Truth be told
On an old-fashioned gramophone, they played sweet
music in a small cove made for two, the young man
smiled, this sleek woman was to become his bride.
A big seal came onto shore and dragged the woman in
to the sea and under, when surfacing with the seal
She smiled and waved but didn`t come ashore,
kept on jumping and playing, and her leanness made
It looked like a seal, and she was indeed turning into one.
Finally, she and the bigger seal come to the shoreline
she told him her life was the ocean, and she and her
The new man was swimming to the Azores, where she
would meet his family. The young man took his
gramophone, sun cream, towels, and walked home.
No one believed his accurate explanation, and he got
life for drowning his girlfriend.
Pace be the plume prime of a horse,
Austere man’s leanness, girl’s shyness,
Brahmin’s knowledge, king’s forgiveness,
Valour, whose arms be the sole force.
____________________________
Translation |26.10.2024|embellishment, horse, girl,
Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. Bhatrihari was elder brother of the renowned king Vikramaditya of Ujjain. He had two queens: Pingala and Padmaakshee. He loved Pingala immensely but abdicated the throne and left for forest when he found that she loved another man on the hide. A learned man, he gave wealth of literature in Sanskrit. Among them: Shringara Shataka, Neeti Shataka, Vairagya Shataka, and Vijnana Shataka. This verse is one of his brilliant creations. The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows:
Javoh hi sapte paramam vibhooshhanam,
trapa anganaayaah, krishhataa tapasvinah |
Dvijasya vidyaa, nripateh api kshhamaa,
paraakramah shastra-balena jeevitaam |
Cake is the thing which betters ~
The leanness of my soul ~
And frosts ornate the naked plate ~
And pleases one ~ and all ~
And sweetest ~ is the bite ~ that's warm
A sinful sugared slice ~
Though sorely adding to my form
I shan't abash the price ~
I've tasted as a chilly dish ~
Eaten at dawn and noon ~
Yet ~ never ~ in regret or wish,
I've left a crumb ~ too soon.
1/11/21
(a take on Emily Dickinson's poem 'Hope is the thing with feathers')
white hair came with wrinkles
leanness, paleness and a bend-
time…. don't touch my mind.
Honorable Mention in STRAND SELECT N,any form ,any theme Poetry Contest sponsored by Brian Strand
...You make the soil soft
with showers, blessing
sprouting vegetation. (Ps 65:10)
What can cool my tongue
in drought but dew,
my flesh but rain?
I've longed for a fruitful heart,
a rock softened by misty spray
from the fountain.
In my dryness,
I looked up to the rock,
to the source of living stream
to wean me from leanness,
from famished thoughts,
blanched of noble ideas.
Blanched because the heart is dry
for lack of rain; far from
the Heaven's haven.
It pains to roam the wild!
It hurts to swirl in empty space,
consigned to caprice of storm.
Grace tethers me to Christ;
He holds the leash, restrains
me from the brink of death.
So I have hope—the hope of glory
when the trump shall blast,
when my worth winks in His glee.
Then I'll recall the drought
that drove me to his arms,
at the croon of grace.
© 2017 Celestine Ikwuamaesi
Truth, be told
On an old fashion gramophone, they played sweet
music in a small cove made for two, the young man
smiled this sleek woman was to become his bride.
A big seal came on to shore dragged the woman in
to the sea and under, when surfacing with the seal
she smiled and waved but didn`t come ashore,
kept on jumping and playing and her leanness made
look like a seal and she was indeed turning into one.
Finally she and the bigger seal com to the shoreline
she told him her life was the ocean and she and her
the new man was swimming to the Azores where she
would meet his family. The young man took his
gramophone, sun cream, towels and walked home.
No one believed his accurate explanation, he got
life for drowning his girlfriend.
Come down to me I'm really begging
I know, my power's not enough
And Faust's Guest as Fiend was faking
his own suggesting life and love.
I do not like, there's no believing
I am so shy for own harm
I guess, Im looking with misgiving
The sky of Dark Lord's risen charm.
The Heaven's darkened in its leanness
Rain doesn't fear to let its drops
And trees are stooping under meanness
The wind is evil taking hopes.
Don't make me hurt like Guest of Faust
As you can see I'm not a fiend
Come down to me, don't make me oust
And look at me through rain and wind.
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