The echoes of time
Do not resonate anymore
The ghosts of the yesteryear
Do not frighten anymore
The Rynñiaw* of Lyngngem*
Does not sing anymore;
That the name of corrupt
Has taken place
To be a king on a throne
To reign forcefully in life
These echoes will be heard
Only of the devilish voice.
(* Rynñiaw is a kind of black bird with a long tail. Its tail is always used by the
Khasi male dancers to make a “Thuïa” which they put on the back side of hishead after wearing his turban. *Lyngngem is a kind of imperial pigeon; as per
the Khasi folktale, she was the beloved of Rynñiaw but had to separate because
her mother did not accept their relation as she belonged to a poor family and
Rynñiaw to a wealthy family, so they departed and both the birds sing and
lament for each other).
Painting Courtesy: Arvind Kolapkar
