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COLLECTED POEMS
SRI AUROBINDO
CONTENTS
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Despair on the Staircase
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Mute stands she, lonely on the topmost stair, An image of magnificent despair; The grandeur of a sorrowful surmise Wakes in the largeness of her glorious eyes. In her beauty’s dumb significant pose I find, The tragedy of her mysterious mind. Yet is she stately, grandiose, full of grace. A musing mask is her immobile face. Her tail is up like an unconquered flag, Its dignity knows not the right to wag. An animal creature wonderfully human, A charm and miracle of fur-footed Brahman, Whether she is spirit, woman or a cat, Is now the problem I am wondering at. Surrealist
I have heard a foghorn shouting at a sheep, And oh the sweet sound made me laugh and weep But alas,( ah ) the sheep was on the hither shore Of the little less and the ever-never more. I sprang on its back; it jumped into the sea. I was near to the edges of eternity. Then suddenly the foghorn blared again. There was no sheep - it had perished of ear pain. I took a boat and steered to the Afar Hoping to colonise the polar star. Page-113 But in the boat there was a dangerous goose Whom some eternal idiot had let loose. To this wild animal I said not “Bo!” But it was not because I did not know. Full soon I was on shore with dreadful squeals And the fierce biped cackling at my heels. Alarmed I ran into a lion’s den And after me ran three thousand armoured men. The lion bolted through his own backdoor And set up a morose dissatisfied roar. At this my courage rose; I grew quite brave And shoved myself into a tiger’s cave. The tiger snarled; I thought it best instead To don my pyjamas and go to bed. But the tiger had a strained objecting face, So I turned my eyes away from his grimace. At night the beast began my back to claw And growled out that I was his brother-in-law. I rose and thought it best to go away To a doctor’s house: besides ’twas nearly day. The doctor shook his head and cried “For a back Pepper and salt are the remedy, alack.” But I objected to his condiments And thought the doctor had but little sense. Then I returned to my own little cot For really things were now extremely hot. Then fierily the world cracked Nazily down And I looked about to find my dressing gown. I was awake (I had tumbled on the floor). A shark was hammering away at my front-door. Page-114 |
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