"The Piazetta in Venice by Night" by Henry Pether‘The Night’ by Sathya Narayana The Society April 18, 2018 Beauty, Poetry 26 Comments Wee hours, when crickets tune their eerie cords and hoot the yawning owls at twinkling stars; the night-maid roves seesaw, like a drunken bard, besmeared with stripes of billion moonlight-scars! A slithering thief along the parapet wall, a snaking beau crossing the forlorn street, a Robin chirping sweet on sandy knoll… decrying all, she glides with nimble feet! While slumbers world, in wonted joys and pain of dreams, the sleepless Stygean Queen patrols in peace, sans smiles or frowns, the earth and main, till dawns the day-despot for glorious strolls. But lo, unlike her Lord with blazing arms, she’s calm and rules the world with soothing balms! Once an advocate, Sathya Narayana joined the Government of India as Inspector of Salt in 1984 and received two service promotions. In May 2014, he took voluntary retirement as Superintendent of Salt. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 26 Responses Leonard Dabydeen April 18, 2018 Salutations, Dear Friend Sathya for picturing such beauty of ‘The Night’. The imagery is captivating to blend the night with such intimacy. And the picture is awesome. Kudos! Reply Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you very much Sir Leonard Dabydeen. I know you are always there for me. Reply Satyananda Sarangi April 18, 2018 Greetings Sir! The images are flowing mid air and soothing the mood after dusk. 🙂 I have always loved your poetry and this is one of those poems that lies beyond the mundane. Regards Reply Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you Mr. Sarangi ji. Recently a friend asked me (in Facebook) about other Indian poets in the society…without any hesitation I gave your name. In fact I have been reading your poetry keenly and of course I love it so much. Reply Satyananda Sarangi April 19, 2018 Sir, I am humbled for such a kind gesture. And without any hesitation, you can address me by my name for in our land, good wishes of elders are same as God’s. 🙂 Regards Jenni Wyn Hyatt April 18, 2018 A glorious sonnet teeming with stunning imagery, Sathya. Reply Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. Very nice of you. Reply KCS Sastry April 18, 2018 As usual, your write-up with stunning imagery is so pleasing. Kudos to you my friend Satya garu. God bless you in all your future endeavours. Reply Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. Reply David Paul Behrens April 18, 2018 This poem maintains the essence of classical poetry. Well done. Reply Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Oh, thank you very much Sir. Sure, this is the pithiest compliment I have ever received. Thank you Sir once again. Reply Sally Cook April 18, 2018 Such microscopic detail, so simple but at the same time so accurate! The entire sonnet works together to produce a beautiful image. Thank you. Reply Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. Reply Allen April 19, 2018 Most Impressive and majestic Reply James Sale April 19, 2018 Very accomplished poetry – as David P Behrens says: ‘classical’. In particular this struck as so wonderfully Keatsian, as the presiding genius who has influenced you. One of my all-time favourites. Great stuff! Reply Sathyanarayana April 20, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. Oh I am overwhelmed by these compliments. I bow to you all my friends. Reply Rajendra Singh April 19, 2018 A Romantic portrayal of night’s serene quietitude through many touching images. Reply Sathyanarayana April 20, 2018 Oh, thank you very much Sir. Reply David Hollywood April 20, 2018 Marvelous and wonderful imagery. Reply Sathyanarayana April 20, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. These are the best compliments I have ever received Reply David Watt April 23, 2018 It is a pleasure to read such consistently vivid imagery in this sonnet. Reply Sathyanarayana April 23, 2018 Thank you very much Sir Reply Sri Wele Cebuda April 25, 2018 Mr. Sathyanarayana’s words and grammar shift about, like moonlight in the night, perhaps as Mr. Sarangi suggests in the “flowing mid-air” images; nor is Mr. Sathyanarayana averse to dactylic adjectives in the typical sonnet’s iambics: “slithering thief,” “parapet wall,” “Stygean Queen,” “glorious strolls.” Although the diction is simple, I am constantly second-guessing what his phrasing means. For example, does he mean “chords” in line one, or not? Ms. Cook points out his attention to detail, which Mr. Sale correctly identifies as the Keatsian quality in the writing. I agree with Mr. Behrens and Mr. Sale that this is classical as it relates to the definition of classical as it frequently is used at SCP (but not, perhaps as T. S. Eliot used it). My favourite trope is the simile in lines 3 & 4, but his adjectives are also rich and the personification throughout bewitching. Here the octave does not play against the sestet, but rather the quatrains against the couplet. Reply Sathyanarayana April 26, 2018 Thank you very much Sir for your shrewd analysis. Reply కైలాస్ నాథ్ May 14, 2018 రేఇ గుండెల్లో ని గాయాలకు చలువ పూతలు పూసిన మీ కవనానికి వందనాలు Reply Sathyanarayana May 14, 2018 మీదైన తెలుఁగు ముద్ర న్యూయార్క వారి అంతర్జాలం లో . ధన్యవాదములు Reply Leave a Reply to James Sale Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Captcha loading...In order to pass the CAPTCHA please enable JavaScript. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Leonard Dabydeen April 18, 2018 Salutations, Dear Friend Sathya for picturing such beauty of ‘The Night’. The imagery is captivating to blend the night with such intimacy. And the picture is awesome. Kudos! Reply
Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you very much Sir Leonard Dabydeen. I know you are always there for me. Reply
Satyananda Sarangi April 18, 2018 Greetings Sir! The images are flowing mid air and soothing the mood after dusk. 🙂 I have always loved your poetry and this is one of those poems that lies beyond the mundane. Regards Reply
Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Thank you Mr. Sarangi ji. Recently a friend asked me (in Facebook) about other Indian poets in the society…without any hesitation I gave your name. In fact I have been reading your poetry keenly and of course I love it so much. Reply
Satyananda Sarangi April 19, 2018 Sir, I am humbled for such a kind gesture. And without any hesitation, you can address me by my name for in our land, good wishes of elders are same as God’s. 🙂 Regards
KCS Sastry April 18, 2018 As usual, your write-up with stunning imagery is so pleasing. Kudos to you my friend Satya garu. God bless you in all your future endeavours. Reply
David Paul Behrens April 18, 2018 This poem maintains the essence of classical poetry. Well done. Reply
Sathyanarayana April 18, 2018 Oh, thank you very much Sir. Sure, this is the pithiest compliment I have ever received. Thank you Sir once again. Reply
Sally Cook April 18, 2018 Such microscopic detail, so simple but at the same time so accurate! The entire sonnet works together to produce a beautiful image. Thank you. Reply
James Sale April 19, 2018 Very accomplished poetry – as David P Behrens says: ‘classical’. In particular this struck as so wonderfully Keatsian, as the presiding genius who has influenced you. One of my all-time favourites. Great stuff! Reply
Sathyanarayana April 20, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. Oh I am overwhelmed by these compliments. I bow to you all my friends. Reply
Rajendra Singh April 19, 2018 A Romantic portrayal of night’s serene quietitude through many touching images. Reply
Sathyanarayana April 20, 2018 Thank you very much Sir. These are the best compliments I have ever received Reply
David Watt April 23, 2018 It is a pleasure to read such consistently vivid imagery in this sonnet. Reply
Sri Wele Cebuda April 25, 2018 Mr. Sathyanarayana’s words and grammar shift about, like moonlight in the night, perhaps as Mr. Sarangi suggests in the “flowing mid-air” images; nor is Mr. Sathyanarayana averse to dactylic adjectives in the typical sonnet’s iambics: “slithering thief,” “parapet wall,” “Stygean Queen,” “glorious strolls.” Although the diction is simple, I am constantly second-guessing what his phrasing means. For example, does he mean “chords” in line one, or not? Ms. Cook points out his attention to detail, which Mr. Sale correctly identifies as the Keatsian quality in the writing. I agree with Mr. Behrens and Mr. Sale that this is classical as it relates to the definition of classical as it frequently is used at SCP (but not, perhaps as T. S. Eliot used it). My favourite trope is the simile in lines 3 & 4, but his adjectives are also rich and the personification throughout bewitching. Here the octave does not play against the sestet, but rather the quatrains against the couplet. Reply
