Sujata Bhatt > Quotes

“she only dreamt of the sea
night after night –    algae and seaweed.
from "Truth is Mute”
― Sujata Bhatt, Poppies in Translation

“And then the light,
light rippling with the wind
across everything – even through the darkest
parts of the forest.
I remember the sea at the end of the trail –
The brightness of the whitest stones –
Such simple things – I remember –”
― Sujata Bhatt, Poppies in Translation

“Great Pan is not dead;
he simply emigrated
to India.
Here, the gods roam freely,
disguised as snakes or monkeys;
every tree is sacred
and it is a sin
to be rude to a book.
It is a sin to shove a book aside
with your foot,
a sin to slam books down
hard on a table,
a sin to toss one carelessly
across a room.
You must learn how to turn the pages gently
without disturbing Sarasvati,
without offending the tree
from whose wood the paper was made.”
― Sujata Bhatt, Brunizem

“I have become the purest part of myself. from "Self-Portrait as a Soul”
― Sujata Bhatt, Poppies in Translation

“Which language
has not been the oppressor’s tongue?
Which language
truly meant to murder someone?
And how does it happen
that after the torture,
after the soul has been cropped
with a long scythe swooping out
of the conqueror’s face —
the unborn grandchildren
grow to love that strange language.”
― Sujata Bhatt, Brunizem

“Four a.m. and brightness already –
Today, the sun begins as a white rose,
a white rose tinged with silver and blue.
Still hours before I’ll see
                  any pink or yellow –
Windows open all night –
My dreams want me
     to believe they are true –
from "Another Muse”
― Sujata Bhatt, Poppies in Translation

“All afternoon, I’ve been watching the wind
awaken the grass, watching how every blade
rustles – a rapid trembling, as if the grass
wants to move like the wings of a hummingbird

All this feels unreal today,
and yet, it comes back to life, sharper
in this salty air – where the songs
we wish to hear are full of praise. from "Crear”
― Sujata Bhatt, Poppies in Translation