Issue: Vol. IV, No. 4, February-April, 2026
With a Dream
While playing with a dream
Green waves of the hills came nearing
Under the segun tree
A serpentine path led down to the rill
While walking along the path
Smeared in green waves
Shadows of the segun tree came chasing me
I cried out
All the leaves of the segun tree fell
The serpentine road
Turning into red waves of the hills
Wrapped me around.
Evening-lamp
On every lip of the girls bloomed godhuli gopal
Evening-lamps in red and white on every courtyard
Behind the homebound cattle drenched in the river
A long night trailed
Night and people float away
Climbing the trees in search of fig flowers
Unable to look down – darkness
On every lip, juice of fig seeds
Translated by Rashmi Buragohain
Jiban Narah is an Assamese poet, novelist, essayist, teacher, and social activist, known for a voice deeply rooted in the lived landscapes, myths, and memories of Assam. Born in 1970 in Morongial village of Golaghat district, his writing bridges folk wisdom and contemporary sensibility. He has authored six poetry collections, two novels, two collections of essays, and significant translations of Mising folk poetry into Assamese. His poems have been translated into English as well as several Indian languages, including Marathi and Bengali, and also into Polish. His poetry has been included in anthologies published by Oxford and Penguin. A passionate advocate of the Assamese language, he continues to work actively for linguistic and cultural preservation. His literary achievements have been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the Yapanchitra Poetry National Award (2023). He teaches Assamese at Anandaram Dhekial Phookan College, Nagaon.
Rashmi Buragohain dabbles in writing poems in English and is keen on translating regional poetry into English. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, Moran College.