When I was a Child / Birat Anupam

When I was a child, I used to

kite the birds,

row the clouds,

hover along riverside in search of its breath,

and, play hide and seek with the fishes.

I used to teach the newborn calf of Koili cow

to say ‘Aama’,

that was me, who taught crow and eagle

to play thief and police.

The tree of my courtyard still waves its leaf

whenever wind visits,

by imitating my habit of waving hand

while playing TaraBaji Lailai[3] and

seeing off my uncle.

By imitating my deeds of revolving around

together with the oxen during ‘daain[4]’,

the earth had started to revolve around the Sun

of which, I knew only after joining my school.

That was also me, who whispered to sky

to be stubborn on not getting the desired things.

When I was a child

sky too used to take care of me.

after sprinkling over trees, saplings and mud

the sky used to bring an eternal pencil for me

up to the stream near our valley to let me draw

an exact picture of bride-Nature.

Despite having desperate desire

to keep that beautiful seven-colored pencil,

I could not take it, as my mother had taught

not to take anything from anyone for free,

for, that was a sin.

...........................................................................

(Translated from Nepali by Suman Pokhrel)

...........................................................................

Birat Anupam translated into English by Suman Pokhrel

.................................................................................................

This translation was first published on Asian Signature

#NepaliPoetry #EnglishTranslation #Poetry #SumanPokhrel #अनवद #अनदतकवत #कवत #नपलकवत #समनपखरल