Classic Poem

Narrinai 174

" From the long fronds
of a deserted talipot tree
with clusters thick and hard
like an old date-palm's,

a male bird calls to its mate,
and the listening tiger
roars in echo

on those difficult roads
where hot winds blow —

but then your lover who went there
has returned,
has hugged you sweetly ever since
and you've lain together
inseparably
in one place,

and yet
why do you look like a ruin,
why do you grieve, my girl? "

So you ask, friend.
It could look like that to someone
who doesn't know.
What's the use
of longing faithfully
for his strong chest

that's now like the cold beaches
of Tonti city
famous in the mouths of many?

When love is gone,
what's copulation worth?