English poems that express sentiments similar to Carnatic co

[girish_a]

This is not purely about Carnatic music, but nevertheless an interesting one that might resonate with rasikas' hearts.

In most Carnatic compositions, the main theme is Bhakti, or devotion to God, but here and there, you also come across songs that advice people about how to conduct themselves in this world, or admonish men about their wayward ways and warn them of the consequences thereof, or offer hope and consolation to those engulfed by sorrow and despair.

Most certainly, there are similar poetic works in the English language, and this thread is an attempt to collate such pieces of English poetry, which I'm sure, rasikas of Carnatic music will appreciate very much (English jAvaLis may please be excluded, for that is not the intention of this thread ).

To set the tone, here is a gem of a poem by Theodore Tilten, which very profoundly describes the transitory nature of life.


EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY
-----------------------------------------
Once in Persia reigned a king,
Who upon a signet ring
Carved a maxim strange and wise,
When held before his eyes,
Gave him counsel at a glance,
Fit for every change and chance,
Solemn words, and these were they:
'EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."

Trains, of camel through the sand
Brought him gems from Samarcand;
Fleets of galleys over the seas
Brought him pearls to rival these,
But he counted little gain,
Treasures of the mine or main;
'What is wealth?' the king would say
"EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."

'Mid the pleasures of his court
At the zenith of their sport,
When the palms of all his guests
Burned with clapping at his jests,
Seated midst the figs and wine,
Said the king: 'Ah, friends of mine,'
Pleasure comes but not to stay,
"EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."

Woman, fairest ever seen
Was the bride he crowned as queen,
Pillowed on the marriage-bed
Whispering to his soul, he said
"Though no monarch ever pressed
Fairer bosom to his breast,
Mortal flesh is only clay!
'EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."

Fighting on the furious field,
Once a javelin pierced his shield,
Soldiers with a loud lament
Bore him bleeding to his tortured side,
'Pain is hard to bear," he cried,
But with patience, day by day,
"EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY.'

Towering in a public square
Forty cubits in the air,
And the king disguised, unknown,
Gazed upon his sculptured name,
And he pondered, "What is fame?'
Fame is but a slow decay!
"EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."

Struck with palsy, sore and old,
Waiting at the gates of gold,
Said he with his dying breath
'Life is done, but what is Death?"
Then as answer to the king
Fell a sunbeam on his ring;
Showing by a heavenly ray,
"EVEN THIS WILL PASS AWAY."

- Theodore Tilten

[ragam-talam]

Writers such as Wordsworth, TS Eliot, Shakespeare, are considered to be enlightened poets. You can get a glimpse of the eternal in their writings.

For example:
Daffodils by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazedâ€â€Â

[coolkarni]

..

[Shalu]

Daffodils..aah..the evergreen Wordsworth masterpiece...wake me up in the middle of sleep and I can still recite it intact, such is the beauty of the poem.