally I attempt to retain the original voice in my translations. As for diction, I employ language in accordance with the social background of the narrator (class, education, etc.). Above all, I don’t hesitate to make alterations to my translation to retain the meaning of the original work.
Hair Dye
Just think of it,
Had hair dye
Not been available
In the market,
People would not have dyed
Their hair.
Many beautiful women
Would have looked
Like old hags.
Forget the old
And
The middle aged,
Imagine how
Men and women
Of thirty-five,
Or
Thirty-seven
For that matter,
Would have looked
Sans hair camouflage!
The entire city
Would have been
Like the jungle
Of kaas plant!
The tag of
‘A young country’
Would have been
Taken away from us.
Kudos to those
Who invented
Hair dyes,
Fake smiles,
Face masks,
Giving camouflage
To the era,
Inventing the cream
Hiding wrinkles
And
Various marks
On skin.
They don’t have
A small contribution
In
Making the world look
As it looks today.
Illustration by Nadhir Nor
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