Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Kamal Vora

No. 7 An old man sits counting leaves

No. 7 
 
An old man sits 
counting leaves 
as they fall  
from a tree. 
 
One... two... three... 
 
When several fall 
all at once, 
his counting wobbles. 
 
When a single leaf  
takes flight in the wind, 
his counting lurches. 
 
When the leaves stop falling, 
he stares fixedly 
at the fallen leaves. 
 
When he tires of counting, 
he bends  
and gathers 
one leaf  
after another, 
collecting them in a basket. 
     
His counting has already 
vanished in the breeze. 

No. 7 An old man sits counting leaves


 
એક વૃદ્ધ
ઝાડ પરથી ખરતાં પાંદડાં
ગણી રહ્યો છે
એક... બે... ત્રણ...
ચાર-પાંચ પાંદડાં સામટાં ખરી પડે ત્યારે
એની ગણતરી
લથડિયાં ખાય છે
એકાદ પાંદડું
ખરતાવેંત પવનસુસવાટામાં ઊડી જાય તો
એ મૂંઝાઈ જાય છે
પાંદડાં ખરતાં થંભી જાય તે દરમિયાન
ખરી ગયેલાં પાંદડાંને
એકીટશે જોયા કરે છે
ગણતાં ગણતાં થાકે તે પછી
વાંકો વળી
એકેક પાંદડું વીણી લઈ
ટોપલીમાં નાખતો વૃદ્ધ
ગણતરીના તાળામાં
ગોથે ચડે છે

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No. 7 An old man sits counting leaves

No. 7 
 
An old man sits 
counting leaves 
as they fall  
from a tree. 
 
One... two... three... 
 
When several fall 
all at once, 
his counting wobbles. 
 
When a single leaf  
takes flight in the wind, 
his counting lurches. 
 
When the leaves stop falling, 
he stares fixedly 
at the fallen leaves. 
 
When he tires of counting, 
he bends  
and gathers 
one leaf  
after another, 
collecting them in a basket. 
     
His counting has already 
vanished in the breeze. 

No. 7 An old man sits counting leaves

No. 7 
 
An old man sits 
counting leaves 
as they fall  
from a tree. 
 
One... two... three... 
 
When several fall 
all at once, 
his counting wobbles. 
 
When a single leaf  
takes flight in the wind, 
his counting lurches. 
 
When the leaves stop falling, 
he stares fixedly 
at the fallen leaves. 
 
When he tires of counting, 
he bends  
and gathers 
one leaf  
after another, 
collecting them in a basket. 
     
His counting has already 
vanished in the breeze. 

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère