“During the war, the Indian Army evicted Pakistani intruders and succeeded in recapturing Tiger Hill and other posts as a part of ‘Operation Vijay’. Indian soldiers had secured this victory after a three-month conflict that led to a loss of lives from both sides — the Indian side lost nearly 490 officers, soldiers, and jawans.” —Indian Express

A Paean for Eternity

They must have gone away with silent beats,
But left immortal tunes inside the heart;
They vowed their timeless youth to do its part,
Without a thought to medals, fame and feats.

To hear their swansong, lend me ears,
Their aura gleams upon our tears.

The dusty touch of memories embrace
The fading portraits never spoken of;
Their pristine stream of great courageous love
But springs within to carve its lasting trace.

They quelled a furnace full of fears,
This day fills in for passing years.

While marching on as clouds on heaven’s plane,
They shone by constellations far and near;
Those brisk and buried footsteps still appear,
And to the end of time, they shall remain.

This day fills in for passing years,
Their aura gleams upon our tears.

 

 

An electrical engineering alumnus of IGIT Sarang, Satyananda Sarangi is a young poet and editor who enjoys reading Longfellow, Shelley, Coleridge, Yeats, Blake and many others. His works have been widely published in India, Germany, United States, etc. and have featured in The Society of Classical Poets, Page & Spine, Glass: Facets of Poetry, WestWard Quarterly, The GreenSilk Journal and other national magazines and books. He also loves electrical machines and renewable energy sources. Currently, he resides in Odisha, India.

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10 Responses

  1. Margaret Coats

    Satyananda, you have outdone yourself in the glorious construction of this poem to the memory of self-sacrificing soldiers. The lines move regularly forward, while turning back because this day fills in for passing years, and forward to contemplate the end of time. “Their aura gleams upon our tears” reminds us that the Kashmir conflict is not over, as your unexpected expressions reflect its paradoxes. “Silent beats,” “dusty touch of memories,” “furnace full of fears,” and others. This must be an extremely difficult subject.

    Here you are focusing on a particular day–and more on the men who achieved victory at great cost. The only other poem I know about this conflict is Agha Sahid Ali’s “When the ruins dissolve like salt in water.” The tone is quite different from yours. When he calls out to his birthplace, “O Kashmir, Armenia once vanished,” I believe that by going back into history, he warns that Kashmir may be forgotten. Destroying the memory of a nation was the goal of genocide in Armenia.

    You have created something strong and beautiful to preserve the memory of men involved in this long-lasting conflict.

    Reply
    • Satyananda Sarangi

      Dear Margaret ma’am,

      Quite thankful for these words.
      Stay safe.

      Regards

      Reply
    • Satyananda Sarangi

      Hello Mr. Zoutewelle.

      I’m glad that you found it so. I’ve always enjoyed your poems.
      ” Mist in the forest” was an excellent poem that had quite an effect on me.

      Regards

      Reply
  3. C.B. Anderson

    S.S.,

    I loved the innovative form, and I thought the diction expressed perfectly the ideas the poem was intended to convey. There was something numinous about it, which, for me, really seals the deal. Nice work.

    Reply
    • Satyananda Sarangi

      Hello Mr. Anderson!

      It’s always a great feeling to get your applause on my work. I think the more one writes, the more he improves and the numinous beauty comes into picture.

      Thank you.

      Reply
  4. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    A well wrought poetic depiction of a piece of India’s proud history that adds a wealth of heartfelt emotion to the tough subject of war. I like the form and particularly like the image; “The dusty touch of memories embrace/The fading portraits never spoken of”. It reminds me of all the sepia pictures of the past that need a poet’s magic touch to give them the eternity you so eloquently portray. Thank you, Satyananda.

    Reply
    • Satyananda Sarangi

      Greetings Susan ma’am!

      Thanks a ton for such beautiful words.
      And yes! Keep inspiring me with your poetry.

      Best wishes

      Reply
  6. Satyananda Sarangi

    Greetings Sathyanarayana Sir!

    Thank you so much for the appreciation.

    Best wishes

    Reply

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