7 Scots Owersetts Of Nepalese Poems Poem by Sheena Blackhall

1.Siddhicharan Shreshtha (b.1912)
No Smoke From The Chimneys (Dhuvam Niskandaina)

Nae Rikk frae the Lums
I dinna hae time,
Daith, dinna caa for me,
I dinna hae time tae dicht
the bluid frae a brukken heid.

Leddy, dinna hinner my waa-gaun
I hinna time for yer ploys.
The fowk o ma kintra
hae nae mair maet,
an are tcyauvin sairly: luik!
Nae rikk comes frae their lums.
(c.1948; from S. Shreshtha [1964] 1978)



2.Father has Not Come Home (Ba Aunu Bhaeko Chaina)
Faither hisna cam Hame
The rain is teemin, the win is blawin,
Time weirs on,
the lichts are kinnelt, denner is served.

A wumman is makkin maen:
'Faither hisna cam hame.'
Times hae cheenged,
the days o the Ranas are gaen,
they say oor chynes are brukken,
bit freedom, progress, democracy,
nane o thon hae cam.

A wumman is makkin maen,
'Faither hisna cam hame.'
The slings o oor thocht,
the thunnerskelp o oor dreams,
hae blootered the skull o derkness,
bit a new daybrakk, a new age, a new day,
nane o thon has dawned.

A wumman is makkin maen,
'Faither hisna cam hame.'

(1952; from S. Shreshtha [1964] 1978)



3.Village and Town (Sahar Ra Gaum)

Clachan an Toun
Gin the toun thrives
the kintra thrives,
say the chiels o the toun.

Gin it rains this year
the clachan will thrive,
say the chiels o the clachan

A cheil frae the toun
stops his car on the wey
an speirs, 'Foo are the craps
in the clachan this year? '

A fairmer steps forrit tae repon:
'The fairmin gyangs weel eneuch
bit can the swyte o oor darg
fill yer motor car's stammach? '
(no date; from Samsamayik Sajha Kavita 1983)


4.Children Going to School (Pathshala Jana Lageka Naniharu)

Bairns gaun tae Schule
Dinna speir at thon littlins
comin tae ye in a line,
Dinna speir at them far they're gaun.
They hae their ain roadies tae traivel,
their ain tools for makkin

They hae feet ye canna see,
Dinna speir aboot fin an far
Thon littlins hae their ain braid lift
They makk their ain wings

They spikk in their ain leid,
ken different things tae yersel
Gin they're noisy, it disna matter

Dinna ettle tae jelouse fit they say.
they're the buiks o the morn's Nepal.

(no date; from Samsamayik Sajha Kavita 1983)


5.Lakshmiprasad Devkota (1909-1959) :

Sleeping Porter: Nidrit Bhariva
His back hauds a fifty-pun wecht,
his rig bane's booed twa-fauld,
sax miles sheer in the winter snaas;
nyaakit banes;
wi twa rupees o life in his body
tae warssle agin the Ben.

He weirs a claith bunnet, blaik an swyty,
a raggety shaal;
yirdy, flech-heezin claes are teetle his skin,
his harns are fooshionless.
It's like sulphur, bit foo gran
this human body!

The birdie o his hairt cheeps an pechs;
swyte an braith;
in his sheilin on the Ben-side, bairnies chitter:
hungeret waes.
His wife like a flooer
haiks throw the wids for nettles an berries.

Aneth this great hero's snaa heicht,
the conqueror o Natur is wealthy
wi pearls o swyte on his broo.

Abeen, there is anely the lid o nicht,
studded wi starnies,
an in this nicht he is rich wi sleep.
(1958; from Devkota 1976)


6.Kedar Man 'Vyathit' (b.1914)

Ants (Kamila)

Emerteens
Comin frae a derk hole,
a comet in the nicht lift,
singin, ettlin for draps o watter,
in a strae-fulled yaird o drooth:
a line o emerteens, dumfounert, bumbazed,
rinnin throw the gairden.

Like chiels, they think they traivel
the path that heids tae vertue,
shargeret, they gyang doon tae a pit o sin,
haudin their sairs, an a traiveller's wints:
a line o emerteens, dumfounert, bumbazed,
rinnin throw the gairden.

Ower an ower they coorie aneth strae,
feart o the stangs o Daith,
fa pits on a show o lichtnin
on the pathie that gyangs back hame:
a line o emerteens, dumfounert, bumbazed,
rinnin throw the gairden

Wee bodies, muckle drooth,
een stappit wi derkness on an eynless road,
they rin wi the swither o the clouds,
takkin their pucklie gear wi them:
a line o emerteens, dumfounert, bumbazed,
rinnin throw the gairden

As they sclimm up a booed auld tree,
it's like the warld's defined
in the scrattit leid o their line,
the barderie o termites:
a line o emerteens, dumfounert, bumbazed,
rinnin throw the gairden
(1954; from Vyathit [1958] 1968; also included in Sajha Kavita 1967 and Adhunik Nepali Kavita 1971)


7.A Glimpse (Ek Jhalko)

The Glisk
Flichty as a burnie o the Ben,
warm-hairted as the yird,
bonnie like ripened craps,
blate like booin strae,
a quine wi a creel
sclimms up the braeside.

A young cheil slidders doon the Ben's pathie,
keekin at her wi the braw een
o a young bull,
keekin at her an lauchin,
as blythe as a bouquet.

O a suddenty, twa pairs of een
meet bi chaunce on the pathie,
they look doon at the grun
as if dumfounert or affrontit,
an eftir a meenit they pairt,
like the weys o a crossroad.

The burnie that 0.cowps blythely doon
sez tae the young cheil, 'I'll jyne wi the river,
an traivel the deserts, singin
the sang o yer douce tryst.'
Bit the young cheil ploos his luv
inno the parks o his hairt,
an his een are a channel
tae watter luve's hairst.

He gies a lang sough an coonts
the rigs vrocht bi the ploo.
(1954; from Sajha Kavita 1967)