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
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