Bardo Thödol for a Woman from Kumik
Kanya Kanchana
Lhamo Dolma: You have died.
Lhamo Dolma of Kumik village, child of noble family, you are now dead.
Light of this world is fading. Light of the next is yet to come.
In this umbra, Lhamo Dolma, death has arrived. It is time.
You
who chomped mountains like tsampa,
laughing, drank rivers like po cha,
you are now dead?
Lhamo Dolma: Do not be uncertain.
Some went ahead. Others yet will follow.
Remember your practice, your average capacities.
Your hypnagogic hair,
your three-jewel eyes,
your Changtang mind,
average capacities.
Lhamo Dolma: Listen without distraction.
In the bardo of becoming, there is no stopping.
See things as they are, and be on your way.
Ache, leave us your fires,
your yaks, your jewels.
Leave us the blood
your fontanelle drains.
Leave us your breath,
your body, your ash.
3 of 3
Leave us, leave us,
and do not look back.
Lhamo Dolma: Listen with attention.
Swarming, roaring, within the bright,
a thousand thunders, remember tonight.
The chang is a lake.
The night is a wheel.
My heart is a flag.
You inbetween.
Kanya Kanchana is a poet and translator from India. Her writing has appeared in POETRY, Anomaly, Asymptote, TrinityJoLT, Litro, Paper Darts, and The Common. Her translations have appeared in Exchanges, Asymptote, Waxwing, Circumference, Aldus, and Muse India. Her poetry was shortlisted for the 2019 Disquiet Prize.