Chakan kagangaimei, good autumn season
The season of rest from toil is here again
The inkhuaipuina, amur falcons have come back,
The wind is not biting cold yet
Young boys went hunting for frogs
The cattle in the fields, forgotten; fear of scolding flung away
Carefree days, cracked lips, but hey! Who cares?
Have the paddies been brought in from the fields?
Have the seeds seasoned for the next plantation?
A happy resounding yes, yes.
The shadow of the sun is getting longer
The nights getting longer, the fire in the hearth burning brighter
The talum are out, to the inkhuaipuina’, amur falcons’ delight
The grasshoppers flocked in; crickets had sung their songs
The cicadas made their presence felt by their commotion
The dogs frisky and spoiling for a fight
The old lady and amaipui, widow got their pile of wood ready
For the long cold winter, bereft of companion
Her yams piled up against the wall for hard days
The barn half full of ‘green gifts’ from neighbours
Dailong-haeng, poinsettias blooming brightly on taupung
The red colour standing out against the mountain silhouette
The earth was soft and moist and ready to receive
The earthworms and the insects did their jobs
The Bizik yam all planted in green rows against the walls
The Gankareih, spine gourd vines left ‘un-weeded’
To curl upwards onto the thatched roof
Bearing flowers and fruits for delight and a humble meal
Beautiful Chakaan of my mother land
The whistling of the wind carried the chirping of the birds
Can you hear the hope beating in the heart?
Of another dance in the festival?
Season which gives peace and love
And nostalgia to the ones away from the land
The Orchids blooms high up on the branches
Too high for the young lovers to climb
Not willing to risk a fall
Young lovers’ stories intertwined with that of the bloom
Of the eternal orchids
The romance of the orchid and the bird will continue
The Reangan happy to eavesdrop and keep the secrets
The bean vines could no longer wait to bloom
The cucumbers waited to be picked, ripening in the garden
Waiting to join the rows of Gourds
Already lined up in neat rows adorning the bamboo walls
Stay on Chakaan, don’t go yet
The lovers are not yet ready for the winter
For the long cold nights ahead
More time is needed to prepare.
(Chakaan- Autumn; Raengan- a village gate with stone steps from the valley leading up to the village gate atop a mountain)
