Poetry and Life by Dhruba Kumar Sapkota

Poetry and Life

______________________________

-- Dhruba Kumar Sapkota

You write poetry,

You lash with sweet talk,

Spearhead with a pen,

Backlash with perfectly balanced words;

Tell me,

Are you meaningful

With all your poetry?

You talk of exposing the dishonest,

Talk of killing

The ungrateful

With compassion,

Talk of action against

The corrupt,

Talk of punishment

For the traitors;

Tell me,

Are you meaningful

With all your poetry?

You talk of love and affection

Talk of faithfulness

And sacrifice,

Talk of living and dying together;

Tell me,

Are you meaningful

With all your poetry?

You talk of letting go, and of penance,

Talk of non-violence

And peace,

Talk of declaring ceasefire in the ongoing war

And talk of

Releasing

A flock of pigeons

Of peace;

Tell me,

Are you meaningful

With all your poetry?

Translated by Haris C. Adhikari

**

कविता र जिन्दगी

_________________________________

-- ध्रुवकुमार सापकोटा

तिमी

कविता लेख्छौ,

मिठा बातले आघात गर्छौ

कलम चलाऊँछौ ,

सुकिला शब्दहरुले प्रतिघात गर्छौ

भन त तिम्रो कविता सँग सार्थक छौ ?

तिमी

बेईमानीको खोइरो खन्ने कुरा गर्छौ,

बैगुनिलाई गुनले मार्ने कुरा गर्छौ,

भ्रस्टलाई कार्वाही गर्ने कुरा गर्छौ,

देशद्रोहीलाई दण्ड दिने कुरा गर्छौ

भन त तिम्रो कविता सँग सार्थक छौ?

तिमी

माया-प्रेमको कुरा गर्छौ,

वफ़ा-बलिदानको कुरा गर्छौ

सँगै जिउने-सँगै मर्ने कुरा गर्छौ

भन त तिम्रो कविता सँग सार्थक छौ?

तिमी

त्याग र तपस्याको कुरा गर्छौ,

अहिंशा र शान्तिको कुरा गर्छौ,

युद्धमा युद्धविराम लगाउने कुरा गर्छौ,

अनि

शान्तिका एक हुल परेवा उडाउने कुरा गर्छौ

भन त

तिमी

तिम्रो कविता सँग सार्थक छौ?

Journey in Haste by Shyamal

Translated by Haris Adhikari

Freedom by Raj Manglak (from Sangam)

Translated by Haris Adhikari

One poem by Ram Gopal Ashutosh

UNPLEASANT TUNE

I've my own heat

Sufficient to burn myself;

You keep your fire with you,

Please

Save your virtues

For yourself;

I'll die, counting my sins

In the death premise

Of my destiny, please

Look at the heat I have ! It's enough

To melt down

A volcano;

Stick to yourself

Your lava, please.   

I'll keep on bearing the pressure

Of the floods of

Celebration

Of my own grave;

You please

Live with your love and laughter.  

Look ! I've my own nature,

Colors,

I've my own measurement;

You please

Turn your appearance to yourself.   

(Translation: Haris Adhikari)

अप्रिय धुन

मसित

आफैँलाई जलाउन पुग्ने

मेरै राप छ

कृपया तिमी

आफ्नो आगो आफैँसित राख ।

म आफ्नै

नियतिको मृत्युपरिसरमा

पाप गन्दै मर्छु

कृपया तिमी

आफ्नो पुण्य आफैँसित साँच ।

हेर त

मभित्र ज्वालामुखी पगाल्न

पुग्ने ताप छ

कृपया तिमी

आफ्नो लावा आफैँसित टाँस ।

म आफ्नै

चिहानको बाढी उत्सवमा

चाप सही बस्छु

कृपया तिमी

आफ्नो प्रीति, हाँसोसित बाँच ।

हेर त

मेरो आफ्नै प्रकृति छ, रङहरु

आफ्नै नाप छ

कृपया तिमी

आफ्नो रुप आफैँसित गाँस ।

One poem by Hangyug Agyat

DUST

___________________________

                             -- HANGYUG AGYAT

When soil makes love

To water

And becomes mud after impregnation,

Then— in the radiance of the sun—

Is born

'Dust'.

I played in the same dust,

I grew up in the same dust.

Dust is my friend, like Sudama* was.

The dust accumulated

In the middle of books and scriptures

Remind me of my standing

Every time I cast my eyes on them.  

Scribbled I had

My first 'A'

Also on a dhulaut*,

While playing on dusty roads, I had written

Even my name— on dust.

I don't have to condemn dust

To look neat and clean. 

May they—

They who have got to 'Singha Durbar*' or 'Red Carpet'—

Not forget the particle of your existence.

Dear dust, you are the microcosm of soil— of earth.

May those who live in the houses of concrete

Understand that—

That house is erect

All because of the strong combination, strong uplifting

Of the dust.

And if the dust takes its hands off, being exhausted,

That house will of dust— in just a matter of seconds.

If the dust takes its hands off, the palaces will of dust,

Bridges and hills will be of dust,

Walls and pyramids, villages and cities

All will of dust— if the dust takes its hands off,

Even the earth will be of dust.

Dust is all-pervasive in my heart.

I will have to live my life with it,

With it,

I will have to take a journey of nirvana*.

I do not dust off the dust from myself—

Just because I have moved to a house of concrete,

Just because I have read some bulky books—

As I myself

Am balanced on dust.

Dust, the offspring of soil,

Is so dear to me!

__________________________________

Sudama — the most loyal and beloved friend (also, a true devotee) of lord Krishna

Dhulaut — A small wooden board used as a writing pad in the past; people would spread either soil-color or dust over it and then write.

Singha Durbar — a palace built in 1908, during the Rana regime, by Chandra Shumsher. Later, many buildings were added to it, and now it is a national property being used to house different ministries and other offices

Nirvana — In Hinduism and Buddhism, nirvana is taken as a state of enlightenment; a place of perfect peace and happiness, like heaven

(Translation: HARIS ADHIKARI)

*******

धुलो 

____________________

                       — हाङयुग अज्ञात

माटोले
जब पानीसँग सम्भोग गर्छ
र पेट बोकेर हिलो बन्छ
तब जन्मिन्छ घामको उज्यालोमा धुलो
मलाई धुलो प्यारो लाग्छ

तेहि धुलोसँग खेलें
तेहि धुलोमा हुर्कें
धुलो मेरो साथी हो सुदामाजस्तै

किताबको बीचमा बसेको धुलोले
हरेकचोटि मेरो हैसियत सम्झाइदिन्छ
धुलौटमै लेखें पहिलो अक्षर "अ"
धुलोको बाटोमा खेल्दाखेल्दै धुलोमै लेखें नाम पनि
सुकिलो हुन धुलोको निन्दा गर्नै पर्दैन मैले

धुलो टेकेर "सिंहदरबार" या "रेड कार्पेट" पुगेकाहरू
नबिर्सिउन् तिम्रो अस्तित्वको कण
प्रिय धुलो, तिमी माटोको कण हौ कण

क्रङ्क्रीटको घरमा बस्नेहरूले बुझुन्
कि धुलोको मजबुत हातेमालोले उभिएको हो त्यो घर
थाकें भनेर हात छोड्यो भने धुलोले
एकैछिनमा धुलोको हुनेछ त्यो घर
धुलोले हात छोड्यो भने दरबारहरू धुलोको हुनेछ
पुल र पहाडहरू धुलोको हुनेछ
पर्खाल र पिरामिडहरू धुलोको हुनेछ
गाउँ र शहर धुलोको हुनेछ
पृथ्वी धुलोको हुनेछ

धुलो मेरो मनभरि व्याप्त छ
धुलोसँगै बाँच्नु छ मैले जिन्दगी
धुलोसँगै गर्नु छ निर्वाण-यात्रा
कङ्क्रीटको घरमा सरें भन्दैमा
ठूल्ठूला किताब पढें भन्दैमा
आफूबाट म धुलो टक्टक्यादिनँ
किनभने धुलोमा अडिएको छु म

माटोको सन्तान धुलो
मलाई धुलो प्यारो लाग्छ ।

A poem by BHISMA UPRETI

THE DOOR

                                               

'What could be behind this door?'

I open every new door

With this curiosity in me.

I reach another turn

Ahead from the one I've left behind,

Walking a road to another road,

Crossing a bridge to another river, and

To another age, too, stepping on

The age I'm in.

No matter how much

One walks, one finds another road ahead

Another turn

Another river

And a new petal of life, every time

One walks, being a new door.

'What could be behind this door?'

Oh! 

How I, only in this question,

Happen to meet myself,

Happen to see myself!

Nothing but my curiosity
Is my living.

*******                                 

(Translation: SHIKHAR GHIMIRE)

-----------------------------

ढोका 

             -- भीष्म उप्रेती 

'यो ढोका भन्दा उता के होला ?'
यही उत्सुकता बोकेर 
खोल्छु म हरेक नयाँ ढोका । 

म पुग्छु एउटा घुम्तीबाट अर्को घुम्ती 
एउटा बाटो हिँडेर अर्को बाटो 
एउटा पुल काटेर अर्को नदी 
र एउटा उमेर टेकेर अर्को उमेर पनि ।

जति हिँडे पनि भेटिन्छ फेरि अर्को बाटो 
अर्को घुम्ती 
अर्को नदी 
र उमेरको पालुवा पनि 
प्रत्तेक पल्ट नयाँ नयाँ ढोका भएर ।

'यो ढोका भन्दा उता के होला ?'
म त केवल यही प्रश्नमा मात्र 
आफूलाई भेट्तोरहेछु 
आफूलाई देख्तोरहेछु । 

मेरो उत्सुकता नै 
मेरो बाँच्नु ।

A poem by ANIL NEMBANG

ADDRESSING THOSE WHO HAVE ACHIEVED HEIGHTS

 

You talk about the sky

You talk about the moon

And stars

Oh man— you

Who have achieved heights!

Any idea?

The pearls and diamonds

That you have worn on your neck and fingers

To show off your heights

Are found in the depth—

In the depth of earth

And ocean. 

*******
(Translation: HARIS ADHIKARI) 

-----------------------------

उचाइ हासिल गर्नेलाई सम्बोधन

आकाशको कुरा गर्छौ

जून-ताराको कुरा गर्छौ,

ए उचाइ हासिल गर्ने मान्छे !

थाहा छ तिमीलाई ?

तिमीले आफ्नो उचाइ झल्काउन

गला र औँलामा लगाएका

हिरा-मोतिहरु त गहिराइमा नै पाइन्छ

पृथीको र समुन्द्रको गहिराइमा ।