Benju Sharma
Early morning on the head of the pillow
Siren for the curfew blows,
the siren of death
Movement of life is shot with bullets
the sounds running in speed
When the throat of telephone wire is throttled
words are lying on their deathbeds pierced with arrows
curfew imposed on the throat
curfew imposed on the feet
curfew imposed on the eyes
curfew imposed on very conversation
The curfew virus has
infested the nation with high fever
When the nation is lying in the shackles of curfew,
the gun that you point at others
may be fired at your own chest
perhaps, a time ripe for this has come
When the songs are buried under the unknown depth
when our feet sunken into the netherworld
only our brains stand firm and are running fast
the head spins with the rotating earth
Wrestle with your arms
or kick with your legs
fight physically like a wrestler as you can
do not challenge the twenty-first century brain
do not make an enemy of mind
a particle of which can hold the universe
which is revolving with the universe
the source of thought
There is no more legacy of the past
the past has faded in color
how long can you lock the present
with the rusted padlock of the past?
Your talks of those old padlocks and keys
and of chains and shackles
and of suppressing people under slavery
and of harrowing them under the fetters of curfew
and of Lakshyagriha1
and of disrobing Draupadi in the tricks followed by
the board game
Do not try to catch fish in muddy waters
no more please!
The prostitute talking of fidelity
and your lip service to democracy.
Translated by Govinda Raj Bhattarai (From “Representative Anthology of Contemporary Nepali Poetry” published by Nepal Academy)
- Related to the story of Mahabharata in which the Kauravas defeated Pandavas with the help of different tricks and treachery such as the burning of the lac house and disrobing Draupadi in a large meeting of both these parties. All these allusions call for the study of Kaurava-Pandava, Yuthistheer, Duryodhan, Dushasan and many legendary characters that tried to win through tricks and treachery but truth won in the end.
[Poet Benju Sharma is a distinctive poetic talent marching ahead with worthy steps in modern Nepali poetry. Subjective gravity, commitment and musical forcefulness in stylistic simplicity and lucidity, marked by disciplined contemplation saliently identify Benju. Benju was born in November, 1947 in Kathmandu, and started writing at the age of eight. Her first work to be published appeared in Rooprekha in 1961. Her books published so far include poetrty collections Andolanpurvaka Banda Abhivyakti (The Shut Expressions before the Protest) Sambandh Pradushan (Pollution of Relations) Itar Kinarako Waripari (From Around Other Margins), novel Dehamukta (Liberation from the Body), story collection Visangat (The Absurd), and joint poetry collection Two Sisters. She is a recipient of National Talent Award, Mahendra Vidyabhusan, Dirgha Sewa Padak, and four other gold medals. She lives with her family in Kathmandu. ]