Poetry:
Maun Aawaj
Stone
He often talked about colors;
About flowers, leaves and greenery.
He said—
And said quite often:
Life is, in itself, a pristine scene.
Said—
This life is soothing music.
Said—
This life is for love and good will.
When he walked, he did in slow steps
And talked in low tones, when he did.
Said—
Being stern is becoming a stone.
He often reclined on green grass and slept off,
Conversed with the sky
With the clouds
With the wind
With the sun
With water and soil
Said—
This life is nature
Said—
This life is soil
Said—
Life is water
It’s the sun
It’s the wind
And it’s a rainbow.
He always said to the hills—
Do not bar the path of the storm.
He repeatedly said—
A storm is momentary
An emotional urge is momentary too
He showed the rivers their banks
And said—
Separation is painful.
He looked at the riverbank
And said—
Life is not loneliness.
Said—
Like is a group
It’s a community
Said—
Life is a house; a family
At times, he wept
Remembering his past
And said, eyes simmering with tears are lively.
He was tender
And thought, he should not hurt sentiments
Not only of humans
But also of stones.
For,
He was a stone himself before becoming a human.
He had become a human
Following repeated breakage
And fragmentation.
Translation: Mahesh Paudyal
