In recent weeks it’s been steadily raining and so I’ve spent more time indoors, studying in my library, re-reading and cataloguing the resources I’ve accumulated and have been given over the years. In one of the folios, I came across this beautiful poem by the Mongolian scholar-poet Zava Damdin Rinpoche (b.1976- ) the English language translation of which I’d like to share with you here.
________________________________
Mirror of the Heart
Those special scenes that shine from time to time
from behind the mirror of the heart
Those times, now passed like a dream
An incomparably vivid memory
There, a now distant light illuminates the path
towards a decent future
Those wonderful life epics that creep into my thoughts
Those lived times that seem to grow out of the mind
An unpredictably free eloquence
Thresholds, like high-flying masts
All of a sudden, those nostalgic meadows come to mind
Those moments that flash,
like traveling through time at the speed of light
There is no one to witness those stories like legends
The Moon of great love and compassion reflected in the lake
by
Zava Damdin
An interpretation into the English language by Zava Damdin (b.1976- ) and C. Pleteshner from the original Mongolian 15.04.2023.
_________________________________
Translation is always an interpretation into another culture.
_________________________________
Attribution
In keeping with ethical scholarly research and publishing practices and the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, I anticipate that anyone using or translating into another language all or part of this article and submitting it for accreditation or other purpose under their own name, to acknowledge this URL and its author as the source. Not to do so, is contrary to the ethical principles of the Creative Commons license as it applies to the public domain.
end of transcript.
Refer to the INDEX for other articles that may be of interest.
© 2013-2025. CP in Mongolia. This post is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 30 May 2025. Last updated: 30 May 2025.