पनौती - The strange misfortune

पनौती 

म खुसी हुनै सकिन मलाई पनौती परेको छ जति चाहेर पनि म खुसी हुनै सकिन ठुलेले ले घरबार गुमायो तैपनि ऊ खुसी छ उसले त्रिपालमुनि खुसी हुन पनि जानेको छ माइलाको जहान उसलाई छोडेर गई तैपनि ऊ खुसी छ उसले एक्लै खुसी हुन जानेको छ साइँलाको छोरो उसलाई ठ्याम्मै टेर्दैन तैपनि ऊ खुसी छ उसले कसैबाट केही पनि अपेक्षा नराख्न जानेको छ अन्तरेलाई साँझ बिहान छाक टार्नै मुस्किल छ ऊ त बडो भाग्यमानी छ भोलिको बारेमा उसलाई सोच्नै पर्दैन जन्तरेलाई राजनीतिले पोल्दै पोल्दैन ऊ खुसी छ किनकि न उसलाई समाचार पढ्नु छ न रेडियो सुन्नु छ भन्छौ नि तिमीसँग त घरबार आफ्नो आफन्त गाँस बास सबै छ तैपनि तिमी किन खुसी छैनौ सब थोक भएर पनि म खुसी छैन खै के हो के हो मलाई यस्तै पनौती परेको छ

The strange misfortune


I could never be happy.
It seems I have been cursed by misfortune.

No matter how much I try,
I simply cannot be happy.

Tom lost his home and everything he owned,
Yet he is happy.
He has learned how to be happy beneath a tarp.

Dick’s wife left him,
Yet he is happy.
He has learned how to be happy alone.

Harry’s son hardly speaks to him at all,
Yet he is happy.
He has learned to expect nothing from anyone.

Larry struggles just to find enough food
for morning and evening,
Yet he is the fortunate one.
He never has to worry about tomorrow.

Barry is untouched by politics and its endless turmoil.
He is happy,
for he neither has to read the news
nor listen to the radio.

People tell me,
“You have a home,
your own family and relatives,
food, shelter

—everything you need.


Then why are you not happy?”

Yet despite having everything,
I am not happy.

Who knows what it is—
Some strange misfortune has fallen upon me.