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ON PRIDE AND HEROISM
Lion-Heart
The maned lion, first of kingly names, Magnanimous and famed, though worn with age, Wasted with hunger, blunted his keen edge – And low the splendid spirit in him flames, Not therefore will with wretched grass assuage His famished pangs as graze the deer and bull. Rather his dying breath collects desire, Leaping once more from shattered brows to pull Of the great tusked elephants mad with ire His sovereign banquet fierce and masterful.
The Way of the Lion
The dog with a poor bone is satisfied, Meatless, with bits of fat and sinew greased, Nor is his hunger with such remnants eased. Not so the kingly lion in his pride! He lets the jackal go grazed by his claw And slays the tusked kings. Such Nature’s law; Each being pitches his high appetite At even with his courage and his might.
A Contrast
The dog may servile fawn upon the hand That feeds him, with his tail at wag, nor pain In crouching and his abject rollings bland With upward face and belly all in vain: The elephant to countless flatteries Returns a quiet look in steadfast eyes. Page– 174 The Wheel of Life
The world goes round and, as returns the wheel, All things that die must yet again be born: His birth is birth indeed by whose return His race and country grandeur’s summits scale.
Aut Caesar aut Nullus
Two fates alone strong haughty minds endure, Of worth convinced; — on the world’s forehead proud Singly to bloom exalted o’er the crowd, Or wither in the wilderness obscure.
Magnanimity
My brother, exalt thyself though in o’erthrow! Five noble planets through these spaces roll, Jupiter is of them; — not on these he leaps, Rahu,1 the immortal demon of eclipse, In his high magnanimity of soul.
Smit with God’s thunders only his head he keeps, Yet seizes in his brief and gloomy hour Of vengeance the great luminous kings of heaven, Day’s Lord and the light to whom night’s soul is given; He scorns to strive with things of lesser power.
¹ Rahu, the Titan, stole or seized part of the nectar which rose from the world-ocean at the churning by the Gods and Titans and was appropriated by the Gods. For this violence he was smitten in two by the discus of Vishnu; but as he had drunk the nectar, he remains immortal and seeks always to revenge himself by swallowing the Sun and Moon who had detected his theft, The Tortoise mentioned in the next epigram upheld the mountain Mandar, which was the stick of the churning. The Great Snake, Ananta, was the rope of the churning, he on whose hood the earth now rests. Page– 175 The Motion of Giants
On his wide hood as on a painted shield Bears up the ranged worlds. Infinite, the Snake; Him in the giant midmost of his back The eternal Tortoise brooks, whom the great field Of vague and travelling waters ceaselessly Encompass with the proud unfathomed sea. 0 easy mights and marvellous of the great, Whose simplest action is yet vast with fate!
Maiank
O child of the immortal mountains hoar, Mainak,1 far better had this been to bear The bleeding wings that furious Indra. tore, The thunder’s scars that with disastrous roar Vomiting lightnings made the heavens one flare,— Not, not this refuge in the cool wide sea While all thy suffering people cried to thee.
Noble Resentment
The crystal hath no sense disgrace to know, Yet blazes angry when the sun’s feet rouse; Shall man the high-spirited, the orgulous, Brook insult vile from fellow or from foe ?
¹ The mountains had formerly wings and could move about, — to the great inconvenience of everybody: Indra, attacked by them, smote off their wings with the thunderbolt. Mainak, son of Himalay, took refuge in the sea. Page– 176 Age and Genius
Nature, not age is the high spirit’s cause That burns in mighty hearts and genius high. Lo, on the rutting elephant’s tusked jaws The infant lion leaps invincibly. Page– 177 |
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