From “Moonlight on Pine Trees”
By Nirmal Verma
Translated by Viplav Saini
In the mornings the heart
would still for a moment the second
one looked out the window.
I would leave the bed and rouse my sleeping
siblings with shivering hands.
Is this Shimla—our town—or are we
somewhere else by mistake?
We don’t know that last night
as we slept unaware
the snow kept falling
without a word.
Translated from the Hindi
Notes:
Audio poem performed by Viplav Saini.
Read the Hindi-language original, as well as the translator’s note by Viplav Saini.
Source:
Poetry
(September 2023)