Sngew triem keiñ, para,
Haba la poi ka Khlam ha phyllaw ïing.
Sngew salia wat tang ban ring mynsiem ruh,
Ïoh jia ba ka ïohsngew bad ka tip noh
Hamar hangno ngi ïa rieh.
Ka palong ha kaba la ju dem shiryta,
Ka sngew pher mynta ka miet:
Sngew eh ka tyrsok, sngew sohkyrdot ka rajai,
Haba la khura kata ka Khlam ïa ka phyllaw ïing.
Sngew artatien ban pyrta sha la ki marjan ruh
Ban twad jingmut lem na ki,
Ïoh jia ba ki la ïakynduh ïa kane ka nongshun
Bad khah snam noh haba ïa khublei kti.
Hynrei, para, nga pynkynmaw ïa phi,
Ba ka step ruh kam jngai
Bad ka Khlam kan sa phet sha la ka lynti
Ynda thaba noh ka sngi ha phyllaw ïing.
"Ki Jingsngew ha ka Miet ba wan ka Khlam" is an original Khasi poem by poet and singer @vancouvershullai ! 😄😄😄 Thank you for taking up the responsibility for writing in your own indigenous language! 🌲🌲
As the pandemic rages on, all one can do is talk about how one feels to find solace. The current situation confronts us with our feeble mortal existence but it also teaches how faith, hope and courage can turn the weight of an overwhelming tide.
Vancouver Shullai says of the poem: "This poem was written on the night the first COVID-19 positive case was detected in Shillong in the year 2020. An air of apprehension enveloped the entire town as soon as the news was reported. There was a very unusual sense of discomfort, I recall, an extremely foreign feeling no one was prepared for. I wrote this poem to document that calm yet fearful night."
Thank you @vancouvershullai for documenting this experience in poetry!