(An
ordinary Indian’s dream inspired by Robert Browning’s The Pied Piper of
Hamelin)
Delhi
Town’s in India,
By
the famous Indraprastha City,
The
river Yamuna, deep and wide,
Washes
its wall on the southern side;
A pleasanter
spot you never spied,
But
when begins my ditty,
Almost
twenty years from now.
To
see the townsfolk suffer
From
vermin, was a pity.
Corrupt,
vile, selfish politicians
They
fought the dogs and killed the cats,
They
bit the babies in the cradles,
And
ate the cheese out of the vats,
And
licked the soup from the cook’s own ladle’s
Split
open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made
nests inside men’s hats,
And
even spoiled the women’s chats.
By
drowning their gossips
In
innumerable immeasurable scams.
At
last the people in a body
To
Rajghat they came flocking
Pray
to thee O Gentle One
Arise
and awake
To
rid us of this vermin.
After
a while came out of his painted tombstone
A
slim old man with strange attire
And
nobody could enough admire
A long
staff in hand, a half- naked fakir.
He
advanced to the council table:
And,
“Please your honours,”said he,“I’m able,
By
means of a secret charm, to draw
All
creatures living beneath the sun,
That
creep or swim or fly or run,
And
I chiefly use my earthly charm
On
creatures that do people harm,
After
me as you never saw!
The
mole and toad and newt and viper,
And
people call me the Pied Piper.
In
1947 I helped free the nation
From
a huge swarm of Poms;
If
I can get rid of your town of politicians
Will
you give me a promise?
If I can rid your town of politicians
To make this nation great again,
Make it the country of my dreams.
Yes, Yes! cried one and all.
Into the streets the Piper stepped,
To blow the pipe, his lips smiled
And his sharp brown eyes twinkled
Like a candle flame where salt is sprinkled
And ere three shrill notes the pipe uttered,
you heard as if an army muttered;
And the muttering grew to a grumbling
And the grumbling grew to a mightly rumbling
And put of their houses the politicos came tumbling.
Liars, thieves, cheats, rogues…pols of all hues
Great pols, small pols, lean pols, brawny pols,
Brown pols, small pols, grey pols, tawny pols,
Grave old plodders, gay young friskers,
Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins,
Cocking tails and pricking whiskers,
Families by tens and dozens,
Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives,
Followed the Piper for their lives.
From
street to street he piped advancing,
And
step for step they followed dancing,
Until
they came to the River Yamuna
Wherein
all plunged and perished!
Did
I say all? No, One was lame,
And
could not dance the whole of the way;
And
in after years, he was used to say,-
It’s
dull in our town since my playmates left!
I
can’t forget that I’m bereft
Of
all the pleasant sights they see
Which
the Piper also promised me.
You
should have heard the Indian people
Ringing
the bells they rocked the steeple.
Go,
cried the people, Rejoice!
For
the evil Politicians are gone
When
suddenly, up the face
Of
the Piper perked in the market place
Rejoice
you may but
First,
if you please my promise thou shall keep!
Yes
Bapu, we shall
For
now the corrupt, vile, selfish are gone
We
shall work to create
A
nation of your dream
Where
freedom, liberty, equality shall prevail
Where
no people go to bed ever
Without
food, water and shelter
Where
man woman child stand tall and equal
No
boundaries of caste and creed
No
religions to divide
All
for One andOne for All
Shall
live in this nation of your dreams.
SS
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
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