|
POETRY
Ravages of Nature
Warring nature,
Sudden and frightful,
Brings devastation
Abruptly, not too late,
All living forms
Material gains
Tranquil surroundings,
Are shaken in no time.
Slipping earth, gusty winds,
Scorching sun, raging waters
Bush fires, earth-quakes, many more,
Deny man's hard toil,
Stealing lives and belongings
Overnight hastily,
Without any indication,
Of an oncoming tragedy.
All endeavours of man,
Tumble down, heavily
Dear one's go as under,
Hunger, ill-health, insecurity,
Reconstruction seems far away,
Nature's besetting on humanity.
Appears more wretched and vain
Than the furious man-made wars.
Dayaseeli Senaratne
A Lion with a Rabbit
I heard on the way to the slum
a rabbit moaning in deep pain
a little rabbit - weak in the leg
with thick red eyes and dripping tears
A big lion on the way
beyond my cottage
to catch a rabbit
a poor rabbit for his lunch
o... the poor rabbit
said to the lion
"there was lion bigger than you
on the way to your home
and I could not come on time."
The new lion laughed
recalling his predecessors
"ha...ha...ha...
Then he bit the rabbit
with a mouth dripping blood
"o..my lord!"
I struggled in dream
Awake now on my bed
crying for my motherland
Ven. Thembuketiye Dhammananda
The Banyan Tree
The young saplings enjoy
the shade quite happily
under the tall and mighty
banyan tree.
Yet,
the banyan tree
never lets them grow
tall and mighty
under it!
Ivan Kiriella
Life
Green leaves,
fragrant buds,
lovely flowers
and ripened fruits
make the eye rejoice!
Dried leaves,
stinking buds,
fallen flowers
and rotten fruits
make the heart grieve!
Ivan Kiriella
Pride of Peradeniya 1959
Four hundred and thirty eight a bustling lot in fifty-nine
From South East North and West into the Halls of Residence
River Mahaveli Peradeniya garden and the Hantane Hills
Huddling a bundle of wisdom the future cherished most
In the hives of hums with feathers in joyous flutter
To adore and admire the last English batch to gather
Clearing the path for the vernacular begun in forty-six
Lads and lasses lashed with vigour into campus life
Race faith and creed interspersed as one community
Till the giant seniors dashed with a complex of superiority
Namel Phille Wikka Chandare the rag gang shook us awry
That was the spirit of ragging with no begging for mercy
Glimpses through to flashes of gems on intellectual crown
Kini Rane Bada the known trio of yarn that was sewn
'Live and Let Live' of KHS Sapare read 'Sive and Set Sive'
To rub the essence off the gripping mind of sanity
Hooch VRK Eddy teamed up with Saffar and Carder
Into a shell in the spirit seeking divine pleasure
'GASPARD' Dixon wrote on board when I walked barefoot
VC of 'bursary' fame was bucketed at Ramanathan Hall
Merrick and Merryl tall and tidy, dined and donned to match
Senerath broke records and heads in the marathon hitch
Nihal with 'Niyada Rata' blossomed into national fame
Poet PB humbled by Amare's loud call about his home
Well groomed tidy jerky Male and Nakka in catchy swing
Somapalan enriched us around with his radiant physique
Academic excellence brightened the batch with heady Marcus
Sucharitha and KNO reaching the elite at varying pace
Leslie warned me to learn RS and HP the hard way
And I learnt 'Wrong Speech' and 'Hari Preethiy' by the way
Claude all to himself and Waraka and Chicks all smiles
The two Sekeras Weere and Jaye formed the handsome twins
Short little Cecil thought he was tall above all
Raw from top to bottom Sarane was a joy for all
In contrast was Bandu steady and ready everyday
Looking Trotsky Nimal and Somapala the inseparable couple
One may wonder why no mention of our fair sex
I rarely dozed on them I had other doses to live on
All what is penned above are unique in dazzle
Memory rekindles life into a rare half century 'young'
E M G Edirisinghe
The Audition
I wondered into a Choral Academy,
Was anxious to win the Golden Emmy,
“Do train me to sing - songs and hymns,
Just like the heavenly seraphims,”
“Make me a Robson, or a Caruso, may be a Dicky Taubert or & Mario Lanza,
And to the lilting strains of the pipe organ, show me how to sing a
Gregovian
Stanza
“Welcome honoured sir” the maestros did say, “But first, the routine
audition.”
“Assess we have to, how well your vocal chords function. Simulating,
Alto and Tenor, Baritone and Bass with real feeling I did sing. As a
true Sri Lankan, to sing impromptu is a genetical blessing.
“With apologies dear Sir, Your voice is not suited to sing Alto.”
“Perhaps at Match grounds, you partook in excess of the then famous ‘bulto’.
“Your tenor gentle sir, is a slur on the late Richard Taubert, Over
indulgence, we guess, of the kasa kasa laced on the pavement sold ‘sherbert’!
Say goodbye to your dreams of singing in London’s majestic Hall
Albert. Your voice was akin to the fluttering of a female cicada
forlornly alone. Or the whining of the earsplitting ‘screech’, when a
knife touches a grinding whetstone.
No comparisons for your pathetic barima bari Baritone.
A bit like the sound of a baby baboon sucking an icecream cone.
We did strive our best to build up a case.
In support of your much advertised bass.
Alas! the mating call of the gentleman frog with a corrugated vocal
chord,
Soundssweeter when compared to, the verses you sang on your own accord.
Our advice to you respected Sir, is to stick to writing your prose and
verses.
Certain are we that your enviable vocation is with the muses. Beg, let
not your voice, cause the late immortal masters even though spirits, to
faint,
Your moose enticing vocals, will undoubtedly make these clear departed
souls to twist and to turn in their sepulchres quaint.
Siripathy Jayamaha |
