To Catch Butterflies
I once thought it easy
To seize fragrance
To capture the evenings of monsoon
While sitting at home
To clutch starlight in my hand
I once thought it easy
To seize fragrance
To light the flower that is my courtyard
With the whisper of fireflies
To hold his memory in my dreaming eyes
Like roses cast upon a lake
I had thought it easy . . .
How I fooled myself! How could it happen?
‘To catch butterflies, you have to go far enough.’
The literal translation of this poem was made by Nukhbah Langah
The final translated version of the poem is by Lavinia Greenlaw
© Poetry Translation Centre 2004-2010
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