Tears of the Gods!
Once he wore his nine-tasselled towel
around his hip bearing a drum at front of his midrif
he would sing aloud to invoke Lord Ayyanar,
half-buried at the outer base of the bund
of our village rain-fed tank,
to help him beating the drum
for moving the feet of his three daughters
with parrot-topped brass pots over their heads.
People near and far took his troop
at the time of festivals, being mesmerized
by the mavis of his dancing angels. 11
But he never gave up the service
of drumming up on the ghouls-howling tank bund
when the moon was out and hid.
The sound could be heard
by the sleepless elders of our village.
He would swim across the river
and reach the village on the other bank
to alert them for raising the river-bank,
and escape the wrath of the swelling river,
when floods from the western ghats
came in a roaring fury
and made a breach in the tank bund. 23
Covering himself with a hessian to bear the cold,
he would sing seeking the grace of the Lord
to save him from the hoodwinking elves
and protect the tank from breaching
Or else the paddy fields would be going dry.
Once he fell ill and lay at home.
The morning brought him news of a miracle.
Some theatre-goers to the nearby town
who came back after midnight,
asked him why he went unheeded
with a spear in his hand
in that dead of night on the bund.
The tank-keeper shed tears
thinking of the feat of the Lord on his behalf. 36
The breeze ruffling the watery surface
would lull him to sleep;
but snakes on the bund would hiss at him;
and he would dither and dodder along
humming the name of the Lord several times.
When thunder rumbled, he would shout
“Arjun had ten names” to thwart it.
Dredging leaves and flowers over the idol,
he would offer his thanks and prayers
and walk his way home in the small hours.
His forefathers had hewed out this career
for some sheaves of reaped paddy
at the time of harvest from every family.
But God willed to relieve him from this duty
by giving him only daughters.
Leaving them at his hovel in the night
he would go to guard the bund. 53
Once the inflow to the tank was heavy
and the bund breached and overflowed the river.
He swam across the violent river as usual
to reach the other bank for waking up his villagers.
He had hair-breath escapes in the past
yet he served for his family’s pride.
The cloudy dawn brought his sad daughters
on the northern bank of the river
while the whole village was looking silent
into the merciless river from the southern bank.
An old one said he heard his shouts in the night.
Another said he came in his dream drumming aloud.
But was nowhere found the nine-tasselled drummer.
Rains seem reluctant to pour in that region
and there has been no question of a successor
to that wonderful keeper of our village tank. 69
poem by Rajendran Muthiah
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Related quotes
The Golden Boat
Clouds rumbling in the sky; teeming rain.
I sit on the river bank, sad and alone.
The sheaves lie gathered, harvest has ended,
The river is swollen and fierce in its flow.
As we cut the paddy it started to rain.
One small paddy-field, no one but me -
Flood-waters twisting and swirling everywhere.
Trees on the far bank; smear shadows like ink
On a village painted on deep morning grey.
On this side a paddy-field, no one but me.
Who is this, steering close to the shore
Singing? I feel that she is someone I know.
The sails are filled wide, she gazes ahead,
Waves break helplessly against the boat each side.
I watch and feel I have seen her face before.
Oh to what foreign land do you sail?
Come to the bank and moor your boat for a while.
Go where you want to, give where you care to,
But come to the bank a moment, show your smile -
Take away my golden paddy when you sail.
Take it, take as much as you can load.
Is there more? No, none, I have put it aboard.
My intense labour here by the river -
I have parted with it all, layer upon layer;
Now take me as well, be kind, take me aboard.
No room, no room, the boat is too small.
Loaded with my gold paddy, the boat is full.
Across the rain-sky clouds heave to and fro,
On the bare river-bank, I remain alone -
What had has gone: the golden boat took all.
poem by Rabindranath Tagore
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My river bank
The water hit the bank
Like a wave upon a shore
Happiness just out of reach
Finding that is something you can’t teach
No one to talk to
No one to see
As you can tell just me
I sit alone on my river bank
No happy people passing by as I let out a gentle sigh
I realized I sit alone on my river bank
Unreal happiness in this unreal tournament they call life
I sit alone, isolated on my river bank
I shall always sit alone on my river bank
I will always be alone on this river bank
poem by EmOzEd johnston
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River Korotoa
(DEDICATED TO SHOVA
A FRIEND)
..................................
THE RIVER KOROTOA
THROUGH THE VILLAGE IT FLOWS,
WITH ALL HER BEAUTY AND SPLASH
ROUND AND ROUND THE SILVERY STREAM GOES.
BESIDE THE GREEN PADDY FIELD,
ON IT`S WAY THE KOROTOA RUNS
DAWN TO DUSK SHE GURGLES AND HUMS.
WHEN THE MOON COMES DOWN
OH YOU SEE WHEN YOU FEEL LONELY,
AND THE VILLAGE GOES ROUND.
RIVER GOES LIKE THE GIRL SHOVA
WHO LIVES BESIDE THE BANK OF KOROTOA.
OH THE DREAMY RIVER RUNS
TO DONATE SILT TO THE FARMER
AH THE MUSICAL RHYTHM
WHEN IT PASSES THE VILLAGE DAUGHTER.
YOU THE RIVER KOROTOA
SO BLUE AND CLEAN
LIKE THE LOVE OF SHOVA
WHISPERS AND MURMURS DURING THE SPRING.
(RIVER KOROTOA-NEARLY DYING)
poem by Sohel Mahamud
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Paradise
Slipped into sleep.Mind got into whirls.
What a fantastic place mine was!
River Varaha from the western hills
Into my village bifurcating north and south!
Mango orchards, coconut groves, crossed streets with
Two water-falls, two hillocks and my school
All in order on one bank, very chill.
A big tank sorrounded with paddy fields
Green swarded with dayfull iciness
On the other bank along with big temples
Civil court, elementary school, post-office,
Cinema theatres, hospital, and 'agraharam'houses.
In my vista are the cows back home
After grazing over a grassy roam.
'Aadu paalam'(dancing bridge) is shakily strong.
'Pudhu paalam'(new bridge) widens very strong.
Ah, my music master with his syllables
'SaRiGaMaPaDhaNi'..'hey, hey! 'I'm nudged
To answer Paradise, Paradise, Paradise!
poem by Indira Renganathan
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One man cut the bund/barrage, and a thousand people fell into the river.
Tank and Bank
With think tank and
Sorrow bank
How can I remain alone!
You are putting me in test.
And I
Putting aside these
Tank and bank
I try to prove myself
The best.
poem by Gajanan Mishra
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Ghost Bear, page 1 of 4
Long ago, in a small village
Where the Great River meets the
Limitless Salt Sea, lived Muin Manitu,
An aging shaman.
Ghost Bear had two good wives
Who gave him four fine daughters
And many grand-children.
But now both wives were dead.
Ghost Bear was getting old,
So old that he made his death song
Mumbling it often under his breath
So he would not forget it.
One night, Raven came to Ghost Bear
In a dream, bringing an important message.
“You must leave wigwam and village,
before the sun rises again.”
“This must be my time, ” thought
Ghost Bear, “My time to die.
I am glad. It is a good time
to leave this world.”
And so, taking only his knife and
His Medicine Bag, Ghost Bear pushed
His canoe out into the river while
All the village slept.
“I will go west on the Great River, ”
Thought Ghost Bear to himself, “Then,
When it is my time to go, I will be
pointed in the right direction.”
All morning long, Ghost Bear paddled
Westward on the Great River, and when
Sun was directly above him, he saw
A raven flying high above.
“I am going true, ” he thought, “Raven
Has sent me an unmistakeable sign.”
And Ghost Bear kept paddling with
Neither food nor drink.
As day became night, Ghost Bear
Continued on, for the full moon was bright
And showed him the right path on the
Great River clearly, brightly.
poem by John Bliven Morin
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That Quick Little Brown Dog
that quick little brown dog
jumps over the fence
near the bank of the river,
it is not your dog,
but you happen to be there when it
jumped,
over the fence near the bank of the river
into the river
that deep river with a overrunning
of the water
the dog was struggling to swim back
to the safety of the bank
but it failed and the dog was taken away
by the river and
it was gone,
you wonder why until now you think about that
dead dog
it is not yours but it sticks to your mind
as though it is yours
somehow you think as though you own it
and that you feel so painful about such loss
and you cannot sleep
and then you dream about that quick little brown dog
that drowned
it is barking so hard trying to be alive again
you wake up
with lots of cold sweat
somehow you think again
inside that dream
the face of the quick little brown dog
that jumped over the fence
into the deep river
is yours.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Alankar (Decor) -8
Village-Silence
Even He can not measure His bliss
Of silence there
As it has gone beyond His grip
Of creational magic
It sounds like a God more supreme
Than His might
A silence soused in distant melodies mild
Cow dung scenting
In rhythmic trance compliant cows pose genteel
Before child Krishna
The lake beside Him presents itself composed
In submissive hue
A sanctuary much awaiting birds migratory soon
Sprawling wide over
Neatly done bund inebriating providential breaths live
Solace for anybody
Me too benched on the bund there
Till stars croon
Moony mind winged mine fleets elysian mindless
To return home
(On A Visit To A Birds' Sanctuary At Koonthankulam)
poem by Indira Renganathan
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The River
When my wife died I used to walk alone by the river,
but I don’t go near there any more.
Lost souls who had drowned used to speak to me
of the lives they had once before.
Every time I went they asked me to enter the water,
‘It will clear your mind, ’ they said.
I told them that I had never learned how to swim
and drowning is the only thing I dread.
One early morning I was walking along the river-bank
and the bank collapsed beneath my feet.
I found myself being swept along by the raging current
and saw my wife drowning in the deep.
Several of the dead I used to talk with held me under,
my breath expired and I just sank.
My wife pulled me up from the river’s depths
and a fisherman revived me on the bank.
poem by Orlando Belo
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The River of Desire
On the banks of the River of Desire
The abodes of our Gods are empty
The Gods deserted our village long ago
Leaving behind all the sanctums
Their broken walls yielded fine bricks
For the masonry of our village homes.
The River meandered around our village
Threatening to swallow our temples
Our children have hunger in their eyes
We have no oil to light God’s lamps
The River now threatens to swallow
Our parched paddy fields and our homes.
poem by Jagannath rao Adukuri
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The River and The Bank
I'm the river
I'm the bank too
There're times the
Bank revolts
Times when the
River overflows
Can't help...!
I struggle
And try reconcile
But when the river side of me flow
Into the sea
I'm an abandoned bank
And a lonely tear
Among the many tears
Flowing in the sea!
poem by Indira Babbellapati
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Song: When I Saw The River Rise
With soggy ground across the state,
The rain fell from the skies.
The storm seemed bound to seal our fate,
When I saw the river rise.
We'd built up all our levies,
Yet still we were surprised,
By the height and depth of eddies,
When I saw the river rise.
When I saw the river break it's banks.
Increase in breadth and size.
It came atop of that water-tank,
When I saw the river rise.
Together held fast, from the full weather blast;
We stayed 'cause we thought it wise.
With my partner tasked to do what I asked,
When I saw the river rise.
Just a short drive, she arrived in town,
To pick up more supplies.
A flash-flood found and drove her down,
When I saw the river rise.
The news was bad, I'd lost all that I had;
All that I valued and prized.
More than just sad, I was sure driven mad,
When I saw the river rise.
And I stood there on the paddock gate,
As the tears streamed from my eyes.
And I did not care how long the wait,
For all the help, it came too late,
In shock, in loss of my best loved mate,
When I saw the river rise.
When I saw the river rise.
poem by Dave SmithWhite
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Oh Jordan River Lord Say Lay My Burdens On Thee
Oh Jordan River Lord Say Lay My Burdens On Thee
Oh Jordan River down yonder where the
Black sea sings,
Oh Jordan River, cry loud with me
Oh Jordan River the blood in my hand
Oh Jordan River, the black sea sings
Oh Jordan River, lord come for me
Oh Jordan River lord say I be free
Oh Jordan River, lord protect me
Negroes at the river wanna be free
Oh Jordan river put chains on me
Oh Jordan river take my baby from me
Oh Jordan river lord waits for me
Going to break the chains
Down yonder by the black sea
Oh Jordan river I sing to thee
Oh Jordan River the master say
Nigger’s got to serve them
But lord say I free
Oh Jordan River, I'm bound to lord savior,
walking in the black river,
Oh Jordan River saves me.
I‘sa a free mind train
I set me free
Oh Jordan River
Lord say I Free
poem by Jacqueline Amos
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The White Lily
By the river bank
The frogs croak and caress
Hoping along the river bank
From here to there
At a distant
The swallows twitter with fondness
The lilies rupture with the morning sun
The water reeds sway
As the wind blows along
The river bank
But yet....i feel lost
In this scenery of dexteric desires
I feel caught in lifes pedestals
Tender steps i make....
Along the river bank...
Lilies..
The white lily...
That symbolise
The purity of those souls
Enmeshed in lovesframe
The white lily
That symbolise
The fire that burns within circles
The white lily that symbolises
Long lost desires
Re-invented and rejuvenated
In this river of dexteric desires
The white lily
So white...so pure...
By the river bank
I watch the white lily float and dance
Along the river waters
Their is tenderness in the river
The fishes swim with tenderness
The waters flowing
With a lovers moan
Rythmic drums can be heard from afar
Magic everywhere
I sit and stare at the white lily
With a longing yen....
By the river bank.
poem by Jack Shaka
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No One Steps Twice On The River Of Life...
it is not the rage of this river.
when i was a child, as mother says,
i keep my finger inside my mouth
sucked by my throat, to keep hunger away
beside the bank of this river
i am the spectator
and the river believes in the magic
of my innocence
it flows always in a distant
affection,
it is not the rage of the river,
it is i, the grown up man who goes swimming
in the river and feel
the joys of its cool waters
always moving on towards
a destination
it is the swimming with a friend
and then
with a lover and then with a wife
and then my silence,
what we do not have we force to forget
it is the bathing in the river
the rinsing and the cleansing of the waters
it is not the rage of this river
and then we become too weak to be in this river
the river moves on and on
towards the deepest sea looking for the
opening
i wait by the bank of this river
many things have been missed
the more important ones
the one that gives the posterity of
my humanity
it is denied of me because of this river
that gives me nothing
all the while i was the leaf that fell off from
the tree
on the side of this river
and i floated because i have nothing to do
because i can do nothing about
the flow of the river
i become the dead leaf that the air
rides upon
tossed and bumped on boulders
till i sink
deep down the river
that i shall pass only once.
time.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Betrayal at the Worst of Times Needs No Remorse!
A flock of sparrows were twittering
in the branches of the Neem trees.
The cold breeze from the rain-fed tank
was rustling the leaves, embracing
and solacing my body bereft of sleep.
The waves from the watery expanse,
dashing and breaking on the bank
were making regular clapping sounds.
The green paddy crops in the vast stretch of fields
were waving and dancing in the blowing wind.
The bees were straining droning sounds
and the butterflies were sailing over me.
The flowers of wild plants on the slopes of the bank
were flaming in the hot summer.
I was lying on the bank in the shades of the trees,
with my mind roaming around her
and my eyes staring at the sky above.
For betraying me at the worst of times,
she conveyed to me her words of regret,
and wanted to see me once,
to weep out her sinking grief.
But I didn't get a chance to look at that rueful face
and from my heart I couldn't also erase it out.
poem by Rajendran Muthiah
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Mysterious Mahanadi Vavroovahana Patra
Mother Mahanadi is beautiful;
All creatures on the river are delightful.
Flows from time immemorial on Earth;
Birds fly on the river with mirth.
On the river bank my village looks beautiful;
People of Brah manakhanda are delightful.
My village brothers are innocent;
In them plays waves of merriment.
I have played on my sweet loving river;
Penned many poems with pleasure.
Mother’s affection attracts me gaily;
Derive peace affectionatinely.
My mother looks beautiful;
All people are delightful.
All companions are gleeful;
All creatures are peaceful.
Mother’s blessings showers on all villages daily;
All people enchant gaily.
The cosy sandy bed is peaceful;
All comrades are delightful;
All companions sing songs gaily;
All comrades pray god gaudily.
The beauty of the river is ever lasting;
People on the river are enchanting.
poem by Vavroovahana Patra
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That Old River
Look at that old river, sitting there so still
Full of fear, almost frightening - got to get
to that old river tonight somehow.
Freedom calls for me tonight, dreams only of old
dusty fields - no more, no more at last - got
to get to that old river somehow.
Is that biscuits I smell in that old kitchen - not
tonight I cry - across that old river tonight before
I die. Out the door I began feeling the warm breeze
in the air. Oh Lord! Help me to make it there.
With each step my feet got heavier and heavier - holding
my breath, scared to death. It's just me and you Lord,
sure can't turn back from this journey now.
This night seem longer somehow - suddenly I could hear
voices from afar - must be getting closer I sigh. Come
on over I heard someone cry, got to get across this old
river, freedom before I die.
Slowly, down the river we went, my heart gave a big sigh.
Suddenly, the boat hit solid ground - I jumped up
Hallelujah! Lord! I made it to the other side.
As I began to look back at that old river, it didn't seem
so big at all. Good-bye Old River, Old River Good-bye
poem by Cassandra Mitchum
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River Of Tears
Its three miles to the river
That would carry me away,
And two miles to the dusty street
That I saw you on today.
Its four miles to my lonely room
Where I will hide my face,
And about half a mile to the downtown bar
That I ran from in disgrace.
Lord, how long have I got to keep on running,
Seven hours, seven days or seven years?
All I know is, since youve been gone
I feel like Im drowning in a river,
Drowning in a river of tears.
Drowning in a river.
Feel like Im drowning,
Drowning in a river.
In three more days, Ill leave this town
And disappear without a trace.
A year from now, maybe settle down
Where no one knows my face.
I wish that I could hold you
One more time to ease the pain,
But my times run out and I got to go,
Got to run away again.
Still I catch myself thinking,
One day Ill find my way back here.
Youll save me from drowning,
Drowning in a river,
Drowning in a river of tears.
Drowning in a river.
Feels like Im drowning,
Drowning in the river.
Lord, how long must this go on?
Drowning in a river,
Drowning in a river of tears.
song performed by by Eric Clapton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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