Edel is the Santali name of the silk cotton tree and its flowers (Bombax ceiba), also known locally as semul.
Bright, red
You look like embers
My eyes and my mind, Edel, you’ve taken over
The summer sun glows, hot and fearful
You glow in your beauty, unyielding, cheerful
My life perched on your body, as it flew out of my own
For a moment, I felt as if in your embrace we’re one
You received me into you, I grew wealthy in joy and love
I could feel in my veins the rush of my young blood
Clouds rocked and played with me as lightning blinked, bent
It is hard to forget the happiness of that moment
In this world, we found
Love in one another
Like heaven and earth
May our bond be eternal
For years and years to come
May we be together
Holding each other’s arms, may we dance together