Let us go to eat out today

A white cool wind is blowing
Let us go to eat out today 
Let us bring back
Our missing selves today

Let those two old hands of ours
Clasp each other today
A white cool wind is blowing
Let us go to eat out today

Let our shadows
Chat at the dining table today
And let us watch them closely

The shadows can’t tell a lie
As they have no tongue to speak
Silence is their speech
Let us listen to them today

A chilly white wind is blowing
Let us go to dine out today
At the hotel called Death!

[Translated by Nirendra Nath Thakuria]

Click here to read the original Assamese poem.

Nilim Kumar is a prominent Assamese poet and novelist.

Nirendra Nath Thakuria, retired Associate Professor of English, is a renowned translator of Assam.