And here I stand athirst
a bunch of shorn stalks in hand
on a lone road uphill
past a crossing
where willows and jasmines got entwined.
 
A misty rose lingers on a stem
looking crimson in the twilight sun.
A lone star studs the sky in the east.
 
I have left the laughter
behind in the garden
and here on the gray cliff
seek in the wind
a wandering spouse for my heart.
 
Take heart!
 
From this hilltop one may see
the conversion of night insects
into glow-worms.
It abounds at the horizon
at sunset.
 
And look, how brightens the moon up!
 
Were there a world of bliss beyond,
I should not grope for it.
It would suffice to walk alone at dawn
and make a companion of the sun
for the daylong fare.
 
So bear up!
 
For I have seen at sunset
the conversion of shadows
into stars.
 
Take you any path up the hill,
and we meet at the horizon.

 © CR Mittal

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