High Peaks Pure Earth has translated new poetry that was posted online on a TibetCul blog on September 9, 2013. This is the second part of a series of poems all written on the theme of “Flame”, the first three poems were posted online on High Peaks Pure Earth on November 27, 2013.
The poetry series comes from the “Three Provinces of Tibet” poetry group, an online initiative where all poets submitted a poem with the same theme, the theme for this series was “Flame”. In total, 17 poems were submitted and we shall be posting the remaining ten translations over the next two weeks.
Below are the next four poems in the series:
“Pliant (The Outer Poem)”
By Kesang Yuldon
Sipping on a glass of vodka
During a light early autumn evening
The nectar of the country to the north
Is the night’s lubricant
There is no biting cold
Only an enduring burning in my chest
The good wine of the winter
Is the scalding first kiss of lovers
The autumn wind blows across one’s face
Modesty hidden behind one’s hair
Crawling
I crawl along this road.
Dishevelled,
My appearance unworthy of attention,
Ah, but there is beauty in my heart,
I feel as if the road is paved with gold,
Golden light shines all around.
Some people wearing spotlessly clean clothing passed me by,
Inscrutable smiles hanging on their faces,
I smiled at them in return,
Unluckily, a drop of sweat rolled into my eye,
My splendidness that should have been on obvious display
Suddenly turned into an appearance of distress.
One of them,
Seemingly became moved to pity,
She hesitantly walked towards me,
Like the petals of a flower quietly blooming,
Like a weed secretly sprouting,
Leaning over,
She whispered something to me
……
Some jewellery fell from her oily body,
In the free air they shrieked,
Swoosh!
I did not make out what she was saying.
September 4, 2013, Lhasa
“The Sky Brightens”
By Dorje Choepa
A conch shell blows out fire
A sword hacks out fire
Ten thousand lamps flicker with fire
The angry eyes of a Bodhisattva carry fire
The sky brightens
September 4, 2013
“A Dream”
By Dalai Dorje
One night after a rain
Sitting in a familiar yet strange house
Your words have made it difficult for me to fall asleep
Only cigarettes and alcohol
Accompany me through this sorrowful night
Tonight, I have discovered that this damned love
does not exist in reality, only in dreams
A beautiful dream that vanishes upon waking
As the alcohol numbs it all
Only then do I realise that it was all just me fooling myself
As I intoxicate myself with the blending of alcohol and nicotine
Only then do I realise that it was all nothing but a beautiful dream
In dreams there is no Cinderella
My love and I are nothing but a dream
Only a chance encounter halfway down the road
Just like the fusion of alcohol and nicotine
It is only loneliness
This love is nothing but a beautiful dream after a rain
Early morning, September 3, 2013
“The Language of Fire”
By Tseten
Since I began clinging to life in a handful of dust
An awkward cypress tree that has been allowed to grow
Under the direct bright light
My shadow finally leaves me
My skin has cracked and healed ten thousand times
Between boiling points and freezing points
The sun only resembles a fly
Twirling through the air in times of fomentation
I never paid attention to how much time has passed
Nor to all that has been consumed
I thirst for the black night inside rainwater
To hide my body and thoughts
Like the fragrance of a cedar
Waving nervous flames
Let all of the meandering muddy water
Return to its homeland
Only if the night became even more black
Otherwise I would not expose myself
I can endure
The dropping temperatures
September 4, 2013
Follow Us!