Paper Boats

By JF on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 21:38

A picture is worth a thousand words they say. But does that hold true when it comes to the magical words of legendary poets? Dr RVK Varma attempts to translate beautiful verse by Tagore into images.

Day by day I float my paper boats one by one down the running stream.

In big black letters I write my name on them and the name of the
village where I live.

I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know
who I am.

I load my little boats with shiuli flowers from ourgarden, and hope that these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely to land in the night.

I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky and see the
little clouds setting their white bulging sails.

I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the
air to race with my boats!

When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my
paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars.

The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams.

Dr RVK Varma is passionate to the point of being irritable about photography. He occasionally tries his hand at doctoring (pun intended) profession during weekdays.