Resistance in March

Resistance in March
(mart la taw hlan yey)

On the horizon…
All of a sudden, white flashes occur
It cracks and augurs
Stretches across azure sky with ruby nectar
Spread with strength to redden afar
A blur view of beginning dawn there!

Dim and dark
Stark blurred and quiet in starlight
River jetty rather not far away in sight
At the bank of creek peeks slow and quiet
A slight boat with a village lad
Clad in short-sleeved cotton shirt, he crouched
Focused he moved a load of dry grass
Plied with straw, covered en mass under
He lowered his body, render arms support and prone body
To gather from the inside boat, a lone machine gun ready!

Under darkness
Still and silent at the bend of creek
Mixed, mingled bushes, grass and twigs peak
At thick backyard, murky, muddy and sandy beak
A Fascist outpost stands neat!

At the bend of creek
He seeks immediately the beak land
Rowing and seeking closer then
Suddenly, silence is broken
Sending sound of strong gun fires
Reverberating through out the river.

Under the moonlight
Night is dark and tight
Clouds hover quietly
Moon smiles slightly and looks down
The world is brightly lit now
Edge of wide paddy fields
Periphery of thick thicket yields
Flickering moving lighted lanterns
Blue sky dangles and hangs
Round white ample loads descending
In bright moonlight we apprehend
Army rations from plane have landed!

A village was
Raided and burnt wickedly
Ravaged and ransacked ruthlessly
Villagers fled helter-skelter on dry barren fields
From smoky scorched earth they lived
Worn, weak and wobbled in feeble breeze
Carrying weakened sounds of dog barking in far reaches.

Starflowers
Scatter yellow on the ground
Mixed with old fallen leaves around
Half red half yellow circling down
Whirlwinds spawn them red to yellow
Sallow leaves in early summer galore.

Mature and old
Those leaves are discarded to renew
To reschedule a fresh system of new buds
Touting the white star in red garb.

Dagon Taryar (Taryar Magazine 1947)
Translation: Dr Maung Maung Nyo (19.3.2007)