Poem in translation by Kumar Ambuj

Opposition to Solitary
by Kumar Ambuj

He is a pebble
In the comfort of your sleep
A tiny thought
A word in your shining language that
Makes you stutter
A pothole in your way
A deterrence to your fast pace

Among this vast pool of masses he is the one
That makes you stagger
You call him a naught
And this is how you give him reckoning

You have conquered stars
Conquered jewels, slaves, idols, the covetous
And the ruins
Your stallion is returning with wicker
A small thing is worth mentioning then
That there is a person who works as a qualm for you
Someone who is alone but is against you

This is so deadly for you
So fierce that you think of
Killing him some day
But he is a pebble, a pothole
A word, a folk tale, a tradition

(Translated from Hindi by Bharatbhooshan Tiwari)

Kumar Ambuj‘s is a well-known name in contemporary Hindi Poetry. He has published 5 collections of poetry – Kivaad (1992), Kroorta (1996), Anantim (1998),Atikraman (2002), Ameeri Rekha (2011) – and a collection of stories, Ichchayein (2008).