This is an interpretation into the English language of a poem by the scholar-poet Zava Damdin (1976- ). The title in the Mongolian language and its Mongolian Cyrillic script is, “Газрын Үүлс Хурмастын Манан”.
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Earth’s Clouds, Sky’s Mist
Earth’s clouds rise up to the sky, and turn into mist
A Phoenix’s melody creates smooth rain
A little boy’s mind travels to a heavenly realm
Mind becomes one with Guru’s heart, and comes back againPowerful steppe winds brush aside my sadness
And fuel courageousness far into the future
My mind enters your heart, then simply melts away
Not yours nor mine, we live in the same airOne drop of dew on a blade of grass is a lake
So many tiny sentient beings happily enjoy living there
A great ocean is just one drop of water
Like a moistened eyelash of a great beingA small bush is a wish-fulfilling tree
Feeding so many sentient beings in the desert
A poor boy, as a heavenly realm’s son
Leads the true-hearted onesA Rocky Mountain is a soft cushion
Caring for heroic beings like a mother
Externally tough in character, inner nature deeply soft
Traversing earlier stages, meditation’s clarity is like a rainbowDust and sand shimmer like gold
Normal desires naturally release
A simple life becomes happiness and emptiness
Here, the landscape is a Pure LandPure Land of Swoyambhu
Zava Damdin
Translated by Zava Damdin and C.Pleteshner
English interpretation 20.02.2023 from the original Mongolian 20.06.2022
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Mongolian Cyrillic Text Version
Газрын Үүлс Хурмастын Манан
Газрын үүлс хурмастын манан болж дэгдээд
Галбингын шуранхай сац хур болон буюу
Хөвүүний сэтгэл тэнгэрийн санаа болж одоод
Хөвчин их өвгөн богдын таалал болон ирьюү
Хээрийн салхи гунигийг арилган хурайлдаад
Хэтийн уудам зоригийг тэтгэн зонхилъюу
Миний сэтгэл чиний зүрхэнд орж хайлаад
Миниймхийлэх чиниймхийлэх бус нэгэн агаарт оршъюу
Өвсний шүүдэр нуур болон оршоод
Өчүүхэн төрөлхийтний амьдрал цэнгэл болъюу
Анвад далай нэгэн дусал лугаа болоод
Агуу төрөлхийтний аньсага чийгтэх төдий үзэгдьюү
Харгана бут хан галбарваасан болоод
Хахир говьд олон амьтныг тэжээюү
Ядуу хөвүүн хан хурмаст мэт саатаад
Ялгуун зүрхтнийг харлиг болгон удирдъюу
Хадат уул зөөлөн олбог лугаа болоод
Хатангат явдалтныг эх мэт асаръюу
Хатуу зан угтаа уярам болоод
Хатамжит бясалгал солонго мэт ургаюу
Элс шороо алт болон гялалзаад
Эглийн хүсэл хүлээс эрхгүй амирлаюу
Энгүүн байгаль амгалан хоосон болоод
Эгүүрдийн дээд ариун орон болъюу
Соёмбот Орон
Зава Дамдин
20.06.2022
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Source
A Bilingual Collection of Zava Damdin (1976- ) Poetry. Vol. 1 (2021-2024). The Zava Damdin Sutra and Scripture Institute Library Archive, Manjushri Temple Soyombot Oron, Mongolia. Unpublished manuscript. pp10-11.
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Notes
Excluding the preparatory training and clarity of narrative structure and ideation required, the journey of such compositions tends to move through three phases, starting with: (i) the creation of the original composition with the vertical Mongol Bichig Script; (ii) the subsequent transfer and rendering of this transcript into the Mongolian Cyrillic Script; and then on to, (iii) a (British) English language interpretation, such as you see here. I bring to this interpretive exercise my own particular collection of English language narrative skills and their imagined audiences. From this perspective, a final English language version of a narrative emerges as a negotiated text.
Translation is always an interpretation into another culture.
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Attribution
In keeping with ethical scholarly research and publishing practices and the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, I anticipate that anyone using or translating into another language all or part of this article and submitting it for accreditation or other purpose under their own name, to acknowledge this URL and its author as the source. Not to do so, is contrary to the ethical principles of the Creative Commons license as it applies to the public domain.
end of transcript.
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