Terrible to admit,
almost all of us
should be afraid
I remember
how a few years ago,
staying in the Himalayas
I once met
a tiger hunter:
‘Just imagine
you are walking
along the side of a mountain
deep in of the forest
and suddenly, unexpectedly
out of nowhere
right in front of you
there is a striped tiger
with terrible predatory eyes.
What are you going to do?’
he asked me.
Somewhat taken aback,
I shrugged my shoulders.
‘The main thing,’ —
he continued,
‘is to stand firm
and to look him
straight in the eyes
and not to bend.
That’s your only chance.
For if you go on all fours
like an animal,
then that’s your lot —
you’ve had it!
He’ll be on you in a trice
like a coiled spring
with one powerful leap…’
And scientists are puzzled.
Why does the tiger hate it
when a man
takes on the look
of an animal?
Even God
created tigers
in such a noble form
to inspire humans
to be like them.
So when I see some
individual bowed down
and fawning,
I see red –
I want to jump on him
like a tiger.
In Almaty,
where I spent
my youth,
the wife
of a powerful businessman
from high society,
was flaunting her
beautiful,
gold-striped fur coat,
bragging about the fact
that she was wearing
the pelt of
the very last tiger
of the Himalayan mountains.
I just didn’t want to believe
what she was saying.
The Himalayas are immense,
multi-faceted,
and mysteriously wise –
If there are no tigers left,
then the mountains have died.
You should read the thoughts of the creator
in the eyes of the tiger.
Mukhtar Shakhanov (b. 1942) Kazakhstan
Translated by Belinda Cooke
Source: The High Window
glad you liked my translation
ReplyDeleteBelinda