This poem is an obvious imitation of ‘Article Twenty-One’ by Sukumar Ray, down to some fairly specific details, like the penalties for poets. Barua has also done a derivative adaptation of Ray’s ‘Mish-Mash’.
Ninepur 26
Translated by Dileep Chandan from the Assamese original 'Naugao'
The new town of Ninepur Has nine hundred folk.
If you don’t know town law You’ll some trouble provoke.
If you weep in the town Then nine paise you’ll pay;
When your smile comes again They’re returned right away.
If you wake after nine Then your ears get a twist By the Number Nine cops So don’t try to resist.
For composing a verse The town locks you up tight In a bamboo-bar cage Where you’re left overnight.
Sons of grocers 27 write just The nine tables, it’s true;
26 Tide: ‘Ninepur’ does not capture the wordplay in the real title ‘Naugao’, which means ‘nine villages’ when the words are separate, but ‘new village’ when they are joined as one word.
27 grocers: The original word is ‘ kayaks ', for Rajasthani grocers who typically catered to the poor.
46 the tenth r 3 s 3
They have ninety long sheets Of the figures to do.
If they finish their work Then they’re told it’s for sure That by thirty it can Be divided once more.
If you simply can’t solve This math problem at all,
You will have to go kick At an old wooden ball.
In the town, a bald man Who is spied fast asleep Soon will find that he has Obligations to keep:
Nine chapters in full Of Ramayan to write On his forehead in ink,
To be done before night.
If a student just reads When he’s sitting in school, And he won’t climb a tree To break even one rule,
Then his punishment is Ninety push-ups performed And nine glasses of milk That he has to drink warmed.
For the third penalty Given out for these crimes His strict teacher will pull On his earlobes nine times.
If your grandfather beats Your bent back with bis stick,
And from your favourite playground He snatches you quick,
If he prods you to list
All the hard words you know,
And you write them down neatly For him, row by row,
And if later he marks All your math with red lines,
Still for all of these things You won’t pay any fines.
You now know of the laws For the new town Ninepur.
Come in if you please—
I will not reveal more.