Sojho Gaunle
There blows the breeze from hearts
There falls the rain of sweat
There shines the sun of conscience
There dwell people
So skillful to add fragrance to gold
Who breathe the breath of solace
Who partake in nava-rasas
the nine emotions
And adorn themselves in the rainbow
In the settlement akin to poetic images
Where the spring ever sways throughout the seasons
Bees hum the music of labor
Butterflies play the sitar of equality
Birds sing the songs of creation
The nation where
They breathe life to the constitution
With the oxygen from their own souls
The parties aspiring for liberation
Inscribe in the ink from their own hearts
The manifesto of life
To the soft-hearted cabinet
The interim order issues
From the court of the eyes
Moistened with tears
Here we have not only the mountains
Like a groom in the silk turban
The hills like youthful girls
The plains like mother’s bosom
But also
The wisdom preserved by King Janaka
In the garden
Where Parvati sowed the seeds of love
Araniko excelled in craftsmanship
Buddha spread his thoughts
Floating in the ocean of time
Bewitched by youth of the moon
Lo! Plato, who came as a tourist,
Took to writing poems
In the poet’s land.
Translation: Bal Ram Adhikari [Sojho Gaunle (official name Bharat Bhandari) is a Nepali poet and literary activist hailing from Bajhang, a district in the far-western part of Nepal. A lecturer of Nepali literature by profession, he is a member of Democratic Writers’ Association, and Democratic Professor’s Association. He is the author of Manka Bansuri, a collection of poems. He is the winner of Sudish Niraula literary award.]