Sweet-scented breeze when wafts around,
A thrilled Koyal breaks into song,
On tree branches fresh sprouts abound,
On her face, love-making gone long,
Pearly sweat beads do when alight,
To whom would a scene not delight?
_______________________________
Translation (sestet*) | 33.08.2025 | spring, night, delight, nightingale, nostalgia
*Wonder, if it can be called a Sestetto Rima-- iambic meter with a rhyme scheme of ABABCC.
Note: Here is a verse (in Harini meter) from Bhartrihari’s Shringaara Shatakam (hundred verses on love and romance). The poet paints here a picture of a spring season in full spell: when fragrance wafts around, tender sprouts surround, a Koyal sings, sweat beads alight from her face from prolonged coitus, who’d not get delighted? Here is the transliteration of the Sanskrit verse:
Parimala amrtah vatah shakha nava-ankura-kotayo,
Madhura-viruta-utkantha vachah priyah pika pakshinam |
Virala surata sveda-udgara vadhu-vadana-indavah,
Prasarati madhau ratryam jatah na kasya guna-udayah || 37 ||
Categories:
pika, night, nostalgia, spring,
Form: Rhyme
It was late at night, and
everything was dead quiet.
Only in the unruly city
Did people create a riot.
On the side, straw was scattered;
A baby pika crawled in.
His stomach rumbled;
He was on a forced diet.
All around was silence,
But he hid in some straw.
Two shivering people crawled in.
The baby pika looked in awe.
Still, the night was silent.
As the woman lay down.
She emptied her things,
A swaddling cloth and a gown.
Soon, she was to give birth.
The baby pika groaned in despair.
The babe was born,
The cow shed was filled with celestial light.
Heavenly music filled the manger,
Angels flew above in adoration.
Hail, the Saviour, was born
For everyone of any nation.
Even the baby pika felt elated,
And wondered what he should do.
As shepherds came to adore,
The baby pika just joined the queue.
Categories:
pika, christmas,
Form: Rhyme
Black is the color of the ground
Which encircles the placid lake.
Volcanic cinders now surround
Desolate earth formed by raging quake.
Large rocks, silhouettes on the shore,
Provide shelter for small critters.
A place for winter's yearly store.
A place where pikas raise their litters
Lassen Park, a home for pikas
Who run around all summer long
Gathering supplies as fast as
The warm rays of the sun remain strong.
The extensive snows of winter
Trap the pikas safe in the den,
Where stored food is now their center.
When snow melts, an escape will open.
Though forced beneath the rocks to dwell,
The pika plans his life quite well.
*the pika is a very small lagomorph that is related to a rabbit.
Categories:
pika, animal, environment, places,
Form: Rhyme
And Pika is her gorgeous name
Just like a star of a video game
My heart rejoices as she wags her tail
Her lovely antic does not fail
She's a blend of orange and white
Just like the sunset, she's a charming delight
A lovely scene that soothes the eyes
Her glamor bests even the sunrise
Everytime she comes near me
My heart is filled with ecstasy
For, her name bears the love of my heart
Like we're together, though we're apart
I wish she'll live a longer life
Free of sorrow and mournful strife
For, to my lone heart, she brings joy
She's both my best friend and my toy
2nd
Categories:
pika, appreciation,
Form: Rhyme
An American pika was pleased to find
A full berry tree – it was one of a kind!
A full berry tree! A full berry tree!
Come and see he screamed. Come and see!
His enthusiasm was so wonderful and sweet.
To hear his excitement was a marvelous treat.
The elders in the village smiled at the pika’s hymn.
It was an apple tree, immensely plain to all of them.
Don’t tell him! They cautioned the old wives and others.
They loved hearing the pika singing loudly with his brothers.
A full berry tree! A full berry tree! They sang out loud.
All seven of them insanely inexperienced, but terribly proud.
Categories:
pika, 1st grade, 2nd grade,
Form: Rhyme
Hey Diddle Diddle
My Little in his Middle
My Machu; My Pichu
Mommy loves you so much I could eat you
My Handsomest Man
You smell like a crayon
My Mammer; My Jammer
Your Uncle Peanut says you're from Alabammer
My Biggest Boy
You're like my biggest joy
My Littlest Dude
Always sweet and never rude
My Guy, My Pal, My Bestest Buddy
Without you around I just feel super cruddy
My Pika Pika Pikachu
Your Mommy really really misses you
Oh how I dream of the day when you, you're sisters and baby brother come home
But until then, Little One, Mommy has written you this very silly poem
Categories:
pika, longing,
Form: I do not know?
From pine-scented forests, past boulders and streams,
To clear lakes encircled by murals and dreams
Where bright clouds emblazon a warm azure sky,
A trail through the mountains is one I must try.
When bluebells stop blooming and nighttime grows cold,
The breeze makes the aspen trees shimmer with gold.
The chirp of the pika is scarce to be heard;
The eerie elk-bugle is now the watchword.
The sounds and their season soon snuffed out by snow,
The silky white peaks wear a pink, sensual glow
At sunrise when raw arctic blasts turn serene,
Inviting to view how they’ve sculpted the scene.
As ice turns to water and lush green arrives,
The crags reappear and new wildlife thrives.
Soon streamlets will gurgle and columbines grow;
The mountains are calling and I must go.
Categories:
pika, america, beautiful, inspiration, nature,
Form: Rhyme