Let go, and Rejoice

 

तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा (Tena Tyaktena Bhunjitha): Let go, and Rejoice

- ईशावास्य उपनिषद (Ishavasya Upnishad)

Says to me, a small voice,

Let go, and Rejoice,

Twenty, twenty three,

Will set you free.

Happy New Year.

To you,

And your near and dear.

I'll rain stars, Jupiter said

 

The moon was floating

Over my sleepy home and world.

It whispered to Jupiter,

The Cosmic Santa Claus:

What gifts do you bear

For the earth, my friend?

I'll rain stars, Jupiter said,

Catch one,

And make a wish.

The Darkling Thrush flings his soul again.

 

This poem was written by Thomas Hardy at the cusp of the 20th century, during 1899 to be exact. He wrote about the dying century and the surrounding gloom relieved only by the cheery thrush's 'illimited' song of joy.

The darkling thrush flings his soul again to relieve the gathering gloom surrounding the ebbing 2022.

The Darkling Thrush

I leant upon a coppice gate

When Frost was spectre-grey,

And Winter's dregs made desolate

    The weakening eye of day.

The tangled bine-stems scored the sky

    Like strings of broken lyres,

And all mankind that haunted nigh

    Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be

    The Century's corpse outleant,

His crypt the cloudy canopy,

    The wind his death-lament.

The ancient pulse of germ and birth

    Was shrunken hard and dry,

And every spirit upon earth

    Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among

    The bleak twigs overhead

In a full-hearted evensong

    Of joy illimited;

An aged thrush, frail, gaunt and small,

    In blast-beruffled plume,

Had chosen thus to fling his soul

    Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings

    Of such ecstatic sound

Was written on terrestrial things

    Afar or nigh around,

That I could think there trembled through

    His happy good-night air

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew

    And I was unaware.

There's no one here like you

You've become a star

In a galaxy far away.

Hold on,

I'll walk the few light years,

But I'll be there.

Keep twinkling,

Show me the way.

There's no one here,

Like you.

Time to be jolly

Christmas came early,

Time to be jolly.

One Rank, One Pension,

No virus, no tension. 

Today is 23, next year is 23

 

Today's date

Is tomorrow's year,

That today's fear,

Be tomorrow's dear,

Dear God,

Help me to steer.

Messi...Ah!

 

Did He create the beautiful game?

Did He send His messenger?

Messi...Ah!

All we know is:

Christmas came early,

For the Latinos.

And the Gauls dreamed a dream,

Like Les Misérables.

It is past the hour

Like fireflies,

The lights from mobiles,

Are waves in the dark stadium,

The audience has gone wild,

It is past the hour.

This is my swan song,

And it ends softly,

A hush descends

Over the stadium,

I wish they would ask 

For an encore,

I'll sing it one more time.

But, it is past the hour. 

There's still a tear unborn

 

Don't sing that song,

Don't sing it yet.

Hold me, hold on,

There's still a tear unborn,

Don't let it roll, don't let.

Don't sing that song,

That makes me cry.

Don't sing it yet.

After you left

 

Last night,

The stars stopped their chatter,

The moon crumbled.

Last night,

The night went on and on,

After you left.

Wait is the other word for love

Wait is a word for eternity,

Wait is another word for Time,

Wait is unrequited love,

And, 

Wait is the other word for love. 

The Universe is blighted

 

The sun is rusty today,

And the moon is dusty.

The blight has travelled far,

Right up to the pole star.

The Big Bang consumed all love

 

The Big Bang consumed all love,

To create the Universe.

The Universe expanded,

And happiness expanded,

With the Universe,

Engulfing all.

But happiness is not

The same thing as love.

Odd dates

 

My drinking buddy sent me this message that I do not visit the Madhushaala on these days.

I found the dates odd.

So I wrote to my friend, 'These are odd dates.'

*Madhushaala: Tavern

When the earth turns to vapour

 

When the earth turns to vapour,

Due to global warming,

Will my heart melt?

Or, will it be sublimation?

And, I will know no pain,

In the transition?

The foam rises

 

The foam rises

From my heart,

And, I think,

It is of my mouth.

Near the crackling fire

For Col Ajaypal Singh Attre, a coursemate.

What's on the other side,

I do not know.

May you find a place

Near the crackling fire,

And the friends who went ahead

With a bottle of Rum

(Whatever it's called there).

Don't worry too much about

Who you left behind,

Or, what rhapsody you left behind.

For you have earned your peace,

And a piece of heaven.

Om Shanti!