~Buddhi Sagar Chapagain~
Translated by Yuyutsu Sharma
Every morning
my mother looks into
the other end of the sky
and says— Look son,
even last night sky got aflame.
I do not understand a thing.
What I do understand is—
in the sky reside
the deities my mother worships.
in the sky there lies the moon
which God has made.
And then in the same sky
there are stars that shine
like necklace of nine golden beads.
From the sky itself
God pours the waters
and from the same sky drop
hailstones scattered by Lord’s might.
As the sun rises in that sky
my mother’s face blooms
and along with setting sun
my mother’s face droops…
It looks as if
by constantly facing the burning sky
my mother has become a naked sky.
I see on creases of her eyelids
millions of skies, moons, stars
and water drops displayed in profusion.
I am shorter in height, a mere pigmy
can’t reach up to her eyes to look
into my mother’s eyes,
can’t wipe water drops
and hailstones from her eyes.
Lighting two candles,
I can only make a prayer;
do not put sensibilities aflame.
do not char color of this earth.
It blisters the face of the sky
and my beloved mother’s.
(Source : Drunkenboat.com)
