Ascetic Earth

(96)  Shishirsikta kharjuraviithi

In a dew-drenched line the date-palm trees,
With gooseflesh they are shivering.
Winter's arrived with frost freezing;
New glaciers it's constructing.

The birds and beasts, they flee
Far away to distant countries.
To survive, urgently seeking heat,
For fresh sun they are hoping.
And gentle water lilies bloom no longer,
Diffusing their shy sweetness.

Tell me now at whose beckoning
Was such trembling roused with morning?
Multicolored Earth, barren it became,
Taking a disheveled yogi's shape.

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