Imagine it's raining cats and dogs
The hilly river has let the hair loose
To take a bath
In her bath the eyes of sadness float
And you are fast asleep
The river is on fire
The hill is on fire
The secluded river trembles in cold
And you have fallen asleep
The moon has leaned to the west
On the north is a forest where white bombax blooms
The heaving sound of the round shaped owl
And some other nocturnal bird
The river has awakened
The soldiers are setting the clouds on fire
The smoke has awakened you
The hill screams
I have lost one of my eyes
In the clouds
Please lend me one of yours
For tonight

Translated by Quamrul Hassan.

Umma Habiba is a poet and theater activist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her debut poetry collection, Ghashe Ghashe Roktoful, was published in 2022.

Quamrul Hassan is an author, poet and an MFA Candidate of Creative Writing and Translation at the University of Arkansas.