On the Day of My Departure from Home
Shiva Lal Dahal
Khudunabari, Jhapa
It was a sorrowful morn
On the day of my departure from home
My heart was swimming in the ocean
Of sorrow, grief and sadness
I saw the morning sun afloat in the blood
The earth upon which I did stay
The flowers upon which my eyes fell
The mountains, the forests and the sky
And the clouds that wandered by
Were sunken in the stream of tears
Nature was woebegone all in despair
There was no gay of usual days
Oh! My beloved land, my native land,
“How can I leave thee?” said I
I had promises in my mind
For thee my native land
I had strong desire and aspiration
For thy good name to spread
But all gone in vain
For they become shadow and illusion
What a misfortune of mine!
If patriotism is a crime
I will carry a handful of earth
And ask my friends to put on my pyre
If I die in some foreign strand
My soul will search the native land
My soul will be in my own native land
Even if I go to some foreign land
Let me be born again and again to ensure promises
Or to sing thy glory all through my life
I thought these again and again
And with a broken heart I raised my hands
To wave farewell to the heavenly land.
(Written in 1998)
कविता राम्रो लग्यो र खुशी पनि लग्यो .