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The Snow Lion : Unofficial Flag of Tibet
Courtesy : freetibet.org |
The valley remains enveloped in snow,
Cold and dark as always,
A mountain; high, large and powerful
Stood erect between them and the Sun.
Rivers which ebbed on never held fish,
Fruits from the mountain never came,
The valley rotted on and on,
Though the people survived,
As if by a miracle.
A saint foresaw a better day,
He besought them to relinquish the mountains,
And reach out for the skies up high,
So they did one day, so they soured.
The mountain's grip was never crippled,
It held the valley from kissing the air,
A valley beneath the mountains
Was forever meant to rot.
The elite beyond the seas pitied,
'What absurd notion of flight', they satirized,
The saint was tried for treason,
For shouting out lies, and radiating false hope,
So the story ended it seemed.
But he was deported
Into a land where his religion was born,
He found light and his spirit remained unworn,
He held the Sun and rays emanated,
From there he laid plans for another flight,
To lead a valley onto light.
The rays poured hope to the people,
The mountain was strong, but they could fight,
The rocks that blocked the lion's den
Were taken out and destroyed,
And a bright white snow lion roared out in freedom.
NOTES
The poem is about Tibet's ongoing struggle for freedom. Here the valley is an image used for Tibet, mountains represent Chinese supremacy over Tibet, the saint is Dalai Lama who was deported to India, and finally the Snow Lion is the unofficial flag of Tibet used as an image of freedom.
Nice thoughts
ReplyDeleteThank you Vandana. :)
DeleteHow sad for tibet to lose their Dalai Lama. I hope he can return one day.No one will help Tibet. It has no natural resources that are valuable to the west and no one wants to upset the juggernaut economic power of China.
ReplyDeleteTrue Rallen. Sadly it is the case
Deletewhat a wonderful story...and you know it is often in the greatest adversity that the greatest victory is achieved...especially when it comes to the spiritual...smiles....roar on lion...
ReplyDeletePowerful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Charleen
DeleteHope sanity returns to that beautiful valley! Well penned, Anand.
ReplyDeleteThank you. All we could do is hope.
DeleteMy heart lifted as I read this poem about Tibet's struggle. I love the snow lion's appearance at the end of the poem. I highly recommend watching the dvd What Remains of Us, a documentary about a young Chinese woman's travel into Tibet, secretly bringing with her, on her small dvd player, a message from the Dalai Lama to his people inside Tibet. She showed the film inside peoples' homes, secretly. Watching the expressions on the old peoples' faces as they saw and heard their leader is heartbreaking. My heart breaks for Tibet.
ReplyDeleteSherry. I will look for that documentary. Im amazed at how Tibet has resisted complete Chinese supremacy as much as they can. Tibet and its people hold a special place in my heart
DeleteTruly this is a sad situation. I hope the Dalai Lama will someday be able to return to Tibet!!
ReplyDeleteA poem which reads like a fable or a folk tale - thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bonnie. :)
DeleteAnand this is one of your best composition I can say for sure. How beutifully you have woven words into a poem describing struggle, hope, inspiration and freedom!
ReplyDeleteHats off to you for taking this delicate cause of tibetan freedom through your poem!