An Anthology of Contemporary Nepali Poetry



Manjul



Bridge



When the heart has been shattered
and the river of tears has flown
how can the bridge
between the two banks stand?

In two of the biggest boulders
holes must be drilled,
a cable inserted and bound. 
On both bank pit must be dug,
and the boulders buried there, covered with other stones,
and a wall of mud and rock erected. 

Will that suffice?
Sometimes, everything must be plastered with cement as well.

When the heart of the heart of the land has been shattered
and the river of tears has flown
to hold the bridge that joins the banks, 
we need moorings
stronger
than the bridge. 

	(Translated from Nepali by Maya Watson)





Me and My Shadow



On a journey
There I am, and my shadow

Everyone else
Come and go

Mind is almost the same
It travels with me when it wills
Other time, it abandons me to go to an unknown abode

And there always arises a question
Who am I-
The body or the mind?

The mind 
Doesn't even have a shadow.

		(Translated from Nepali by Keshab Sigdel)