Poem
Banira Giri
What Am I?
A black hole in space,an oasis drained of itself,
a corpse tossed beneath a bridge
on the outskirts of town?
Hey, listen—a face—
I found myself in you
I embrace you and falling at your feet
ask—you must tell me
what am I?
Am I merely
a night exhausted by lightning bolts?
A thorny bush of berries?
Am I the avenging curse of Sati
or the blade of Bhimsen Thapa’s suicide?
A black hole in space,
an oasis drained of itself,
a corpse tossed beneath Tukuche bridge?
or the Kot massacre entire
dazed in itself?
Tell me, what am I?
What am I?
Only an instance of helplessness
turned toward myself
or a series
each in its own right arising and ceasing
going and coming?
© Translation: 2000, Wayne Amtzis and Anjali Joshi
From: From the Lake, Love
Publisher: Himshikhar Publications, Kathmandu, 2000
From: From the Lake, Love
Publisher: Himshikhar Publications, Kathmandu, 2000
Ma Ke Hun?
Ma Ke Hun?
© 1975, Banira Giri
From: Euta Euta Jiundo Janga Bahadur
Publisher: Ananda Press, Kathmandu
From: Euta Euta Jiundo Janga Bahadur
Publisher: Ananda Press, Kathmandu
Poems
Poems of Banira Giri
Close
What Am I?
A black hole in space,an oasis drained of itself,
a corpse tossed beneath a bridge
on the outskirts of town?
Hey, listen—a face—
I found myself in you
I embrace you and falling at your feet
ask—you must tell me
what am I?
Am I merely
a night exhausted by lightning bolts?
A thorny bush of berries?
Am I the avenging curse of Sati
or the blade of Bhimsen Thapa’s suicide?
A black hole in space,
an oasis drained of itself,
a corpse tossed beneath Tukuche bridge?
or the Kot massacre entire
dazed in itself?
Tell me, what am I?
What am I?
Only an instance of helplessness
turned toward myself
or a series
each in its own right arising and ceasing
going and coming?
© 2000, Wayne Amtzis and Anjali Joshi
From: From the Lake, Love
Publisher: 2000, Himshikhar Publications, Kathmandu
From: From the Lake, Love
Publisher: 2000, Himshikhar Publications, Kathmandu
What Am I?
A black hole in space,an oasis drained of itself,
a corpse tossed beneath a bridge
on the outskirts of town?
Hey, listen—a face—
I found myself in you
I embrace you and falling at your feet
ask—you must tell me
what am I?
Am I merely
a night exhausted by lightning bolts?
A thorny bush of berries?
Am I the avenging curse of Sati
or the blade of Bhimsen Thapa’s suicide?
A black hole in space,
an oasis drained of itself,
a corpse tossed beneath Tukuche bridge?
or the Kot massacre entire
dazed in itself?
Tell me, what am I?
What am I?
Only an instance of helplessness
turned toward myself
or a series
each in its own right arising and ceasing
going and coming?
© 2000, Wayne Amtzis and Anjali Joshi
From: From the Lake, Love
Publisher: 2000, Himshikhar Publications, Kathmandu
From: From the Lake, Love
Publisher: 2000, Himshikhar Publications, Kathmandu
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