Swan Song

Swan Song

In the beginning, that Primal Cause, Siva
His infinite sorrow due to
Dakshayani’s separation and depression -
That compassionate lotus-eyed Vishnu
Dispersed it and splintered it into pieces
With His discus
Today, my (own) Rama is engulfed in grief
Who will console? Me?
That Keats had a young Fanny Brawne
She nicely kept forever as a symbol of memory
“Engagement Ring”
Once, that Nala-Damayanti had a graceful swan
As their messanger
There are swan couples near my house
But they are ‘mute swans’
How can they tell my language and pain?
Then Mirza Ghalib was far away
From the romantic refined culture city of Lucknow
Yet, a romance-filled good hearted
Lily-eyed damsel lived at the end of his street
What a luck?

This bilingual sundry poet –
Some scattered small poems, blogs – just impermanent sand nests
Will be washed away – with the next wave of time
In this Internet, here everything is artificial
Hearts, people, minds, words..
With loss of power/battery,
Everything disappears, gone!
Beautiful Annamayya’s poetic floral garlands
Destroyed, burnt to ahses due to
Careless selfish ignorance
Not even a trace left!

Went outside for a change, to look at nature
Sky full of darkness, filled with formless black clouds
Some indescribable hurt
“This is just water vapor, Sun is above still” said my scientist friend.
Probably it felt my pain with sympathy
‘Bursted forth freezing rain on me’
Nature – forever my darling love
Showers kisses unasked always

What is left here…?
A ‘Ode To Nightingale’, Milton’s poems
Ghalib couplets, blues of Ghantasala
But, no tears, no signs to be seen
Except the fragrance of unwithered bogada flowers
And the delicate scent of kewra
Those are the only poetical foot prints

Now I will relax on the veranda of life
And watch
For a chickadee’s musical laughter
For a shy dainty morning doves couple
Now I shall imagine real poetry
Will enjoy the ‘romance of creation’.

©

(From Hindu mythology: Siva and Dakshayani (later Parvati, His consort). One of the finest romantic stories - between Nala and Damayanti. Lady Damayanti refused to marry even Gods, but opted for Nala. bogada = bullet-wood tree; kewra = Pandanus odortissimus tree known for very aromatic long lasting fragrant flowers. Ghalib was a renowned Urdu and Persian poet who excelled in sensitive lyrical poetry. Annamayya was a 15th century Telugu poet who composed more than 20,000 poems/songs; many of his poems were lost due to negligence. Even today no modern poet can compete with him in sheer volume, rich imagination, or romantic description. This is a translation of Telugu poem by the author)