Wee hours, when crickets tune their eerie cords
and hoot the yawning owls at twinkling stars;
the night-maid roves seesaw, like a drunken bard,
besmeared with stripes of billion moonlight-scars!
A slithering thief along the parapet wall,
a snaking beau crossing the forlorn street,
a Robin chirping sweet on sandy knoll…
decrying all, she glides with nimble feet!
While slumbers world, in wonted joys and pain
of dreams, the sleepless Stygean Queen patrols
in peace, sans smiles or frowns, the earth and main,
till dawns the day-despot for glorious strolls.
But lo, unlike her Lord with blazing arms,
she’s calm and rules the world with soothing balms!
Once an advocate, Sathya Narayana joined the Government of India as Inspector of Salt in 1984 and received two service promotions. In May 2014, he took voluntary retirement as Superintendent of Salt.
Salutations, Dear Friend Sathya for picturing such beauty of ‘The Night’. The imagery is captivating to blend the night with such intimacy. And the picture is awesome. Kudos!
Thank you very much Sir Leonard Dabydeen. I know you are always there for me.
Greetings Sir!
The images are flowing mid air and soothing the mood after dusk. 🙂
I have always loved your poetry and this is one of those poems that lies beyond the mundane.
Regards
Thank you Mr. Sarangi ji. Recently a friend asked me (in Facebook) about other Indian poets in the society…without any hesitation I gave your name. In fact I have been reading your poetry keenly and of course I love it so much.
Sir,
I am humbled for such a kind gesture. And without any hesitation, you can address me by my name for in our land, good wishes of elders are same as God’s. 🙂
Regards
A glorious sonnet teeming with stunning imagery, Sathya.
Thank you very much Sir. Very nice of you.
As usual, your write-up with stunning imagery is so pleasing. Kudos to you my friend Satya garu. God bless you in all your future endeavours.
Thank you very much Sir.
This poem maintains the essence of classical poetry. Well done.
Oh, thank you very much Sir. Sure, this is the pithiest compliment I have ever received. Thank you Sir once again.
Such microscopic detail, so simple but at the same time so accurate!
The entire sonnet works together to produce a beautiful image.
Thank you.
Thank you very much Sir.
Most Impressive and majestic
Very accomplished poetry – as David P Behrens says: ‘classical’. In particular this struck as so wonderfully Keatsian, as the presiding genius who has influenced you. One of my all-time favourites. Great stuff!
Thank you very much Sir. Oh I am overwhelmed by these compliments. I bow to you all my friends.
A Romantic portrayal of night’s serene quietitude through many touching images.
Oh, thank you very much Sir.
Marvelous and wonderful imagery.
Thank you very much Sir. These are the best compliments I have ever received
It is a pleasure to read such consistently vivid imagery in this sonnet.
Thank you very much Sir
Mr. Sathyanarayana’s words and grammar shift about, like moonlight in the night, perhaps as Mr. Sarangi suggests in the “flowing mid-air” images; nor is Mr. Sathyanarayana averse to dactylic adjectives in the typical sonnet’s iambics: “slithering thief,” “parapet wall,” “Stygean Queen,” “glorious strolls.” Although the diction is simple, I am constantly second-guessing what his phrasing means. For example, does he mean “chords” in line one, or not? Ms. Cook points out his attention to detail, which Mr. Sale correctly identifies as the Keatsian quality in the writing. I agree with Mr. Behrens and Mr. Sale that this is classical as it relates to the definition of classical as it frequently is used at SCP (but not, perhaps as T. S. Eliot used it). My favourite trope is the simile in lines 3 & 4, but his adjectives are also rich and the personification throughout bewitching. Here the octave does not play against the sestet, but rather the quatrains against the couplet.
Thank you very much Sir for your shrewd analysis.
రేఇ గుండెల్లో ని గాయాలకు చలువ పూతలు పూసిన మీ కవనానికి వందనాలు
మీదైన తెలుఁగు ముద్ర న్యూయార్క వారి అంతర్జాలం లో . ధన్యవాదములు