Conquest !
I had read a short story by Alexander Pushkin once , about a greedy man , who was told
that the total land area he could cover by galloping on horse back , between Sunrise and
Sunset ,would become his !This man at great speed , covers as much land as he could , only
to drop dead at the end of the day ! Only 6 feet of ground had sufficed for his grave ! This
inspired me to write this poem !
Conquest !
A birds resting nest may be small ,
But that is of no consequence at all !
Since the sky above its head is vast and
wide ,
Where it can spread its wings and fly , -
Across the vast expanse of the ethereal
blue sky !
Here on ground where we all jostle for
living space ,
Man’s hunger and greed does not abate !
The great Alexander , Napoleon and Hitler , -
All tried to conquer and shackle this earth !
But they all failed to conquer man’s mind
and heart !
I recall Pushkin's short story once more ; -
After having covered the furthest corners
of the land ,
Galloping at top speed to make his conquest
complete ,
The man totally exhausted falls on the ground ;
Collapses , and dies without a sound !
Only six feet of ground was sufficient for his
grave ,
And so it has been for the bravest of our braves !
Now I recall the great Buddha under the banyan
tree ,
And the Messiah who entered Jerusalem mounted
on a donkey !
With shouts of ‘ Hosanna’ , and palms spread across
His feet !
Were true Conquerors , who shall forever remain
beyond defeat !
- Raj Nandy
New Delhi .
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