Minda Aloff reads “This year, No Losar” by Chad med sha and “Thus, We Vanish!” by an anonymous writer at the 2009 Human Rights Book Fair.

High Peaks Pure Earth, a web site dedicated to bringing voices from inside Tibet to English reading audiences, translated two poems from Tibetan blogs. The first, “This year, No Losar,” is by Chad med sha and is a call to Tibetans to refrain from celebrating Tibetan New Year (Losar) in 2009. The second poem, “Thus, We Vanish!” is from a writer on the blog, Kyi! Kyi! My Tibet. It presents an image of a land clouded by darkness, and a people changed by time.

This year, No Losar*
by Chad med sha
Translated by High Peaks Pure Earth

Last year was washed by blood,
In Lhasa, countless compatriots
Were fallen under a piercing arrow,
This year, no Losar for us,
In Sichuan, countless people
Buried under the earth,
This year, no Losar for us,

There is only the word “no” on your lips.
We are speechless,
You are filled with anger
We have no bitterness

For the sake of the deceased valiant heroes
Let us offer our regrets.
For the deceased people,
Let us make offerings

Therefore, This year
How can Losar be celebrated?
Unequivocally! No.
To celebrate is like a mindless beast,

Furthermore,
An aeroplane crashed against a cliff,
This year, no Losar for us,
A train crashed,
This year, no Losar for us,

Even more, it’s endless,
Snowstorms covered the high lands,
This year, no Losar for us,
Drought in the low lands,
This year, no Losar for us,

Smile covered countenance,
A deceitful expression,
A sign of a defeat
It is a smile of fear
Adorned with a smile of happiness,
Actually, this is a false smile
Covering dishonesty,

You are thoughtless of the people,
You pay no heed to the world,
Have you looked at the world?
You have not tread the modern path,

Mind is filled with sadness
And suffering,
Therefore, because of our anguish,
Let's not partake in Losar this year.

*Losar is the Tibetan New Year


Thus, We Vanish!
From Kyi! Kyi! My Tibet
Translated by High Peaks Pure Earth

Since the dark cloud swallowed the moonlight,
We are untouched by the warmth of the fatherland,
Our compatriots are burdened with an unbearable load
Patiently waiting for the ray of hope,

A flock of hawks chased the cuckoos away,
Destroying the warmth of spring permanently
The dark army conquered every corner of the land,
Hardly anyone even dares to mourn and utter a sorrowful sound,

The cliff where the youthful wild yak polished its horn,
The narrow valleys, where brave men left symbols of heroic deeds
Seeping into the rocks and soil
In times of rapid change,

The lofty plateau is endlessly battered by violent storms
The precious jewels of ancestors are perishing
The young, speak a stranger’s language
Declaring, we changed you into another race.

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