Chandra Singh Gurung (Nepal/ Baharain) is a Bahrain-based Nepali poet, who writes in his native language, Nepali. His first collection of poems was published in 2007, and his works have appeared in many print and online magazines worldwide. He had also organized many literary events in Nepal, including the event of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh in 2016. Fayad was later sentenced to death for apostasy by the government of Saudi Arabia. He was accused of promoting atheism in his work.Chandra Gurung’s poetry depicts the politico-socio-economic conditions of his place.
English
Nepali
THIS LIFE
This life,
From the cup of a tea early in the morning
Carrying desires of touching skies
Soars high in the form of steam.
After a while
Dashes here and there
Wanders around the world of fantasy.
And finally,
Dissolves before realizing its dream.
Sometimes,
Standing on an estranged place
I slowly sip the tea of life
Prepared without sugar and tea leaves,
Neither any color,
Nor any taste,
Without any sweetness in it,
Only to subside the hunger of dreams
And to quench the flirty thirst of desires.
This life-
Starts every morning
With many thoughts boiling inside me,
But wears out
By everyday exhaustion and failures.
Every evening,
Stinks badly like the rotten dreams
And spreads the foul odor of
Bitter experiences
In every nook and corner of heart.
FOREIGN LAND-1
From the home country
Comes a bird of news
Clutching bits of happiness in its beak
And perches by the small window of my heart-
Life drips down in tear drops …
Poor this happiness!
From the home country
Arrives a dark cloud of message
Carrying the agony of home and family …
It brings along storms of anxiety
Bangs a sharp thunder of affliction
Poor this pain!
This foreign land
Is a two-edged sword
That cuts not only in happiness
But also in pain …
FOREIGN LAND-2
In this alien land,
I have brought two eyes
Always seeing the towering dreams.
Along with,
I have brought hands that toil day and night
The legs measure more journeys of life.
In this alien land,
I have brought my lip
That smiles too sometimes.
In this alien land-
Joys have danced in the heart
Life has bloomed smiles.
Time has accumulated happiness.
My friend
I have everything, in the foreign land
Joys
Smiles
Laughter
Happiness.
Only I don’t have is a heart,
That could fit all these,
But it is left somewhere behind
In my own land.
DESERT: A LIFE IN
MIRAGE
On the canvas of countenance
Not a single streak of smile is sketched.
Butterfly of bliss hasn’t flown over the cheeks
Like a garden
Where all the beauty has dried up
Such is a bland desert!
Everywhere is the desiccated brushwood
Come the parched hands of breeze
To caress the youth
The lonesome eyes devoid of exhilaration
The mountain of solitude
Taking heights
gradually!
For all day long
The eyes keep meeting with the blithe sun
Sirocco keeps teasing
Wishes to attract a stranger with its youth
Desires to woo someone with its impish gesture
Waiting for an amorous embrace
Thus living a bride-like dream is the desert!
In the bosom adorned are date trees green
Festooned between earlobes are the poised cacti
In the eternal caravan of copious desires
A mirage life this is!
जीवन
यो जीवन
बिहान सबेरै चिया गिलासबाट
आकाश छुने रहरमा बाफ बनेर उठ्छ ।
यता ठोकिन्छ
उता ठोकिन्छ
भौतारिरहन्छ कल्पनाको संसारमा
आखिर विलीन हुनपुग्छ लक्ष्यमा पुग्नुअघि नै ।
कहिलेकाहीं, म
बिरानीमा उभिएर
चिनीपत्तीबिनाको चियाजस्तो जीवनलाई
निल्छु बिस्तारै घुटुक्क घुटुक्क
न कुनै रङ
न स्वाद
न मीठास
केवल सपनाहरूले भोक शान्त पार्न
र मेट्न इच्छाहरूका उत्ताउलो तिर्खा ।
यो जीवन
प्रत्येक बिहान
मभित्र उम्लिरहेका नानाथरी सोचाइ झैं सुरु हुन्छ
दिनभरिको थकान र असफलताले टुक्रिएर
हर साँझ
ठस्स गन्हाउँछ कुहिएका सपनाहरू
र तीतो नमीठो गन्ध
फैलिँदै जान्छ मुटुको अन्तरकुन्तरमा ।
परदेश–१
घरदेशबाट चुच्चोमा सुखका टुक्राटाक्री च्याप्दै
खबरको एउटा चरी
मनको आँखीझ्यालनेर आएर बस्छ ।
आँसु बनेर खस्छ जीवन
कठैबरी यो खुसी !
घरदेशबाट घर–परिवारको व्यथा बोक्दै
सन्देशको कालो बादल आइपुग्छ
ल्याउँछ पीरको हावाहुरी
बजार्छ मनमा दुःखको चट्याङ ।
कठैबरी यो पीडा !
परदेश त
दुइधारे तरबार पो रहेछ
खुसीमा पनि काट्छ
पीडामा पनि काट्छ ।
परदेश–२
परदेशमा
सधैँ गगनचुम्बी सपना देख्ने गरेका
दुई आँखा ल्याएको छु
रातदिन खटिरहने हातहरू ल्याएको छु
नाप्दै छन् खुट्टाले थप उकाली–ओरालीहरू ।
परदेशमा ओठ ल्याएको छु
जो मुस्कुराउँछ पनि कहिलेकाहीँ ।
परदेशमा
हृदयभरि नाचेको छ उमङ्गहरू
जीवनमा फुलेको छ मुस्कान
समयले हात पारेको छ सुखसुविधा ।
साथी !
सबथोक छ परदेशमा–
उमङ्ग
मुस्कान
हाँसो
सुख ।
मात्रै छुटेको छ
यी सब जतनपूर्वक सम्हाल्ने मुटु
उतै घरदेशमा
मरूभूमि: एउटा मृगतृष्णा जीवन
अनुहारको क्यानभासमा
एक धर्सो चहकिलो मुस्कान कोरिएको छैन
गालामा हर्षको पुतली उडेको छैन
सारा सुन्दरता ओइलिई गएको बगैँचाजस्तो
उजाड छ मरुभूमि !
चारैतिर सुकिसकेका पातपतिङ्गर छन्
हावाका शुष्क हात यौवन सुम्सुम्याउन आउँछन्
आँखाभरि मृत उमङ्ग सँगाल्दै
अग्लिरहेको छ एक्लोपनको टाकुरा !
दिनैभरि आँखा जुधाउँछ अल्लारे घाम
जिस्क्याइरहन्छ हावाहुरी
आफ्नो बैँसले कुनै बटुवालाई फकाउने रहर छ
हाउभाउले कसैलाई लठ्ठ्याउने चाहना छ
प्रेमिल अँगालोको पर्खाइमा
बाँचिरहेको बेहुली सपना जस्तो मरूभूमि !
छातीभरि खजुरको हरियो बोट सजिएको छ
कानमा सिउरिएको छ जवान सिउँडी
सामेल छ इच्छाहरूको लामो क्याराभानमा
एउटा मृगतृष्णा जीवन !