Who and what I Am

Netralal Pandey

Excuse me—
It’s ‘I,’ but not a spy,
A mysterious guy,
As you think.
Not so high,
Not so low,
Where I lie.

I’m no one,
Just flesh and bone,
Physically not so different
From you.
But very different
In meaning,
In understanding,
Than you are.

I’m not what
I appear to be,
But I am what
Cannot be seen from outside.
The ocean’s depths remain hidden—
The sea’s surface doesn’t reveal its treasures.
To seek its treasure,
We must dive deep.

You can’t understand me
By looking at my face.
Study what I read,
Read what I write.

Shakespeare said,
“There’s nothing in a name,”
But I say,
“There is nothing in fame.”
But there is something
In the game you play.

So,
I’m not my name
By which I am addressed.
It’s not the outer world
That you call the great world,
But what I view,
Where I walk—
Is the world of mine.
Where I put my foot and walk
Is my own land.
What I do and talk
Is my true name.

I am my philosophy,
My thoughts and faith,
And my duty
To perfect them
To the last breath.
This is my true name.

(Composed on 2059-07-02)

Netralal Pandey is from Madanpokhara, Palpa. At present, he has been dwelling in Sunwal, Nawalparasi.