Pledged To Each Night Your Days Poem by Prem Narayan Nath

pledged to each night your days,
your sundry drems, sodden
range from rivers to changing skies

these still waters reek of dust
or, alternatively, are fragrant

at home and abroad
in inns and parks
on buses or trains
you dance away

Dance, and dancing
shake off your body

You've taken off time to don speed
shed flesh to wear blood

resplendent in melody
yours is the realm of gold

lost in your dance, you are frenzied
a runaway, unshackled

pledging your days to each night
how long will you dance, you man of wings
how long, the sun-bound one, will you dance?



Translated by Pradip Acharjya