THE VILLAGE BARBER ( In Blank Verse)
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He is the only one well-known to everyone
In that village; a petty saloon where he works
Regaling every customer with his friendly talk;
Tidy and neat he maintains that place;
His words so lucid as the looking-glass;
His manners so gentle like fresh shaving cream;
Massaging our limbs with soothing movements;
He plies his tools with adroit skill
Trimming our hair with playful art;
He treats all with self-same welcoming looks
About local incidents with seasoned remarks
His simple friendly talk impresses one and all;
Even landed gentry visit and await their turn
Seated in his humble abode without any fretful mood
Glancing at the sensational items and news;
As he attends to his work with reverence due
Assuring them of quick service in a courteous tone;
He knows the knack of winning their hearts
They too kindly respond in whatever way they could
Helping him unsolicited by all means;
Though naive and unsophisticated by birth
He works alone unperturbed by his homely cares;
A lonely bread-winner to feed many a mouth
But never complained about his personal cares:
Never did he ask or demand more;
With a cheerful countenance and patient looks
With balanced ease he enjoys his profession;
Without enslaving himself to vicious habits;
What paltry amount we gave, he took with a grateful smile;
Reflecting upon our feeble minds brooding over trivial things
We wondered at his calm and composed demeanor
Untouched by mean avarice and worthless strife;
We thought of so-called noble millionaires
Without any sympathetic humane feelings;
We find noblest examples of happy contented life
Even in simple persons of noble means
Hidden like gems beneath rough seeming shells
A living example of honesty inspiring our self-centered minds.
********************************
20th January, 2015 G.Somaseshu
Note:
Dear Readers, Some of you might have heard of the famous 18th century poet "Oliver Goldsmith". In the age of rationalism and industrial revolution, when many poets extolled the urban living ways, he exposed the plight of deteriorating values, tradition and customs as found in interior villages which were reeling under the pressure of urbanization. "The Deserted Village" (1770) is a fine poetic rendering of the social conditions of the rural life which gives a very lively and realistic sketch of various rural characters of those times. The characters of the "Village School Master and "The Preacher" are superbly delineated. In my poem I tried something in that vein to portray the character of the village barber who always appears cheerful and entertains his customers without dwelling too much on his personal problems. He lives in the moment of joyous living with strong faith in God and in his abilities to face the challenges of life. In this context one is reminded of Wordsworth's poem on "The Leech-gatherer" in which the poet describes and praises the old man's spirit of perseverance, fortitude and the spirit of independence.
**********************
\
He is the only one well-known to everyone
In that village; a petty saloon where he works
Regaling every customer with his friendly talk;
Tidy and neat he maintains that place;
His words so lucid as the looking-glass;
His manners so gentle like fresh shaving cream;
Massaging our limbs with soothing movements;
He plies his tools with adroit skill
Trimming our hair with playful art;
He treats all with self-same welcoming looks
About local incidents with seasoned remarks
His simple friendly talk impresses one and all;
Even landed gentry visit and await their turn
Seated in his humble abode without any fretful mood
Glancing at the sensational items and news;
As he attends to his work with reverence due
Assuring them of quick service in a courteous tone;
He knows the knack of winning their hearts
They too kindly respond in whatever way they could
Helping him unsolicited by all means;
Though naive and unsophisticated by birth
He works alone unperturbed by his homely cares;
A lonely bread-winner to feed many a mouth
But never complained about his personal cares:
Never did he ask or demand more;
With a cheerful countenance and patient looks
With balanced ease he enjoys his profession;
Without enslaving himself to vicious habits;
What paltry amount we gave, he took with a grateful smile;
Reflecting upon our feeble minds brooding over trivial things
We wondered at his calm and composed demeanor
Untouched by mean avarice and worthless strife;
We thought of so-called noble millionaires
Without any sympathetic humane feelings;
We find noblest examples of happy contented life
Even in simple persons of noble means
Hidden like gems beneath rough seeming shells
A living example of honesty inspiring our self-centered minds.
********************************
20th January, 2015 G.Somaseshu
Note:
Dear Readers, Some of you might have heard of the famous 18th century poet "Oliver Goldsmith". In the age of rationalism and industrial revolution, when many poets extolled the urban living ways, he exposed the plight of deteriorating values, tradition and customs as found in interior villages which were reeling under the pressure of urbanization. "The Deserted Village" (1770) is a fine poetic rendering of the social conditions of the rural life which gives a very lively and realistic sketch of various rural characters of those times. The characters of the "Village School Master and "The Preacher" are superbly delineated. In my poem I tried something in that vein to portray the character of the village barber who always appears cheerful and entertains his customers without dwelling too much on his personal problems. He lives in the moment of joyous living with strong faith in God and in his abilities to face the challenges of life. In this context one is reminded of Wordsworth's poem on "The Leech-gatherer" in which the poet describes and praises the old man's spirit of perseverance, fortitude and the spirit of independence.
**********************
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