By Heman Yatree
I know not which way
all our dear departed Chheppakokpas1 take
to reach the abode of God?
What the Chheppakokpas take along
to the village of hardship
foisted upon them by destiny?
Do they take ditties of life
bequeathed half-sung in the courtyard
in morning’s juvenile sun,
or, do they depart with the memory
of the first meeting
evoked by one’s beloved?
Or, else
is the whereabouts of God
sent down to them by time
their lone companion en-route this valediction?
I know not, what the departed Chheppakokpas take
as they embark on the divine trip?
The little strip of plain farmland
they earned in whole of their life
is bequeathed back;
the muzzle loader they carried
on hunting expeditions on Ramanavami Days
too is left behind;
and so is the hook they fished with at Lawa Khola
and the khukuri they carried to the pastures
as they roved herding their flocks;
what in fact do the leaving Chheppakokpas take
as they go, rendering us bereaved?
Where did the rainbow,
that ever glowed on the countenance of the relatives
fall on earth, this time?
Why does pitch-dark murk spill
all over the homes, this time?
Why does the sky wail
in torrent of tears?
Perchance, these are gifts
the departing Chheppakokpas bequeathed for us
scribbled with pens of death.
Thus set out, leaving everyone in tears
do the departed Chheppakokpas
really reach the abode of God?
Do they dream, as we do, there?
Do they engage in the August Mo2, therein?
Do they observed Mangsiré and Bisakhé3 as on earth?
In fact, do the Chheppakokpas
from the abode of God
bestow upon us
the blessings of long life?
- Ancestors
- A Kirat ritual performed in commemoration of the dead ancestors
- Mangsire / Baisakhe : two Kirat festivals of seasons, the first observed in November, and the other April
Trans: Mahesh Paudyal
[Heman Yatree (b. 1982) is a Nepali poet of high repute. He made his debut into writing with songs and ghazals, and later moved to poetry. He is author of the collection Pahad Masitai Yatra Garchha, a collection that earned by Navodit Kriti Puraskar, an award for debutants. Since then he has been constantly writing. His poems are characterized by soft human emotions, presented through a tapestry of symbols and images picked from Eastern cultural fabric.]