Sandhya Pahari
I want light
Whether that descends
From the sky
Or rises from the earth
Or blossoms in futurity.
My reason is simple —
You cannot see path
In the night dark
You cannot block the dark
With hands so tired.
Walking is essential
I want vision’s warm cuddle
I want only light.
I want peace whether that
Comes from the Tathagat
Or is born out of the world
Or created by the selfsame Buddha
Or may be given by forests and vales
Or may come as peace drawn from rumor
Eyes cannot face blood
Villages, mountains and greens here
Cannot bear the weight of
Fretfulness and tears.
I wish each human appearance
Showed the face of the Buddha
Each human heart
Became pure and clean.
That is why I say
We possibly need
A bloodless revolution
I need peace.
I need dreams
Whether eves see them
Or the pen writes them down
Whether they come sailing in the clouds
Or mounting on melodies.
Eyes that cannot dream
Will never see
Eyes devoid of reveries
Can neither laugh nor cry
Tears and laughter
Are needed for living
You can demand more life
With your own life,
That is why I say
I need the dreams.
Trans: Abhi Subedi
Poet Sandhya Pahadi (b. 1970) is a Nepali poet. Her published works include two poetry collections Mrigatrishna ra Anya Kavitaharu and Ghamka Akshyar . She has edited literary and cultural magazines like Kavita, Lok Sanskriti, Antardrishti and Vishwa Nari Kavita (World Women’s Poetry). She is the chief of the Department of Planning, Nepal Academy, and Chairperson of International Nepali Literary Society (INLS), Nepali Chapter. She lives with her family in Kathmandu.