An English translation by the young Mongolian scholar Naro, of a poem by Zava Damdin (b. 1976). Please refer to the Index of Mongolian Poetry and Articles for other works that may be of interest.

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TIME

(English Translation)

Time, you are like a bird
Like a path in the sky, you fly by
Whilst sitting, you still fly within your thoughts
Yet, there’s nothing to hold in the hand

Flying is … as if standing on thin air
Like standing ceases to exist
Yet unable to grasp within one’s mind
Time, you are like a fish

Like a water path, you swim past
Whilst stopped, the fins are still moving
No trace detectable within the water
Swimming is, as if a mere stop in waters

Nothing left of the past, nothing arriving of the future
The present, never halting
Time, you are like an antelope
Like a mirage, you flash across

Whilst lying down, still galloping in one’s thoughts
No destination within the mind
Galloping, is a mere touch of the ground, a mere breath of the wind
The present is like the arrival and passing of time

Nothing kept within the steppe breeze
Time, you are like a metropolis
Buildings so tall, yet smaller than the mind
Fast vehicles, yet slower than one’s thoughts

Society, yet as if a single person’s play
Time, no one can trick you
Although no physical form, you’re a noble judge
Although without eyes, you see everything

Although without ears, you hear all
But no entity can judge you
And no one can see nor hear you
No one can clutch or confine you

You, the king of death, who weighs the truth and lies
Oh time, I sometimes cherish you
Sometimes, I fear you
Sometimes, I imagine you in forms
Sometimes, I imagine that I am you

by
The Little Hermit of Grassy Mountain
Translation by Naro
27.05.2024
Pure Land of Soyombo
(Reprinted with permission)

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Translation is always an interpretation into another culture.