She asked him “Naughty boy! You are supposed to be the one running to pick up these mangoes when they get ripe, instead you destroyed the mango buds without waiting until they became ripe mangoes.
The mother got angry and scolded the child for destroying the mango bud. Four months ago, when the mango tree was budding (after a long time), the mother’s child (son) came to her running with handful of buds, to show how he can imitate a firework with the flowers (mango buds). With the sight of the season’s first mango fruit (ripe) falling from the tree in her courtyard, warm tears started shedding from mother’s eyes. This is my effort to articulate the story and pictures that comes to my mind every time I listen/read to this beautiful poem. This is not a literal translation nor is it an attempt to explain every single line of the poem.
I wanted to share the story told by this poem. Her sadness is amplified by the sight of a ripe mango falling from the tree, which reminds her of her son and a related event. In this beautiful poem, the poet depicts the heartache and memories of a mourning mother who lost her child to death. Mambazham (by Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon) is one of my favorite poems.
