The clock tower

-          Bhupi Sherchan (1936-1989)

Translated by Padma Devkota

I. Literal Comprehension

Context: This poem is written by Bhupi Sherchan (1936-1989), a popular twentieth century poet, who is regarded as one of the few first poets to successfully popularize free verse in Nepali poetry. He has presented the Clock Tower in Kathmandu as an image of an old pensioner.

The old pensioner’s military uniforms are torn and tattered and looks very scruffy. Rats ate some of his clothes. He distributed some other clothes to his relatives and friends. Now he has nothing left for himself. Nevertheless, he has kept two keepsakes of his former army life: an old pocket-watch and an ancient hat. He has hung the watch on his neck and has worn the hat on his head. Actually, the old pensioner is the Clock Tower which has been standing forever on the bank of Rani Pokhari fishing in it. The Clock Tower looks exactly alike an old pensioned veteran who is now passing his long, boring, and sad days pondering over his past active, youthful days.

II. Interpretation

This poem might be a satire to all the people who spend their youthful, active days in the foreign lands and come back to the motherland in the old age. Such people won’t have anything except some souvenirs, days full of boredom, loneliness, and sadness, and the remembrance of the youthful days. Such people cannot do anything for their own motherland except for sitting idle and being engaged in useless work.

III. Critical Thinking

The poem has presented pensioned elderly people as useless for the nation. Though I can feel the poet’s rage at those people who spend their youthful and active days for the happiness of their kith and kin without thinking much about the motherland, I don’t agree with him that they are so much useless. Actually, they help the country through remittance. They support their motherland with the money they send from the foreign lands. Moreover, we can utilize their knowledge and experience even when they are old and weak for the benefit of the nation. Therefore, we cannot undermine their contribution for the country’s economy being a blind supporter of patriotism.

IV. Assimilation

I have realized that things can be judged with different perspectives. Even the Clock Tower can be taken as an image for an old pensioner. This is what called creative thinking.