Cutting the Palm Tree
Cutting the palm tree,
Boss’s coat button—
O Gauri, foolish girl,
Fate has given you an old husband—
What am I to do?
I broke my silver coin
To give you conch earrings,
Madon-beads for your ears;
I came to see the wedding—
And there he was, an old man
With a drooping beard.
A curse on your mother and father,
A curse on your uncle too—
To marry you off to such a groom,
An old man addicted to tobacco!
His smoking pipe
Drifted away in the water—
How will the old man smoke now?
I poked him and checked—
The old man was lying there dead;
But when it was time to collect
The wedding gifts,
He suddenly jumped up
And danced!
