PLAY THY PART

                     

                           

                                         

                               

1)   A floating miracle assuming myriad forms

       So flexible, so smooth and calm

       Cheering so many eyes with her charm

       So shines thy pliant nature friendly and warm.

 

2)     The purling stream by the mountain side

         So gracefully through pebbles glide

         Unhindered by boulders flows beside

         Just like thee taking everything in her stride.

3)     The whirling western wind from cloudy height

         Shaking mighty trees with lashing might

         Carpeting the ground with leaves fallen with fright

         Reminds me thy vibrant attitude bright. 

 

4)     The laughing lilies on blue misty hills

         Makes our hearts throb with fragrant thrill

        Our feelings swell and flow like mountain rill

         Likewise, your smiles with joy our bosoms fill.

 

5)      When the tree with so many fruits abound

          Shakes herself free a load of apples red and round

          A heap of rubies ripe shining on the ground

          Reflects thee who in giving true joy found.

 

6)      Like the bird flying through gloomy clouds and gales

          With colourful wings unfazed over the vales;

          As her voice echoes a melodious merry tale;

          Likewise, your efforts move, not stagnant and stale. 

 

7.       Like the coloured spectrum of rainbow in the sky 

          Like the shimmering glow of butter-flies

          Like the blooming lotus blossoms at sunrise

          Make me happy to see thy growth mature and wise.

 

8)      So many pretty things flash before my mind

         To speak about you, so liberal and kind;

         In simple ways immense pleasure, you find

         You play your part with zest that God assigned. 

   

  (With many, many best wishes to my daughter, Sri, on her birthday) 

  16th October, 2021                Somaseshu Gutala   

A NOTE ON W.H. AUDEN’S POEM “NIGHT MAIL”

 

                           

 

Wynstan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) was a versatile personality who brought significant changes with socialist fervour in the field of arts and made innovative changes in style, content and tone. He participated actively in the fields of politics, morals, love and religion. As an important member of the “Oxford group” he rejected the traditional poetic forms of Victorian writers and was influenced by literary modern writers like T.S.Eliot. All his works are noted for their humanitarian content, democratic spirit and technical innovation in literary forms.

 This poem was written in 1936 to accompany the documentary film of the same name. The film is concerned with a London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) mail train travelling from London to Scotland. It was produced by the GPO  to publicize the work of the British general Post Office. This film was directed by Harry Watt and Basil Wright and was narrated by John Grierson and Stuart Legg. Some of the lines of the poem were cut and changed to fit the film. The basic intent of the film was to reveal how the mail was distributed all over cities and villages by the train. The rhythm of the film matches the train’s movement and a sense of dreamy loneliness pervades much of it. Auden’s poem was read in the closing few minutes of the documentary film. This poem was set to music by Auden’s friend, Benjamin Bretten.

 In this poem, the train is personified as a person who travels crossing many hurdles and reaches her destination on time. She passes through grasslands, cotton fields, rocky terrain and industrial townships. The night mail carries mail across the country by night. Here the “blank-faced coaches” refers to compartments carrying no passengers. She shovels white steam over her shoulder as she moves forward.

 In spite of her fast rhythmic movement, the night mail did not disturb the sleeping people who were dreaming about news about war and letters from their dear people. The poet shows the train as a socialist symbol transcending the barriers of social status and rank. The train crosses the borders overnight bringing letters, cheques, and orders for both the rich and the poor. Though the way is steep she moves with steady speed and arrives at the destination on time. She noisily passes through the silent miles of grasslands. Birds peer at her and sheep dogs cannot alter her course. The dwellers sleep on undisturbed by the passing train while the jug gently shakes due to vibrations caused by the train. 

In the dawn she descends into Glasgow. There she heads towards dark furnaces set up like “gigantic chessmen”. All of Scotland eagerly crave for her arrival for men want news and letters from their near and dear. She carries many letters of different sorts and for all people such as receipts, invitations, applications, declarations of love, gossip from around the world and news both “circumstantial” and “financial”. She also brings personal letters from family members, letters with doodles in the margins, letters from all over Europe, letters of condolences all written on papers of every color imaginable. The letters have all tones and styles such as chatty, friendly, cold, boring, clever, stupid, long and short. Some are typed, some are printed and some are misspelled. Thousands still sleep dreaming night mares. They are asleep in Glasgow and Edinburgh. They dream on but they hope that when they wake up, they will have letters. The line “And none will hear the postman’s knock/Without a quickening of the heart’) refers to their intense desire to know that they are remembered by someone else as the mail comes. Their hearts will pound when they hear the knock of the postman on their doors since “Who can bear to feel himself to be forgotten?”

  

 This is a twelve- stanza poem that is divided into stanzas of varying length.  The first part of the poem is made of eight four-beat rhymed couplets to echo the rhythm of the running train. The second section of the poem describes the train’s descent into Scotland. The landscape has a touch of industrial township with dark furnaces. Stanza nine has eight lines, stanza ten has nineteen lines, stanza eleven has three lines and stanza twelve ends with seven lines. This poem is written as a conclusion to a film about the delivery of the mail. The meter of the poem resembles that of a moving train down the tracks. It is very steady, builds up speed and at the end slows down. The second section has eight lines with irregular meter. Scotland was eager to hear about war news as Hitler was becoming increasingly aggressive. In the third section the excitement of the crowd receiving all the letters is described though most of them were asleep when the train was passing by. Auden realistically shows the vast array of things sent by post. People are knit together by this correspondence, no matter how trivial the mail might seem. The diversity of people and communications is mirrored by the kinds of paper” of every hue/the pink, the violet, the white and the blue." 

In the final section Auden depicts local people asleep in their warm beds dreaming of local things and monsters. Soon they will be awake and eager to know about the mail they would get. The end of the poem asks “after all, who can bear to feel himself forgotten?” This poem celebrates human connections and sweet, memorable relationships. The poet viewed the night mail as a socialist symbol which serves all transcending the barriers of race, rank and status. The train is personified as a calm, methodical and kind being who is always on tome despite “the steady climb” as she barely disturbs the countryside.

The poet also used many figures of speech to enhance the effect of the moving train in keeping with her movement. The repetition of word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines in succession (Anaphora) is seen in this poem to create emphasis. (“Letters for the rich, letters for the poor”) and (“Letters of thanks, letters from the banks / “Letters of joy from the girl and the boy”). A list of phrases, items or actions may be mentioned. The repetition of initial consonant at the beginning of words (Alliteration) is seen words like “birds, bushes, blank-faced”. The use of sibilance (alliteration of soft vowels such as “s” and “sh” to create a prolonged hissing and rushing sound. (“Shovelling white steam over her shoulders/Snorting noisily as she passes”). The use of enjambment (run-on lines) is used to show the smooth movement of the train. (“Down towards Glasgow she descends/Towards the steam tugs yelping down the glades of cranes). The use of repetition for giving emphasis is seen (“Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in/Lines with faces scrawled in the margin/Letters from the uncles, cousins, and aunts/ “Letters to Scotland from the south of France/” Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands”).

 The whole poem is the personification of the train as a brave lady moving forward with steady movement and perseverance facing many hurdles with a sense of determination. In the sentence “she snorts noisily as she passes by the wild bent grass” the train is personified as an animal. This poem is a fitting conclusion to the documentary film which highlights the services provided by the Railway and the Postal departments.

                           *********************************************

  (Dedicated with humble regards to Sri (Late) Y.N.Sastri, the Saviour of Railway Pensioners and who did yeoman service for protecting the rights of pensioners at national level.).  He worked as Chief Controller in Secunderabad and after retirement in the capacity of President for All India Retd. Railwaymen Federation, he rendered invaluable and commendable service for pensioners for nearly thirty years. He was a born leader. an orator,  a writer and an actor. To quote, he was " a multi-faceted personality with a zeal for pensioners' welfare, social, cultural and sports activities; above all a trade union leader and a freedom fighter with leadership talent. A leader of conviction, devotion to duty and determination combined with a high degree of knowledge and vast experience." 

I humbly dedicate this essay to him since like the "Night Mail" in Auden's poem, he stands for dynamic nature, courage to overcome difficulties and selfless service with timely action and straightforward nature without any inhibitions.

           

      9th October, 2021                                   Somaseshu Gutala
                                           
                            

A Birthday Wish

                          

         

                

                             

             You ever mingle freely with one and all

             You entertain both elders and children small;

             You enjoy everything with playful ease

             Your humble helpful ways always please;

             Good, friendly relations you ever maintain

             You treated none with anger or disdain;

              In studies and career too, you did exceedingly well

              To tempting greed and deceit you never fell;

              Happiness you find in whatever you perform

              Ever helpful, jovial, affectionate and calm;

              Wherever you are, there blooms delight

              A festive togetherness warm and bright;

              A promising future I wish on your thirtieth year

              Full of domestic peace, good health and cheer .

             

          (With hearty blessings, Dear Anvesh)

 

           30th September, 2021                  Somaseshu Gutala         

LIVING SO LONG!

 

               

   

           

1)             So  many years, Time gave thee to stay

             And live this life in so many ways;

             To use your senses and feel a sense of thrill

             A plentiful harvest in your bosom to fill;

             With deeper meanings and noble thoughts

             To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

2)                             In every dawn you find a promising chance

            As you get up refreshed from your trance;

            Too much engaged in routine repetitive deeds

            Lessons of life you did not care to heed;

            Worried over future we overlook present

            Thinking about past that vanished and went.

 

3)                           You sip your morning cup of tea

           Reclining with ease newspapers you see;

           You loiter in garden with leisurely pace

           Have your breakfast in room with ample space;

           You take everything with mechanical stride

           Delight in common things you never tried.

 

4)                          We ignore the worth of things easily got

          A very easy thing it is for us to fault

          With others who struggle for bread a lot;

           In web of trivial matters, we are easily caught

           We never care to know others’ feelings

           We are too busy with our frivolous dealings. 

5)              Winds of change none can stop and resist

          Old, rigid principles you can’t insist

          Why you condemn changes as worthless trash

          While you enjoy gadgets and splurge your cash;

          Accept the gifts of change with liberal mind

          In proper use of things true worth we find. 

 

6)                     Rush not with passions and reckless rage

        Adamant nature matches not with your age;

        Ripe maturity shows itself in restraint;

        Explode not with too many morose complaints

        Win thy weakness of limbs with attitude bright

        Curse not burdens of long life to worsen your plight.

 

7)                   Hanker not too much with earthly pleasures

        In old age good health is a valuable treasure;

       Observe due limits and be not a slave

       To tempting senses which ever crave

       Pay due attention to thy mental health

       What is the use of having abundant wealth?

 

8)                 Buffeted by ups and downs you lived so long

      Roughened by blows, so try to be strong;

      Keep thyself fit and not too much depend

      On others stating your age, Dear friend!

      Interfere not with others’ affairs and tasks

      Give thy advice only if they ever ask;

9)   So many dear people we have to lose

      The curse of old age, yet we can't but choose;

       So many tender lives cut off in their prime

       Beyond our reach the mysteries of time;

       Accept real facts as all beings should part

       With everything and nothing ever lasts.

10)  Though slow, our progress no regrets to feel

        God’s intentions none can reveal;

        Find calm delight in Nature sweet

        In beasts and birds who never cheat.

        To grasp the deeper meanings, change your thoughts

        To live with hope and faith, a life-long art.

 

11)   Just like Her, be calm, happy and serene;

         Enjoy her gifts with feelings fresh and green;

        Treat thy troubles as floating bubbles that pass;

        Time leads people--- no gain or loss;

         Fill thy days with patience and wisely spend

         Be ready and bold whatever be thy end.

 

12)  Death opens gates to distant stars unseen    

       To see the secrets of soul she lifts the screen     

       A liberator great and God’s image indeed

       Reforming vision and gently lead;

       To reveal more realms and reform our souls

        A long, long journey to reach our final goal.

              ****************************

        23rd September, 2021                      Somaseshu Gutala

           

           

 

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

                                     LIVING SO LONG!

1)    So many years, Time gave thee to stay

And live this life in so many ways;

To use your senses and feel a sense of thrill

A plentiful harvest in your bosom to fill

With deeper meanings and noble thoughts

To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

2)     In every dawn you find a promising chance

As you get up refreshed from your trance;

Too much engaged in routine repetitive deeds

Lessons of life you did not care to heed;

Worried over future we overlook present

Thinking about past that vanished and went.

 

3)     You sip your morning cup of tea

Reclining with ease newspapers you see;

You loiter in garden with leisurely pace

Have your breakfast in room with ample space;

You take everything with mechanical stride

Delight in common things you never tried.

 

4)    We ignore the worth of things easily got

A very easy thing it is to fault

With others who struggle for bread a lot;

In web of trivial matters, we are easily caught

We never care to know others’ feelings

We are too busy with our frivolous dealings.

 

 

5)        Winds of change none can stop and resist

Old, rigid principles you can’t insist

Why you condemn changes as worthless trash

While you enjoy gadgets and splurge your cash;

Accept the gifts of change with liberal mind

In proper use of things true worth we find.

 

 

6)    Rush not with passions and reckless rage

Adamant nature matches not with your age;

Ripe maturity shows itself in restraint;

Explode not with too many morose complaints

Win thy weakness of limbs with attitude bright

Curse not burdens of long life to worsen your plight.

 

7)    Hanker not too much with earthly pleasures

In old age good health is a valuable treasure;

Observe due limits and be not a slave

To tempting senses which ever crave;

Pay due attention to thy mental health

What is the use of having abundant wealth?

 

8)    Buffeted by ups and downs you lived so long

Roughened by blows, so try to be strong;

Keep thyself fit and not too much depend

On others stating your age, Dear friend!

Interfere not with others’ affairs and tasks

Give thy advice only if they ever ask.

 

 

   9)    Before our eyes so many dear people we have to lose

           The curse of old age, but we can’t but choose;

           So many tender lives cut off in their prime

           Beyond our reach the mysteries of time;

           Accept real facts as all beings should part

           With everything and nothing ever lasts.

 

10)     Though slow, our progress no regrets to feel

           God’s intentions none can reveal;

           Find calm delight in Nature sweet

           In beasts and birds who never cheat.

           To grasp the deeper meanings, change your thoughts

           To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

11)    Just like Her, be calm, happy and serene;

          Treat thy troubles as floating bubbles that pass;

          Time leads people--- no gain or loss;

           Fill thy days with patience and wisely spend

 Be ready and bold whatever be thy end.

 

12)     Death opens gates to distant stars unseen    

           To see the secrets of soul she lifts the screen     

           A liberator great and God’s image indeed

           Reforming vision and gently lead;

           To reveal more realms and reform our souls

           A long, long journey to reach our final goal.

            ****************************

           

           

 

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 11)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         LIVING SO LONG!

1)    So many years, Time gave thee to stay

And live this life in so many ways;

To use your senses and feel a sense of thrill

A plentiful harvest in your bosom to fill

With deeper meanings and noble thoughts

To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

2)     In every dawn you find a promising chance

As you get up refreshed from your trance;

Too much engaged in routine repetitive deeds

Lessons of life you did not care to heed;

Worried over future we overlook present

Thinking about past that vanished and went.

 

3)     You sip your morning cup of tea

Reclining with ease newspapers you see;

You loiter in garden with leisurely pace

Have your breakfast in room with ample space;

You take everything with mechanical stride

Delight in common things you never tried.

 

4)    We ignore the worth of things easily got

A very easy thing it is to fault

With others who struggle for bread a lot;

In web of trivial matters, we are easily caught

We never care to know others’ feelings

We are too busy with our frivolous dealings.

 

 

5)        Winds of change none can stop and resist

Old, rigid principles you can’t insist

Why you condemn changes as worthless trash

While you enjoy gadgets and splurge your cash;

Accept the gifts of change with liberal mind

In proper use of things true worth we find.

 

 

6)    Rush not with passions and reckless rage

Adamant nature matches not with your age;

Ripe maturity shows itself in restraint;

Explode not with too many morose complaints

Win thy weakness of limbs with attitude bright

Curse not burdens of long life to worsen your plight.

 

7)    Hanker not too much with earthly pleasures

In old age good health is a valuable treasure;

Observe due limits and be not a slave

To tempting senses which ever crave;

Pay due attention to thy mental health

What is the use of having abundant wealth?

 

8)    Buffeted by ups and downs you lived so long

Roughened by blows, so try to be strong;

Keep thyself fit and not too much depend

On others stating your age, Dear friend!

Interfere not with others’ affairs and tasks

Give thy advice only if they ever ask.

 

 

   9)    Before our eyes so many dear people we have to lose

           The curse of old age, but we can’t but choose;

           So many tender lives cut off in their prime

           Beyond our reach the mysteries of time;

           Accept real facts as all beings should part

           With everything and nothing ever lasts.

 

10)     Though slow, our progress no regrets to feel

           God’s intentions none can reveal;

           Find calm delight in Nature sweet

           In beasts and birds who never cheat.

           To grasp the deeper meanings, change your thoughts

           To live with hope and faith, a God-given art.

 

11)    Just like Her, be calm, happy and serene;

          Treat thy troubles as floating bubbles that pass;

          Time leads people--- no gain or loss;

           Fill thy days with patience and wisely spend

 Be ready and bold whatever be thy end.

 

12)     Death opens gates to distant stars unseen    

           To see the secrets of soul she lifts the screen     

           A liberator great and God’s image indeed

           Reforming vision and gently lead;

           To reveal more realms and reform our souls

           A long, long journey to reach our final goal.

            ****************************

           

           

 

          

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 11)   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

                          

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