मंगलवार, 2 नवंबर 2010

SELECTED POEMS OF DR. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR — 1

SELECTED POEMS OF

Dr. MAHENDRA BHATNAGAR

[FORTY POEMS]

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Contents

* Preface : Dr. Vidya Niwas Mishra

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POEMS

1 Lust For Life

2 Reap The Paddy

3 O Wind

4 The Splendour Of The Earth

5 Woman Reborn

6 Youth

7 Lose Not Your Heart

8 Suffering

9 Dilemma

10 Vision

11 The Beauty Of The Sleeping Moon

12 Who Are You?

13 Light The Lamps

14 To The Moon

15 Moon Light

16 No Grievance

17 Conviction

18 Day-Dreaming

19 The Blessedness Of Man

20 The Man

21 Betrayal

22 Not Alone

23 Life-Stream

24 State Of Night

25 Far Across The Fields

26 Life Today

27 The Middle Class - 1

28 The Middle Class - 2

29 The Future

30 Light

31 Conviction

32 The Firmament Will Change Its Colour!

33 With Flags Of Peace

34 Gala Of National Liberation

35 The Masses

36 Visions

37 Resurgence

38 For The First Time

39 It Won't Collapse

40 To Mao And Chou

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PREFACE

By : Dr. Vidya Niwas Mishra

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I have gone through this anthology of Dr. Mahendra Bhatnagar’s selected forty poems. The thing which strikes foremost is the note of blazing optimism coming out of these poems, be they songs of love, songs of future of man or songs of the advent of a new era ushered in by the common man all over the world. Though unfortunately I cannot share this optimism, I am deeply moved by the vigour with which it has been projected by the poet. Mahendra Bhatnagar is Browning, Shelley and Maykovsky welded into one, he is a visionary, he is a comrade-in-arms and he is an architect. His ‘Man fired with faith divine moves on’ because he is firm in his conviction that ‘one day the heart-rose shall bloom in the midst of impediments galore.’ He seeks strength from ‘the firmament’ which ‘has changed its colour’ and from the wind, which is always ‘humming a tune’, from the ‘gracious mother earth’ which is blessing man with a life - ‘long and happy’.

He sings of youth in a new vein, youth for him is not a passing phase, it is something ‘which endures’. To him woman no more bears ‘frailty’ as her other name, she is no longer ‘a source of pleasure and pastime’. In this emancipated woman he has found a companion. He is ‘never alone’, ‘the resurgent age is with him’, the future is driving him on. These are a few pieces which reflect the inner struggle between this optimism and disillusionment, but they are subdued by the dominating voice of hope. Such a sincere optimism is a rare quality and deserves full applause; more so, when we have the perspective of a sad and sick man of today.

The poet has a very sensitive ear for cadences and knows how to use them. His diction is chaste though racy, transparent and yet colourful, his imagery drawn partly from common-place of life and partly from poetic conventions, is simple and effective, it is not pretentious, as the so called modern imagery is and is the most suited instrument for the content.

I envy the impetuosity of Mahendra Bhatnagar and at the same time I admire his patience (‘the wall won’t collapse’) and his courage. If at times he is carried away by his creed, it only shows his zeal and not his weakness. If at times, he looks utterly lost in 'the masses idea', it only shows his devotion to the cause and not his lack of personality. If at times he turns a romantic visionary, it is an indicator of his fiery youth and not of his blindness to reality.

I sincerely hope, these poems will be received well.

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[1] LUST FOR LIFE

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The man lives on

By the cravings of love!

The lightning crash near him,

The tornadoes roar and rage around him,

But a faith mysterious

Over brims his heart,

And sleeps he cosy and comfortable

In the shade benign of dreams and visions splendid!

The man lives on by the cravings of love!

In front of him mountain peaks dizzy,

Around him yawn chasms deep

But fired with faith divine

The man moves on

To get comrades genial

On his way eternal!

The man lives on by the cravings of love!

The death's orchestra plays on,

The mango-groves once jubilant and gay

Are silent and deserted now;

But with faith divine

In the midst of tears and sighs

The man laughs on!

The man lives on by the cravings of love!

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[2] REAP THE PADDY

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Reap the paddy, mow the paddy

Mow on, reap on!!

All the fields to the vision's end

Are full and mature!

So ripe and full!!

Rustling and surging

With glee over brimming!

Flow with the air

And laugh like blooms,

Get up and quit the old hovels

Comrade! the open fields are beckoning you!

Reap the paddy, mow the paddy

Mow on, reap on!!

Water trickled through the glaciers,

And ran in many rapid restless currents

Carrying along the alluvial dust,

Down the heights of the Himalayas.

The dust drenched in sweat of labour,

Shot up in the bowers and on boughs

Blossoms white, red and yellow

The gracious Mother Earth

Blesses you with a life-long and happy!

Reap the paddy, mow the paddy

Mow on, reap on!!

When the monsoon clouds dark and dense

Enveloped the sky and hovered over head,

The dry bowers of heart

Were drenched with hopes divine,

With abandon and delight;

As if,

The beautiful white - 'Kajal'1-applied eyes

Of a pretty, healthy, sweet, delicate mellow maid

Bedecked with lustre bewitching

Over brimming with live emotions new

And dreams of simple life,

Sing the song of a world reborn!

Reap the paddy, mow the paddy

Mow on, reap on!!

The seeds sown by your labour devout

For the world's resurgence and remarking

Have come to blossom,

The fond dreams nurtured in the lap of eye-lids

Those seeds now find fulfilment and fruition

And embrace these myriad spikes

And play with abandon in the cool moon-light

Be up and doing,

Hear O! you master of the vast land

From Kanya-Kumari to mountain Kailash!

Hear and hail the new upsurge!

Behold the families all of the village,

Find the fruition of their dreams!

Reap the paddy, mow the paddy,

Mow on, reap on!!

The teeth are fallen

Hair are dry and dull,

Yet in the wrinkles of the face

There dances a smile — easy and natural!

The fragrance embraces the whole universe

The sky drips with odour sweet

Wake up! the pride of my land!

Reap the paddy, mow the paddy

Mow on reap on!!

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1- A preparation made out of the soot of an earthen lamp burning mustard oil and applied to the eyes by an overwhelming majority of Indian women.

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[3] O WIND!

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O wind!

Come, tuning a song,

Come, sweeping,

Shaking the boughs

Come, raising the dust!

Lovely fragrance filled

O vital Eastern Wind!

Come skipping

Over the distant mountain-peak!

O Wind!

Mad and over-brimming with youth

Come, kissing

These new green leaves

Come, humming a tune,

Come strewing the shreds of cloud!

Drunk and forgetful of mind,

Drunk and forgetful of body,

With laughter bubbling

Sweet and vivacious,

Vibrating the heart strings

Come, dancing!

O Wind!

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[4] THE SPLENDOUR OF THE EARTH

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Green and all green and 'Sonfia'1

Oh Dear! are the boughs,

The laden boughs!

Rows after rows are rustling

Thousands, millions, rows innumerable!

The lavish caresses of the breeze,

Have filled the air with a joyous outcry.

Oh, on our earth descends

A green youthful fairy!

With blooms new on all her curves.

Green and all green and 'Sonfia'!

Oh Dear! are the boughs,

The laden boughs!

Suffused with dim red are the skies

Smeared as if with 'Gulal'2

Are the spacious cheeks of Heaven.

Bedecked with fineries,

A bewitching beauty every branch to-day,

Carefully adorned with foliage patterns.

Oh Dear! enveloped is every branch

In a captivating green 'Chunary3'!

Green and all green and 'Sonfia'

Oh Dear! are the boughs,

The laden boughs!

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1- A light green colour similar to that of aniseed.

2- A long piece of cloth loosely thrown over the blouse, shoulders and head by Indian village women.

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[5] WOMAN REBORN

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You aren't a purse-purchased commodity of man,

Nor are you the soulless slave girl,

The brainless hand-maid and the lifeless doll.

No longer are you the age-old

Down-trodden footwear of man,

Not a source of pleasure and pastime any more

Frailty is not thy name,

A bed of roses you desire not.

Nor are you caught in the whirl-pool any more

But banks distant you adorn now,

No longer shall injustice crush you,

New power and zeal of the time is with you;

Your hands are now free from chains;

Prison social or personal confines you not,

Nor does man dominate your mind and body

That you submit to his whims

And utter not a complaint even by chance

On behalf of the youths millions of the world

I speak, not as your lord, but as a friend;

I simply wish to bind you

With bonds silken of eternal love!

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[6] YOUTH

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Time shall pass away

But youth shall endure!

From time immemorial the current of youth

Washing aside obstacles galore,

Has constantly flowed on,

And shall ever flow on!

From time immemorial the orchestra of youth

Has been playing on

And shall ever play

The new melody of resurgent life!

The vibration shall never die,

But shall forcefully resound

In the sky, in all directions,

In every city and in every street,

To shake all from slumber deep!

The world of dreams

The world of darkness

Is bound to dwindle!

The darkness will stagger,

And darkness will die out,

But the light of youth

Shall never grow dim!

Time shall pass away

But youth will endure!

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[7] LOSE NOT YOUR HEART!

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Do not lose heart!

One day the heart-rose shall bloom

In the midst of impediments galore!

So, lose not your heart!

Sport with the fury of storms,

If they rage and roar around you.

Stand up to the heavy rocks

They fling at you!

You know well enough

The weather is rainy;

There's rough and tumble in the sky,

The dark clouds hover and thunder above

Let all that be a song sonorous to you!

True,

Flashes the lightning, again and again

But to you a crackling of firework it is!

If you tread your track unmoved

Your destination itself will arrive one day

And meet you half way!

Do not lose heart!

One day the heart-rose shall bloom

In the midst of impediments galore

So, lose not your heart!

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[8] SUFFERING

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Youth you are of the up coming age,

Shedding tears

In remembrance of the beloved,

Or for her betrayal

Behoves you not!

Clouds are gathering,

Breeze vernal blows slow,

Sky is lit up with moon-light!

Far away are you from beloved!

Or she has broken your trust

Simple and sentimental you are,

Enshrined in your heart is love,

And desire lurk there,

And longing too for happiness,

And dreams of a fresh, golden smiling life!

But, today they are shattered,

As if a thermometer slipped

From the hands on a stone,

The tears roll like mercury,

As though lost now is all your control!

Heed no more that

The candle is burning out,

And like sharp thin thorns

The memories are piercing the heart!

These pigeons

Calmly sitting on the roof

Do they too,

So remember some one?

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[9] DILEMMA

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What's is this weariness?

That leaves inert every limb, every nerve!

Deadened is the mind to sensations all,

Heavy and tired are the eyes with sleep!

How is it,

That fatigued out is my soul

And the vault of heaven resounds not

With the melody of my soul?

Wax-like melt the convictions firm

Oh! why hope of future too

Is receding fast like a star

Away and away from sight?

Thorns lie concealed in the dust

On life's road difficult

And strewn with impediments is my path.

How is it,

That my soul's lamp flickers fast

As these storms rage in the skies?

Ah, a reality, it is too grim

An illusion it can't be!

Forget it! shall I?

Or shall I weakened by weariness,

Sleep and swing on the chords of dreams

In the quiet woods of calm breath?

Or, abjectly surrendering to stark reality

Shall I rein in the soul?

(Which dormant lies already.)

Or shall I,

With all the might of the soul

Fight every movement of reality?

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[10] VISION

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Indeed attached to the earth though we are

Yet the bond of love for the moon and stars

Is unbreakable as ever,

In dreams and ideals we do indulge,

Yet no less significant is our pledge

To make them real!

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[11] THE BEAUTY OF THE SLEEPING MOON

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Cosy lies the moon on the star-spangled carpet!

So care-free physically,

Mentally so free from worries;

And so content with life

Holding somebody's loving 'Anchal1'!

Cosy lies the moon on the star-spangled carpet!

With feelings all anew,

With imaginations all novel,

With desires all maiden;

And with a heart full of a world of dreams!

Cosy lies the moon on the star-spangled carpet!

With happiness oozing out of every breath,

With hopes nectareous

And thirst eternal;

Clasping light luminous to his heart!

Cosy lies the moon on the star-spangled carpet!

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1- Hem, Lap.

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[12] WHO ARE YOU?

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Who are you long-lost in waiting,

So awake in the dark mid-night?

Clouds of darkness are fleeing fast

From end to end of universe,

The atmosphere is calm and quiet

And without a wink

The stars stare in sky

Who are you, sweet ! so awake

In the company of galaxy of stars?

Whose lamp is it burning

With light new at the door?

It is illuminating the path,

Light is reaching out far beyond,

What is this lamp, flickering alone

In the face of the furious wind?

Again and again to-day

Strikes somebody the chords of heart-lyre

And from black lustrous eyes now and then

Flows down love on both the cheeks,

What is that agony

Twitching the heart of lotus full awake at night?

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[13] LIGHT THE LAMPS

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The storm is petering out

Now in the new abode

Do light up a lamp — anew!

Dreams - their dome

Once lit up with moon and stars

Lies deflated — torn!

The harp-strings, all pieces

The ones that emitted melodies once!

I want to forget all

So please sing me a song

Fresh and sweet

In a new strain!

Ask me not

How many times

Did I fall and rise

On the stream of life

Many a time

My emotions lay dead in dust

And often soared in the blue,

Yet do I know —

I have drained the cup of poison to the dregs,

Sure do I know —

Unshakable is its effect!

But why don't you

To my lips bring the flask of nectar!

The desire still burns,

And the portals of heart

A tide of laughter knocks,

Dear! the love is still alive with all its aspirations,

Steeped in the flowery sweetness of spring

Several nights of enchanting mad moon still remain,

Talks of faith and betrayal

And thousand other trivial things!

Smile and smile a little

And be with me, my company!

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[14] TO THE MOON

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Please smile not and tempt me thus,

Or else I shall kiss your cheeks!

Yes, lavishly endowed with beauty you are

Your graceful eyes reflect the dream world of happiness

Where dance the naked damsels

Where new beauties enter and add to glamour

Go and join the beauty parade

Please shed not your lustre here!

How stealthy are your steps

Like a thief you traversed the sky

But no sooner the golden sun withdraws

All your lustre bewitching spreads out,

Cover not your limbs with attempt so vain!

For ages past I have seen you so mute

Tell me please, I ask, ''Who are you?''

Now never shall you escape from view

Strewn is the entire court-yard with your treasure to-day

Please pause in your path and enshrine me softly in \your heart!

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[15] MOON LIGHT

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Giving herself airs the moonlight approaches me,

Knowing me alone, the moonlight beguiles me ever!

Slowly on the parapets comes down the moon-light,

Lovely and sweet song sings the queenly moonlight!

On my roof and tin-shade spreads the moon-light,

With my hands and face openly plays the moon-light!

Sleeps not herself nor allows others, the moonlight!

At dawn, nobody knows where flees the moonlight!

This moon-light speaks not to me none knows why,

Fills the heart with strange nectar of love, this moonlight!


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[16] NO GRIEVANCE

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No grievance have I against you today!

The helpless eyes conceal the whole secret

The pleasant pictures of our meeting

Are enshrined in the heart,

I think over and over again think I

Far far away a new path search I!

No habit though have I of forgetfulness Dear!

No grievance have I against you today!

Willingly or unwillingly sweet dreams

I sometimes enjoy;

Thus intoxicated I conjure up your image

No harm if I smile,

And create a new world of my own;

No mischief indeed is this!

No grievance have I against you today!

Sometimes even a tree embraces a creeper lone,

The tired Lotus also takes the Bee in the cosy petal-fold

When she shield and shrank

Your memory tormented me all the more

Beauty of the universe is nobody's pawn!

No grievance have I against you today!

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[17] CONVICTION

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Full well do I know

A day is to come

When before my eager eyes

With a pitcher of nectar you will come!

As comes a rain-laden cloud

And hovers in the sky!

You would open the door

With hands as fair as mirror

And stand in modesty

With your innocent cheeks

Blushing red and rosy

Your eyes would tell me

Who-knows-what in language mute!

The moon thrills 'chakore'1

At dawn, lilies open up

So your face glamorous

Shall make some one restive

And he will be lost

In dreams sweet and bygone!

But soon he shall beckon you

And ask, ''How are you?

When did you come?''

What shall your answer be?

Perhaps none, except two deep sighs

And then you may put

Your 'Anchal'2 on your eyes!

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1- A bird enamoured of moon according to Indian myth.

2- Hem, Lap.

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[18] DAY-DREAMING

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From morn till night

Nothing could I do

But set afloat in fancy's ocean

Lamps of long-long cherished dreams!

And draw living Ajanta frescoes

On the canvas, my heart!

How intensely I've been seized

By your beauty!

From morn till night

Nothing could I do

But wander in the Elysium — my thoughts

Like a traveller free from bonds!

Like a love-lorn bee

I've only kissed and kissed

The buds, bright, ravishing, drunk

And drenched in honey!

How tormented am I

By your beauty!

From morn till night

Nothing could I do

But release the innocent doves

In the firmament — my feelings

And soothe a heart

Ablaze in the raging fires of want

I wandered — wandered all the time

Engrossed in thoughts of you

How strongly seized am I

Body and soul

By your beauty!

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[19] THE BLESSEDNESS OF MAN

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A glamorous marriage procession life is

For the man having love as God's gift,

Lucky is he; for him alone there is

Spring in nature; rains in the world!

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[20] THE MAN

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Finding the beloved's lap

Where is the man, hasn't fallen asleep!

Where is the man hasn't lost himself

Having got the beloved's love.

Hero is he, who hasn't shed a tear

And has treasured the anguish in the heart!

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[21] BETRAYAL

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No more do I indulge in dreams now

Nor do I sigh, off and on, in separation,

Believing you as fascinating as the Moon.

No longer remains the lunacy of love

The sign of the diseased mind.

Reflected not in my eyes any more

Your lustrous beauty as before!

For I have witnessed

The picture of living truth,

A picture of the world and of life

Full of pain and agony restless!

Deep sorrow of some innocent soul,

In torrents of tears,

Pours down on earth!

Darkness prevails so dense all around,

That Aurora in displeasure tarries.

To win over the damsel of the dawn

The myriad songs I would sing forth,

And to dispel the darkness,

I would bedeck life with light!

Until the blooming love pervades the entire universe,

Until a new kingdom of joy and smile

Descends and sheds its lustre on the earth,

Let not your memory creep into my life,

It weans away the mankind from the path of duty

And breaks millions of simple and sincere hearts!

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[22] NOT ALONE

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I am not alone,

Not alone am I,

The resurgent age is with me

And I too on my part

Zealously keep pace with it!

Innumerable arms lend me strength,

And freely draw upon

My energy untiring!

Myriads of men around me

Are constantly on the march,

Advancing on and on!

Along the thorough fare of liberty

There's no despair,

There's no despair,

Nor helplessness any!

No obstacles can stand

The upsurge popular

All are being swept away!

Has snow melted away

On some Himalayan peak?

Soil new is being created,

Fearless, peaceful habitations new are emerging!

Green, red, yellow and rosy gardens

Are in full bloom to-day!

Man is being initiated into humanity,

And sunken cheeks

And the long fallen faces

Their cheerfulness have regained!

Keep pace with that life

And cheerfully

Attune yourself to that life!

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[23] LIFE-STREAM

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Dread not

The new song of life’s revolt!

A new song of creation

It is, of rising tempo!

The process slow of mountain formation

Governs not the mighty creative human force.

(It is as true as the sky is blue!)

The glacier beyond ‘Gangotri’

Creeps slowly on the slope

By the gravitational force of earth

It creates and wrecks on small scale;

And brings about changes trivial

Such is not the stream of human revolt!

Refined is popular taste of my time,

Morbid it certainly is not!!

On the wall of the age

Descends a brilliant crimson light,

Of conviction bold and glamour rare!

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[24] STATE OF NIGHT

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Cooler is growing the night!

The faint sound of mills echoes at intervals,

From a source unknown!

The distant whistle of an engine

Stabs the tranquility,

Somewhere the swarms of mosquitoes

Spin the queer buzzing din,

Sometimes come out the rats

And run a competitive race,

The clock strikes the hours!

The world to a stop has come

And static, inert, dull and calm,

And senseless lie the souls who

Breathe unawares in state unconscious!

The porters, the watchmen and the workers

All are under the spell of sleep —

As if a woman casts her spells

And beckons to her lord for a close clasp

Of body and soul

For a calm and complete merger

Of identities in state relaxed!

Waking from the dream

One laughs on oneself!

Wondering at the irony of repeated errors!

Boundless is the dreamland

And matchless the whole funny affair.

But tangible truth is night

Growing calmer and cooler,

The wind drenched in moonlight

Constantly blows humid and heavy,

Dew is in the making above

To make the night frosty!

Oh Dear! Only the morn,

Would lift the silken veil

From the charming face of a bride-nature!

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[25] FAR ACROSS THE FIELDS

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The dark and dreadful night of the winter!

The decayed mud-hut far across the fields,

Where life is mute and morose.

The mist awful shakes every soul,

The people’s mind is oppressed.

It’s a tale of repression of the dumb souls!

It’s a final fatal blow to the tender heart.

Look, those wounded and tormented,

Roll in dust with life despised

And stricken with pain and grief,

Tied up, exploited and drenched in blood

The dark and dreadful night of the winter!

A most pitiable out-cry of grief

Arises over the dignity lost.

Poison of disparity permeates all around;

Polluted stand all culture

Every breath is a shiver and the body all a shudder!

The dark and dreadful night of the winter!

The disastrous lightning is crashing

On the poor humanity,

Civilization a synonym of violence and loot —

Devoid of affection all;

Dawn is lost in desolate darkness!

The dark and dreadful night of the winter!

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[26] LIFE TODAY

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The smile of life has withered away,

And dark clouds shroud the Moon!

The night stands denuded of its beauty,

As if the belle widowed has been!

Stands robbed the spring of human happiness,

And all the flower and foliage are fallen!

Blasted lie the flowing fields,

The sand-storm blew so cruel!

Heart rending seems every dream,

And aspirations on all sides are being crushed!

Crumbled are the customs of the present world,

The path of love lies twisted and turned!

Stands intact only the forest of motives selfish,

Housed where in are the dacoits' dens!

Every where is playing the funeral music,

And coffins colourful are being arranged!

Constrained are we to lie down there,

Fatigued and broken by pain!

So much has life been crippled,

It falls and staggers paralysed!

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(27) THE MIDDLE CLASS — 1

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Overcast is the sky!

Prevails all around

The thick darkness

One feels after closing the eyes.

Birds are calm and quiet

Resting cozily in their nests,

And from every mansion

Are pouring forth pleasant notes

From Piano or 'Tanpura'1

But under the leaking roof

From the pangs of recent child-birth

Groans a mother

Yet the life of man,

Is undying

Nay — is springing forth as ever!

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1- A musical instrument of four strings.

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(28) THE MIDDLE CLASS — 2

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It's ten O'clock in the night

Distantly are heard

The discordant drum-beats of a marriage party!

And at a high pitch the Radio Ceylon is blurting out!

The stale and insipid film-songs

either from 'Aan'1 or 'Barsat2'!

And in the house nearby,

Half-asleep and bored

A maid, thirty-year old

Lies restless in bed

Dreaming and thinking of her beloved,

Her father, a clerk poor,

In a heap of files drowned,

(Caught in the labyrinth of life!)

Pauses to think —

''Far advanced is the night

Tomorrow shall I look into the rest.''

His eye-lids are heavy with sleep

As he dreams of days carefree of childhood!

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1- An Indian film in Hindi.

2- An Indian film in Hindi.

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(29) THE FUTURE

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On man's future path

Reigns the limitless darkness,

Reigns the thick darkness!

No moon nor sun visible,

Not even alarm-trumpet is heard!

On the cliff of death

Stands the hushed humanity,

Staggering off and on!

The Earth is terribly trembling

With blasts of atom and hydrogen bombs!

Island after island is vanishing

And cities almost all,

Ever dreaming the tragedy of 'Hiroshima'!

On the vast expanse of the sky

Plays the flame with lurid fire,

Smoke, Smoke, all around!

On man's future path

Bright light is needed,

The flood light is needed!

In place of sand dunes precarious

We need a solid concrete dam!

So that Man may have a firm footing,

In the face of storms

And Man may resist on

Strong, valiant and patient!

Nor let there be any groans and sighs!

Let every man laugh

A laughter — white and pure!

And let hopes bloom

Of a future happy and glorious!

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(30) LIGHT

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May the future of man —

From the darkness,

From the ever-spreading fear of cold war

Be free!

Be absolutely free!!

May the rays of pure reason

Spread far and wide,

May the forces hostile to progress

Be torn to shreds

May the society from class and colour distinction,

And the man from man's bondage

Be free!

Be absolutely free!!

Let not the new mental horizon

Be overcast

By whirlwind, dust and lightning

Never

Oh Never!!

Nor let the crest of the new order

Crash and crumble down!

Let the pious divine efforts,

And the yearnings for world peace,

Adorn the Earth like golden dawn,

And redeem the world afflicted

And caress with love and affection,

Let not the pollen of new feelings

Be scorched and consumed by fire!

From the destructive power of various weapons

From the venomous and the devilish hate campaigns

May the modern civilization

Be safe!

Be absolutely safe!!

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(31) CONVICTION

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Firm is the conviction —

Some day the sky shall clear of clouds dark!

Sunny days, not one but countless

Shall descend on earth

With laughter pure, dripping with light!

Hark not, O, Life's traveller!

At this hour of pouring rain,

Let not the fear of getting drenched

Dampen your spirits high!

Rest assured —

The carpet of violet rays awaits

You on your path ahead!

All water shall dry up

And cold shall vanish

The current mighty of your eternal energy

Shall inflict utter defeat

On clouds — your rivals

Who boast of rains inexhaustible!

Under the dense and dark clouds

The tiny lamp of man's undying faith

Has flickered strong as ever!

Lost it has got somewhat

In the black blanket of darkness

You search it out,

And with it light your lamp,

Soon shall you see,

A myriad lamps lit up!

And drive darkness away,

And open up a new path golden!

As the light of conviction burns eternal

For a better world to come!

Conviction therefore is firm

That the transitory dusk

Shall pass through the transitional darkness

And wrest from heavens

A rosy dawn of life new!

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(32) THE FIRMAMENT WILL CHANGE ITS COLOUR

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No more shall the dark shroud

Envelop our heads!

And within moments

The firmament will change its colour!

The 'Malay breeze'1 is beckoning

Capering and dancing!

On every bough

On every leaf

A new awakening is blazing

And world's history takes a turn.

Gone are the paths of dreadful darkness

And gone are the pain ridden tragic ages,

Descends on Earth an age of light golden!

The musing Earth is moving,

The inert world vibrates with new song

Every corner resounds

The night is over,

The night is over!

The long awaited golden morn

Stands at the door

And offers to every heart

Presents of zeal and joy!

From the world will banish

The dense darkness of sufferings,

And the close atmosphere of dejection heavy!

Surely will the firmament take a new colour!

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1- A breeze coming from the direction of mountain Malay — a mountain of India, out of seven main mountains.

There is a luxuriant growth of sandal trees on Malay mountain.

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(33) WITH FLAGS OF PEACE

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No matter how vigorous

The drum-beat of war may be

We shall hold fast

The banner of peace aloft!

And the suppression of the voice of peace

We shall not allow!

From the dawn of history

We have faith in peace and humanity,

Gautam and Gandhi are dearest to our hearts!

Molesting anyone is sin for us,

We come not in any body's way

Quarrels we do not pick,

World friendship and mutual love

Is our message eternal,

Enough affection have we

For the tormented and destructed world!

Our hands will uplift the down-trodden,

And we shall save

Millions of down-cast mute molested

Fear-stricken injured sisters

From the cruel clutches of the devils!

We love smiles of children innocent;

Alluring are the folk-songs of the shepherds and farmers!

We shall never let these songs of mirth

Turn into painful sighs and groans!

Nor let the smiles be blood-stained!

We pledge we shall never let the lightning

Crash on the innocent dreams of Resurgent Man!

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(34) GALA OF NATIONAL LIBERATION

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Today is the eventful day,

That had witnessed the break-up and the fall

Of the chains of bondage tied to our feet!

The clang of the fall had resounded the world over,

And disconsolate tired people all,

Were aroused from slumber deep

And the ground had slipped

From under the feet of tyrants all!

History of the hungry and the exploited

Turned a new leaf of hope,

And heaved a long sigh of relief!

The powerful empires shrank with fear

And crumbled to the abyss of decline

The powerful current of time washed away the empires!

Indeed difficult it is to dominate any

Impossible it is to suppress any

Fired with a burning zeal new,

The youth is determined to fight the forces adverse!

Today is the eventful day

When darkness was dispelled

Our firmament lit up with a new Moon!

That pierced the heart of darkness

And shed the radiance of self-reliance on us!

Sure, the darkness will surround us never again

Nor shall utter doom blind us any more

No more shall we spend nights in writhing gloom

No more shall the rivers of sorrows swell!

Novel is the rising youth!

Novel is the saga of the nation!

Impediments have turned friendly,

Magnificent is the current of history!

That is the landmark of Victory!

This is he eventful day

When life smiled anew

And bestowed a thrilling kiss on our lips!

Myriads of roaring voices resounded in welcome

With great eclat did we celebrate

The gracious dawn of knowledge,

Destiny itself condescended to dance

And so mad with music we ran

And the world witnessed us

Rushing on with winged feet

New blood speeded in our veins,

Un-aided and undaunted

We inspired other nations to fight,

And healed up all wounds old;

And on a new ground we built up

A colony fresh and peaceful;

With tears of joy

Millions of women looked forward

Millions of strong men waited ready

To change the face of the nation

All had earlier fought

Against social evils and impediments hard!

Remember! this is the eventful day

On which on our soil burst forth

In blooms and blossoms new,

When age old prison doors were flung open

And people separated long

Rushed into each others embrace!

When singing victory songs

Out of the prison came

The soldiers of freedom universal!

This is the day

To usher in which

Gladly embraced widowhood

Many a woman blooming and young!

This is the same day

The very same day is this!

Of attack successful, utter sacrifice

Complete renunciations and campaigns,

This is the day Universal resurgence

This glorious day

Of the famished, the naked and the suppressed!

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(35) THE MASSES

---------------------------------------------------------

The reign of terror

Has ever failed to stay;

For the masses

Never sleep like 'Kumbh Karan'1!

And are never smitten by death!

If proofs are needed —

And beating of their hearts

Need be tested —

Turn over then

The pages of history of any nation!

Or else, visit and go round my land — India!

Where man has buried deep

The age old dead weight of dark despair

Into bowels bottomless of earth,

And saplings of conviction and hope bright and new

Have been implanted in their place!

And myriad lamps of life sublime

Have been lighted!

To drive the darkness out,

And where rivers over brimming

Flow freely on, gurgling,

The new message of the changing age!

Where, men to change the World

Unite together with zeal and vigour!

And with their hard work

Sow the seeds of vibrant life on Earth!

------------------------------------------------------

1 A demon, who was the younger brother of the notorious villain Ravan of the great

Sanskrit epic ‘Ramayan’. According to popular belief ‘Kumbh Karan’ used to sleep

Continuously for six moths.

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(36) VISIONS

---------------------------------------------------------

Some where across the horizon

Has thundered the collective voice

And sent a thrill

Over the free waves of my firmament!

Felt I early at dawn

That my heart-beat had changed!

That season had changed,

As if snow on the Himalayas had melted

The Ganga-Yamuna their banks have overflowed

And lashed and broken the rocks,

Oh! how much water

Have they stored in their hearts!

In the free oceans of the East

Are surging waves of aspirations new,

New storms are blowing!

Of them we have heard of course,

But never before saw the descending on Earth.

But today in the morning sky

We have caught a glimpse of them,

Stark stood out the truth

Dispelling and smashing illusions all!

Clouds thin had spread out

I beheld on their screen a panorama

As if the demon of capitalism

Was taking its last breath

Under the heels of resurgent man!

As if somebody was leading to 'Nandan Garden'1

A crowd of

the hungry, the naked and the down-trodden!

Again it appeared

As though a pack of pigeons had arrived

To deliver a message of joy!

And I saw as if

The ears of wheat had strewn all over!

This panorama has given me conviction firm,

And new inspirations for life's struggle,

And an impression of the might of the toiling masses!

Today those very pictures

Are reflected on the firmament!

Those very pictures

Are inscribed on minds of millions!

And the same ideals

The world is keen to uphold!

---------------------------------------------------------

1- The mythical garden of Indra, the king of gods.

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(37) RESURGENCE

---------------------------------------------------------

A new flame is blazing in every direction;

Life is lit up with red twilight.

The earth resounds with new footsteps,

Every ray is scattering a new light.

Age old darkness has been dispelled

And on the path descends a new dawn!

Revival of the past; this certainly is not

Altogether a new look has earth worn.

Simply to destroy class distinctions

Awakening is adoring the common man.

The age and the civilisation have taken a turn

The creeper of culture is blooming with flowers new.

The flowers full of sweet scent

Send a thrill of joy into the fertile land.

The mansions of selfishness and exploitation are crumbling

And on ruins of fallen houses surges a current of creation new.

O men, coiled up in the freezing winter;

Rise and rejoice over the approaching 'Kuro-Siwo'1.

O 'Hori'2 the sun-burnt peasant beheld!

Vital rain-laden breeze is rushing up!

And embrace your old and haggard wife 'Dhania'3

(Just control affection brimming over!)

You are now the master of the heavens

Man's dream into reality turns!

---------------------------------------------------------

1- A warm ocean current washing pass the south-eastern shores of Japan.

2- Hero of ‘Godan’ — famous novel by Premchand, the leading Hindi novelist.

3- Wife of Hori.

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(38) FOR THE FIRST TIME

---------------------------------------------------------

The common folk have gathered strength

And shaken the slumber,

For the first time in World's History,

And they have risen in revolt

As never before!

Breaking away from the age-old beaten track

Fighting against the huge rocky barrier

And the most powerful current,

Side tracking thus

The desolate thorny hilly tract

And many such hurdles

Did the people's current cross

Then it flowed down

To the plain of human life

Seasoned with experience and courage of conviction!

For the first time creepers colourful

Have sprung up all around

And the parochial boundaries of all lands

Are rendered dim and all dim

In the colourful glare of these boughs!

It's because

Burns in every bosom the spark,

The live, red-hot spark of restive agony

The cataclysmic force that

Will bring about a World new

Unity of action for the first time is there,

And therefore has survived every adverse blow!

Gone never to return are

Many angry, roaring storms of fire

No inkling we had.

The new age is busy struggling

For the rights of all,

The coming years will follow suit,

The world will stand guard

On rights of all people!

From California's Death-valley

From Kalahari, Sahara

Abyssinia and Tundra

Has disappeared the dark night of ignorance

All quarters are illumined with lights new

Peoples of all countries are up,

To construct the world anew

In a variety of ways

A variety of countries thus

Are no longer idle and helpless

Discovered they have

The new device of building

A happy paradise unfettered and free!

The World entire belongs to all nations,

None is alienated, nor any longer

Is it a far-fetched dream.

Gone for ever is

The worn-out life before Revolution

In the face of firm faith

Nations all nurtured by injustice

Have banished been forth with.

The fading lamps are kindled again

Affection of the age the lamps receive,

And joyously flicker freely.

Life's cloudy night is armed with lighting

Whenever his feet falter

The torch lights up the way

And into focus is brought

The road of common man's life.

Destroyed is the darkness

Banished from the path.

The reign of terror is over

No king is there,

Nor is there a beggar,

Those neglected so far for generations

Are harking to the call of revolt,

For the first time the World is so wide!

For the first time the sacrifice is so vast!

---------------------------------------------------------

(39) IT WON'T COLLAPSE

---------------------------------------------------------

The wall of concrete conviction

Can never collapse!

It has been built

By the boiling blood of the toiling masses

And by their bones as hard as granite and steel,

Many a restive, yet mute martyr

Had fallen to fill the foundations!

This conviction of a new future of life

A mere haze it is not

And is not without purpose,

Even the numberless blows

Can never destroy the wall of a new conviction!

Thanks to the years' struggle

And the power of mass awakening

That the tunnel of dark days is over

The World is lit up

The truth is aglow!

The iron-wall of people's power

Stands as sentinel

In order to protect

The oppressed and the have-nots

That wall is raising its head

Challenging the class

Steeped in blood pool of lust imperial,

That wall can never collapse and crumble

For it's a fresh and organised force of the masses,

Opposite current any would dash against it

But only to reel and retreat in utter defeat!

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(40) TO MAO AND CHOU

---------------------------------------------------------

Did we

With great eclat,

Your emancipation celebrate,

For this return?

Did a sea of joy,

On your proud out-cry of victory,

surge here too,

For this return?

Did we,

Like a comrade-in-arms,

Welcome you,

As the symbol of new resurgence of Man,

For this return?

That you -

With aims brazen

And motives of expansionism

dirty

May commit on us an aggression

Cruel, barbarous and sudden,

And rain on us a savagery

Abominable, primitive, and

ferocious;

And that you -

May occupy our land thus?

That you —

May forget our age-old friendship

To turn a cruel traitor,

And annihilate humanity from your hearts?

That you —

May turn merchant of tears

And bring us gifts of death?

That you —

Coming from East,

May bring us,

Darkness dense and smoke thick,

Enveloping vast expanse?

That you —

In the garb of communism,

May cast greedy eyes,

On the whole of south-east Asia?

No such hopes,

History had of you,

That you will add to it

A chapter so bitter!

No such hopes of you,

Had the resurgent communist world,

Never did it expect,

So pitiable a help from you!

Change!

Still there is time,

Change your policies;

Still there is time,

Change your stinking ways

Of behaving with friends!

Or else

The power of World's humanity

Shall smash into dust

Your empty false pride!

The lover stubborn,

Of war suicidal

Just retrace your steps,

Or else!

World civilized

Shall turn your blow

On you yourself !!

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