BIO
Sabita Gautam Dahal is a contemporary Nepali poet. She has two books of poetry in Nepali to her credit. The English translations of her poems have been published in several South Asian journals and anthologies. She holds an M.Sc. Degree in Chemistry and M.A. in Sociology and English Literature from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She has participated in the various writers’ conferences in Nepal, India, and Japan, and has been awarded for her literary work at the national level.
BIO 
Born in Terathum of eastern Nepal, Dr. Abhi Subedi (अभि सुवेदी) received his higher education in Nepal and Britain. He is an essayist, critic, linguist, playwright, translator, and poet. He has over two- dozen books on different subjects to his credit. Among his over ten plays, strong theatre groups in Nepal and abroad have performed several of them. Professor Subedi has taught for 40 years at the Central Department of English. He is vice-President of the Nepali Folklore Society of Nepal. He is the founding former President of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) UNESCO from 2000—2008 and member of International Playwright’s Forum from 2000-2011. Subedi became President (1990-1992) and two times General Secretary of the Linguistic Society of Nepal. He was also President of the Literary Association of Nepal. He is vice-President of the Nepal Folklore Society and member of the International Association of Theatre Critics. He is involved in several interdisciplinary study groups and a prolific writer on issues of freedom, culture, literature, arts and social transformations. His essays and seminar papers are published in Nepal and outside.
Photo
Neither they see the fire blazing
Nor do they see the rain falling
they do not gather clothes
From the washing line;
they do not bolt the swinging window,
The mother returns
Sees the wet clothes from far,
Fallen glass and rotten apple
Remain just there,
Ants’ melee all over the floor.
Neither mind works
Nor does the body function
Like Ahilya’s immobility–
A curse given by her husband,
Such presences like statues
Are pervasive in every house.
Household work waits for long
Neighbour comes smelling
The burnt milk,
A small child cries from hunger,
Work laughs in the kitchen longer
Trash collector’s cart driver
Knocks on the door
Ears, eyes, and noses all turn into photos–
No movement, and no agitation.
They do not know when thieves enter
And break the padlocks
They do not know
If they are robbed of everything
In broad daylight—
These lovers of electronics
These great human figures.
Sound goes out
Echoing through them
Resounding on the wall
No sense of the bygone times
Nor of the flow,
Light keeps burning,
Fans keep churning
In the empty room,
Each evening, each holiday–
These potential photos
Frozen in the drawing room.
फोटो
न आगो लागेको देख्छ, न पानी परेको
सुकाएका लुगा उठाउँदैन
हल्लिइरहेको झ्यालको चुकुल लगाउँदैन
आमा फर्कन्छिन्
भिजेको लुगा परैबाट देख्छिन्
लडेको ग्लास वा सडेको स्याउ
त्यत्तिकै रहिरहन्छ
कमिलाको मेला भूइँभरि लागिरहन्छ।
न मन चल्छ, न तन
अचम्मको अहिल्या स्थिरता
आफ्नै पतिले दिएको श्रापझैँ
मूर्तिवत् यी उपस्थिति
घरघरमा व्यापक छन्।
गृहकार्य लामो प्रतीक्षामा पर्खिरहन्छ
दूध डढेर छिमेकी आइपुग्छ
सानो बच्चो भोकले रोइरहन्छ
भान्सामा काम खित्का छोडेर हाँसिरहन्छ
फोहोर लग्ने गाडीको मान्छे ढोका ढकढकाइरहन्छ
कान, आँखा, नाक सबै फोटामा परिणत छन्
कुनै हलचल छैन, खटपट छैन।
न चोर पसेको चाल पाउँछ, न ताला फोडेको
दिउँसै सिरीखुरी सकिँदा पनि
चटपटाउदैनन् यी विद्युत्प्रेमी
महान् मानवमूर्ति।
आवाज उसलाई छेडेर निस्कन्छ
र भित्तामा ठोक्किन्छ
न बितेको आभास हुन्छ, न बगेको
बत्ती बलिरहन्छ, पङ्खा चलिरहन्छ
रित्तो कोठामा
हर साँझ, हर बिदा
बैठकमा जमेका
यी पोटेन्सियल फोटा।
The End Sky
You never felt concerned
Never waited in any chautari
Didn’t float any cloud
Memories on the summit
Making offer of
A few moments’ company—
Lovely flower of reason
You moved on.
The same destination
The same sphere to cover
The selfsame trees,
Rivers, hills and trails
Sometimes on the right bank
Sometimes on the left
Being together,
We never made it.
Alone you never came to sit near me
Around you it was
Much too crowded for me
That was no flower of envy
Nor did possibility buds
Grow upon it
Did get no stream
To lead me to the confluence
Of tears, hopes and dreams.
The same expanse of sky
Under which to take cover
Individually
The same distance
Some early, some late
Never talked it over.
You thought
I was a burning fire
Or some deadly poison
Or a lump of frozen snow.
Heart got rent
But cells grew slowly
Healing it by and by
My heart is the same even today
You can see if you look carefully
When you have time
Wait for me at some chautari
We will cover the remaining distance
We will fly the last sky together.
अन्तिम आकाश
कहिल्यै ख्याल राखेनौ
कुनै चौतारी पर्खिएनौ
कुनै देउराली सम्झनाको बादल बनी बहेनौ
केही क्षण साथको आग्रह
दिएर कारणको सुन्दर फूल
सधैँ-सधैँ अघि बढ्यौ।
एउटै गन्तव्य
तय गर्नुपर्ने आयतन उही
रूखहरू, नदीहरू, पहाडहरू, बाटाहरू उत्ति नै
कहिले दायाँ किनारामा
कहिले बायाँ
सँगै भएर, भएनौँ साथसाथ।
एक्लै बस्ता आएर बसेनौ मेरो छेउ
तिम्रो छेउछाउ कहिल्यै खाली देखिनँ।
त्यो थिएन ईर्ष्याको फूल
लागेन सम्भावनाको कोपिला
आँसु, आशा र सपनाको त्रिवेणी पुगिने
खोलासम्म भेटिनँ।
एउटै दूरी
तय गर्नुपर्ने आकाश उत्ति नै
केही अघि, केही पछि
एक्लाएक्लै
गरेनौँ कुनै सल्लाह।
पोल्ने आगो ठान्यौ
या मारिने विष बुझ्यौ
या जमाउने हिउँको ढिक्का।
मुटु आफैँ छेडियो
बिस्तारै कोशिकाहरू जन्मिए
र आफैँ पुरियो।
उस्तै छ मेरो मुटु आज पनि
कुनै फुर्सतमा ख्याल गरेर हेर्नू
कुनै चौतारी पर्खिएर बस्नू।
सँगै हिँडौँला, बाँकी बाटो
सँगै उडौँला, अन्तिम आकाश।
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