You and I
You and I are so crazy
about each other,
as hot as a potter’s fire.
Out of the same chunk
of clay, shape a you,
shape a me. Crush us
both into clay again, mix
it with water, reshape
a you, reshape a me.
So, I have you in my body,
and you’ll have me forever in yours, too.
Guan Daosheng (~1250)
translated by Qiu Xiaolong
Does this poem remind you of Kurunthokai 40 (Sangam poetry)? Click here to check out the Tamil poem and a few movie songs that express the simile of rainwater and red earth.
Chitra Srikrishna 