In recent weeks, it has been raining steadily where I live, so I have spent more time indoors, re-reading and cataloguing resources in my library, a necessary and enriching way to spend one’s time. In one of the folios, I rediscovered this beautiful poem by the Mongolian scholar-poet Zava Damdin (b. 1976), whose poetry invites one to return to it again and again. Please refer to the Index of Mongolian Poetry and Articles for other works that may be of interest.
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MIRROR OF THE HEART
(English translation)
Those special scenes that shine from time to time
from behind the mirror of the heart
Those times, now passed like a dream
An incomparable 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 travelling 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
15.04.2023
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Translated by Zava Damdin and C.Pleteshner.
English interpretation 30.05.2025 from the original Mongolian 15.04.2023.
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FURTHER READING
For another poem shaped by recollection, see Mongolian Poetry 40: You Have No Choice but to Remember Me.
A different meditation on passing moments and temporality can be found in Mongolian Poetry 15: Time .
The feeling of something cherished seen across distance also appears in Letter from Mongolia 21: Home’s Distant Outline.
For another perspective on how experience is shaped by perspective, see Letter from Mongolia 09: Situated Interpretation.
End of transcript.
Refer to the INDEX for other articles that may be of interest.
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© 2013-2026. CP in Mongolia. “Mongolian Poetry 17: Mirror of the Heart” is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Open access should not be understood as the absence of attribution. Documents linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 30 May 2025. Last updated: 14 September 2026. |