Lesotho: My Foster Mother
Language Sotho
That splinters, splutters like rock pieces
Sugar candies spilling around
Fine, fragrant like ‘kanmadham,
the mythical viscous rocks !
State Lesotho
reigning on a hilltop
filled by mountain ranges
the lamp on the slanting sky slopes !
Me, a vagrant bird
who lost its way
flew , in search of a night’s abode of sleep
flew, from branch to branch
In search of a nest..
You drew me to your bosom, O, Lesotho!
Before aeons were born
in forests wild, sucking nectar
eating roots and bulbs roasted
In flaming hearths
weaving together, time’s tiny fibres
moulding dream huts, earthen
bearing, braving dark threatening clouds and scorching heat
at times enveloped in piercing cold
keeping mountain Gods as guard
sitting around the fire
in raw, rustic tongue was sung and warped out
a culture indigenous, that if you ransack
brings out diamond pure!
The gold sown and ripened in goodness
water pure culled from earth
enrich the land with plenty
a land of pristine beauty,
our land Lesotho!
Building houses on land slopes
toiling in the soil, ploughing,
planting seeds , the land rose
and the landlord became the king!
Those who came, enticed by gold
to conquer was conquered
and all annexed into one.
You stand shoulders up, head high
Lesotho, the hilly state on top!
The name you made brought fame
that spread in the wind that carried
They came , even the white
whom You made a friend
Flagging out your glory!
This land small and cute
counters clouds ever so black
even when silence falls
your eyes light up in radiance
celebrating Onams* with what all you have
your damsels beauty incarnate,
not putting dignity at stake
guarded by menfolk stout, iron muscled
they who foster oneness, keeping friends
close to heart , making a land of virtue, goodwill
O, Lesotho!
The African beauty
tomorrow’s promise
it comes, it comes!
the pulsating self esteem, self revel of modern youth
emerging as the daughter of the hill
with a rousing song..
Our own Kudak land!**
My Lesotho!
Note – Onam – Malayalee’s national festival
**Kudak – A hilly area in South India, nature’s beauty like Lesotho’s hilly areas
Translation of the Malayalam poem written by Dr Ajay Narayan into English by Dr Molly Joseph; the author, Dr Narayan, is a retired educationist and researcher in education, living in Maseru.
Dr Joseph is a Professor, Poet from Kerala, who writes Travelogues, Short stories and Story books for children. She has published twelve books, 10 Books of poems, a novel and a Story book for Children. She has won several accolades which include India Women Achiever’s Award 2020. She believes in the power of the word and writes boldly on matters that deal with the contemporary. She can be reached at
E mail: mynamolly@gmail.com
You tube- https://www.youtube.com/user/mynamolly
