Krishna Prasai
Ripples of joy had gripped the world!
While many enjoyed in freedom
the festive hours with fire-crackers
I was reclining, down with grief;
it was 29 May 1953 Wednesday.
A man from New Zealand stepped upon my head.
Another man, who stood atop the hood
was a porter from my own country
who, in the long run, became a foreigner too.
The truth I know is single:
The Himalayas stand above us
and the nation above the Himalayas;
we exist, because the Himalayas and the nation do.
The day Hillary placed his foot atop Sagarmatha,
and Tenzing atop his own cap
someone else rose above the nation.
That day
when Sagarmatha, the world’s hood we revere as God
shied away,
that day, when the crown of the world was vanquished
that day, when grandeur withered
was the day I cried
seeing my height diminish,
getting a stranger’s feet upon myself,
seeing you crown a man who downplayed my hood
How can I call a person great,
who crushed down my head
and is doing so, even now
erecting a Pyramid of impurity?
I have a question for you, Motherland!
Which of your gods is appeased
with offerings placed in a temple
by someone who places his feet
atop the idols enshrined therein?
I care not what you say;
I defy your old statute!
Say, where on earth can a head be crushed
after paying a fee for it?
Under whose rules can the crown be trampled
after some cash has been paid?
Can anyone mount atop the chest
merely for some pelf paid thereof?
Presently, I am soaked with indignation and hatred
on seeing the rules your country sets.
Trans: Mahesh Paudyal
Krishna Prasai is a Nepali poet, essayist and storywriter. He is the chairperson of Jara Foundation, a literary and cultural organization of high repute in Nepali. He is also the pioneer of Zen Poetry in Nepal, and his Zen poems have been translated into several international languages including Thai, Burmese, Assamese, Sinhala, Bangla, Hindi, Chinese, Korean, English, and German etc. Mr. Prasai edited Nepali Samasamayik Kavitahroo, an anthology of contemporary Nepali poetry when he was just 24 years old and exhibited a rare literary talent he possessed. Till date, the works Mr. Prasai has published include Gham Nabhayeko Bela (poems), Ghamko Barsha (Zen poems), Prakshepan (stories), Anubhootika Chhalharoo (travel essays), Never Say Goodbye (poems in English) and many other works published in isolation. Mr. Prasai has also edited Chhariyeka Kehi Prishtha (essays) and three other works, besides translating one book. Till this date, he has been awarded with Yogi Naraharinath Award, Dharanidhar Koirala Award, UNFPA Essay Prize etc. He is the Chairman of Jara Foundation, and Treasurer of Devkota Lu-Xun Academy, a literary organization.