Rongshu Tagore
Hey, you're standing by the pool, next to a furry banyan tree. Can you forget that child?
It's like a child Joe built a nest on your branch and left your bird?
You don't remember how he sat by the window,
Looking at your tangled roots deep underground in surprise?
Women often go to the pool to pull a jar full of water.
Your big shadow will shake on the water, as if a sleeping person is struggling to wake up.
Sunshine dances on the microwave, like a small shuttle weaving a golden brocade (zhān).
Two ducks are swimming in the shadow of a nearby reed.
The child sat there quietly thinking.
He wants style, blowing through your rustling branches;
Want to be your shadow, grow up with the sun on the water;
Want to be a bird, perching on your highest branch;
I also want to be those two ducks, swimming between reeds and shadows.
Appreciation: In this poem, the banyan tree becomes a child's friend. The poet vividly described the child's meditation and fantasy about a tall banyan tree in the second person.
"The furry banyan tree standing by the pool" and "the pool" are the places where banyan trees grow, which lays the foundation for the following further dialogue. "Pengtou" is the shape of a banyan tree. Banyan is an evergreen tree with many branches, air roots and a large crown. It grows in the tropics and is a common tree in India. In literary works, banyan is often a symbol of hometown. Therefore, the poet imagines the banyan tree as a child's friend, which is convenient for expressing homesickness. "Like a bird on your branch", the poet compares the child to a bird here to arouse the memory of "banyan tree".
The "tangled roots on the ground" are invisible, but from the perspective of children, they are visible. "Root" is a pun here, which means "seeking the root and never forgetting the root".
Then it describes three pictures of daily life: women pumping water, dancing in the sun, ducks swimming around. These pictures of life can arouse children's memory of "banyan tree".
Finally, the poet imagines the child as a "wind", "shadow" and "duck" that cannot be separated from the banyan tree for an instant.
Banyan is the embodiment of hometown and mother. Children's meditation and fantasy in the face of banyan trees is a manifestation of missing their hometown and mother. The description of banyan in the poem reminds us of our mother's character and image.