Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Poems --from "Vaitarini" by TVSATYANARAYANA


                                                         
I drank poetry and got intoxicated
Entranced on listening to Kalaidasa’s  Meghasandesam
Shed my tears copious  thinking of Rama’s cries
in fire of  separation  in the spring
Bloomed on watching  man and nature in love of
Radha and Krishna of Jayadeva, the moon amidst poets
Took  the nectar of parijata of Tagore’s Gitanjali
Lorded   heaven drinking the poetry of  divine Dante, Goethe, Shakespeare

I wandered  everywhere and slept in a lotus of thousand petals
Listened and  melted to the  goddess Vani’s harp in trance cosmic
         Moved in  worlds amazing  for beauty on seeing  Rambha and Urvasi  
I  gulped the poetry and got intoxicated
I met the cosmos as a lover of art
I wrote poetry immortal as Sarada’s brat -
I  am of the tribe of creator.
                                                                         
 ***

I thought  day and night of  laws exact
          in this stream of  life ceaseless
But I didn’t find any,
Time   flows like a stream of fire burning all to ashes
No flowers and friendships today that bloomed yesterday
No knowledge though turned into ashes
Appear shadows  vague in land of memory
Shadows black sans beauty
Is this life? Is this dance of shadows a way of life?
What does fate say? treasures of knowledge?
What does say human heart?
Stories historical, lives of  men eminent
Seas of blood  streamed in kurukshetra terrible and inhuman
Demoniac wars of  the twentieth century
that boasts of  marching ahead on  the dawn of science-
Is it truth? Are these laws of fate or of nature?
Are we woods drifting in the sea of time?
Why impatience? Why massacre mutual?
Why lovelessness and lack of compassion?
Why has life turned into such a  desert?
Is it all destined? What is that power?
What is the meaning of ceaseless flow of objects all?
Where is our destiny?
Is it really a play of the lord of universe?

 ***

Cried the earth- saying I can’t bear these souls evil
Cried aloud the earth; prayed to Vishnu
The mother washed  God’s feet in warm tears of sorrow 
It cried aloud as its womb shook!
“Aha! Is it my divine progeny?
This tribe of demons, lowly human mosquitoes
This reckless, merciless world of women: Are they your children?
I can’t  bear this devilish characters 
Take away wealth and give liberation”
Prayed and fainted the earth!
The lady  bitten by a thousand cobras is the earth!
 Subjected to cruel mockeries of  prostitution times umpteen
The earth sank in sorrow and death wish.
Then darkness  devoured   her  like black clouds from all corners
Stars orbited, the moon broke and fell like powder
Danced in the sky a thousand Rudras!
Pierced the cosmos a thousand forces
At all corners ran oceans of darkness.  

*** 

A flower  of thousand petals  called the Sun aloud
He of  thousand rays came into the sky
Light  red embraced the earth and shone
Songs of love heard in the sky
Shone the golden flower girl  in the lake
Arrived  the Sun on golden chariot
The flower saw  with eyes bright
It  smiled and stretched its  hands golden
While her thin waist danced in wind light
Her breasts  heaved in love
Smiling and dancing it stood  amidst lake
 The sun of sahasrabahu a prince handsome

The flower raised its head and called the sun in darkness
It bared its heart and sang  songs of sorrow
But the Sun hasn’t come
Her heart told that he would never come
 Crestfallen she in sorrow of separation
The sun appeared the next day 
  Witnessed  still corpse of my pure love
Alas,  depressed he shed tears of  fire.   
 

*** 
Earth! Mother Ancient !Bloomer of hope!
Provider  of all pleasures!  House of nectar! Beauty pure!
All these crores of humans would play like babies on your breast
They are  plants and  flowers which  grow and bloom  in your womb
When dead they know nirvana by merging  with you
Mother! Soul means faith of your soul pure in man
Pleasure is play of   your infinite love and beauty pure
Joy means a ray in  light of immortal beauty

Earth! Cheap humans roam like brutes
Split you as kingdoms countries
Fight and drench  in blood their mother’s heart.
If some call it awful, unnatural
They face death cruel
Poison, gallows, cross, burning at stake or bullet!
Human devilishness ceaseless!
But I am aware of  you as life force, pleasure giver and shining  beauty !
Mother! My life will be spent in worshipping your beauty supreme
If I die now I would sleep on your bosom cool like a baby in love.
                        
                                 


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