Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Sir Edwin Arnold, the Master Poet !



He was one of the greatest poets of all time. His Light of Asia and Song Celestial are immortal poems !

He consecrated the Song Celestial to both England and India

" So have writ its wisdom here, its hidden mystery

For England ! O our India, as dear to me as She !"

He was a Sanskrit scholar and translated the Geetha magnificently

The mind is overcome, aye, even here

By such as fix their faith on Unity
The sinless Brama dwells in Unity

And they in Brahma !

And about the birth of the Lord, Buddha, he says

Lo the Moon shone by Cancer, the stars stood ranged to say

Choose thou ! the way of greatness or the way of good

To reign a king of kings or wander lone

Crownless and homeless, that the world be helped !

Not only England and India, but the whole world has been inspired by his poems! While reading his poems, one is reminded of the tribute Longfellow paid to Dante's Divina Comedia

The voices of the cities and the sea

The voices of the mountains and the pines

All echo thy song, till the familiar lines

Are footpaths in the thought of Italy !

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