The Boatmans Song 1/ Many

1/ To be continued in many parts It was a different era and it’s a different story Of a boatman and his enchanting melodies An Apsara* falling in love with that boatman But the boatman having a different love story The boatman used to carry simple villagers From one bank of the river, to its other bank everyday While moving his boat on the river He used to sing those heart touching stories His voice in itself was a melody Bestowed on him by the Goddess Saraswati* And his love songs were the songs of true love stories Sung by the boatman, in full throated ease and beauty While oaring his boat in the river side stream Flowing between a Jungle, on one bank side of the river And long sand dunes spreading All over the other non ending side of the river Ganges Charmed by boatman’s voice and songs And charmed by the beauty of the enchanting Jungles* Spread all along the one side bank of the calmly flowing river Ganges His passengers used to get lost in the melodies of his songs So long as his boat was moving from the sand bank of the river stream To its Jungle end every time the boatman carries some passengers One day the echoes of his melodies crossed The airy levels of earth and started flowing Like a soothing cool breeze, even in heaven And charmed all the heavenly bodies in the court of Indra* He listened them almost spellbound and became enchanted By the echoes of those unheard melodies of the boatman Urveshi* who was a crown beauty among the Apsaras* of Indra* And was much more than, beautiful and charming Among all the Apsaras of heaven, found her lost in hearing The echoes of those love songs sung by the boatman Urvasi found one day after hearing those echoes That she was in love with them and became restless To hear the real songs of the boatman, while sitting before him In his boat in the river Ganges on earth Urveshi asked the Lord of Heaven Indra* If she can go to earth to hear the songs of the boatman As the echoes of his songs had made her restless beyond imagination She found that even she can not enjoy the heavenly pleasures Till she quenches her thirst of listening the melodies Of that boatman, he was singing on earth Ravindra Kanpur India 4th January 2010 * Apsara= A Nymph dancer of heaven in the court of Indra as per Hindu Mythology * Indra= The Lord of Heaven as per Hindu mythology * Urveshi= One of the most beautiful Apsaras (nymph) of Indra * Saraswati = Goddess of knowledge, music & arts as per Hindu mythology * Jungle = Forest