Krishna Paksha
Cold are the bosoms of this town
as though there has been a downpour of tears
incessantly,
the dream-laden eyes are all drenched,
the village has been rendered forlorn;
along every square, every street
there blows the air of hunger and scarcity
in deep sighs
This town
is a town of life
it’s my town
the town we all live in
Strewn everywhere here
are stumbles of prohibition
rules, laws and discriminations.
A palace stands at the heart of the town
and people are making speculations
they do not know
whether the palace is one of desire’s, or of joy
it’s magnificent and grand
on whose walls are hanging billboards
that read, “Laughing is prohibited here.”
We never knew
cravings for a peal of smile, desire for happiness
could be so draconian
that it could forsake time, youth, strength and sweats
and rule upon man and their minds
incessantly for ages
We never knew
in the country of life
happiness could be so conceited
it could so easily be bartered with
and could be so unjust
with so many unequal rules and laws.
Against its barbaric nature
a man, who awaits his vista for the gulf
yells
raising his fill against its ways;
he too is aspiring to see
that face of happiness
for which, he ought to reach
the same palace of joy
He bears dreams
not of gold, but of mere salt
the zeal within him however suggests
that he shall secretly break the palace of joy
and the locks on its four doors
and loot away all its bounty
Dear friend!
Pray, do not tell him at such a moment
that if he did, he would himself be looted
and, would get lost
in the deadly forest of desires.
I implore you—
do not share any of these things to him
lest an unknown dream should be murdered
once again.
Trans: Mahesh Paudyal
[Paksha is a Nepali poet, originally from Nilakantha, Dhading. He is presently in Israel, and is associated with International Nepali Literary Society (INLS). ]
Nilakantha, Dhading