Naba Raj Lamsal
A mountain is never spent
though incessantly it sends milk downstream;
only that, those who drink it are never satiated.
A mountain is just a mountain— and therefore, everything.
Those who drink it add up to nothing.
The peak knows:
it has no king no subject,
no master no ruler or ruled.
The truth is that— there’s only a mountain on it
and no other mirage, anywhere.
That is why,
anywhere in the world
a mountain is always so high!
Translated by Mahesh Paudyal
Nabaraj Lamsal (b. 1969) is a Nepali poet, lyricist and media personnel. A PhD in songs, he has written songs for several films and albums, besides poetry. His published works include Pailaipichhe Sagarmatha (Everest on Every Step, poems), Aago Chhopera Katinjel (How Long Could Fire be Covered, poems), Dhoonbhitra Dhoonbahira (Inside and Outside the Tune, songs) Kramasha Eklai Eklai (Gradually, All Alone, poems), Karna (epic), Dhara (epic), etc. He presently lives in Kathmnadu, and is the Deputy Director of Radio Nepal.