Dear friends,
We wish to share with you the following article from the Sri Lanka Guardian, written by Basil Fernando.
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
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An article from the Sri Lanka Guardian forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
SOUTH ASIA: A poem for Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary — some gouge out the eyes of others
SOME GOUGE OUT THE EYES OF OTHERS
Basil Fernando
Cry, Tagore, cry.
Your nation knows you not.
Yes, they have ceremonies,
Exhibiting your photos,
Repeating your songs.
Talking about the 150th anniversary,
They may even build
a temple for you, these days.
But your brain,
Your voice,
Your love for the people,
Your vision for humanity,
Your dream for your nation,
That, dear sir, is dead-dead-dead.
Some gouge out the eyes of others.
During day-light people disappear
In darkened limousines.
Blindfolded, they take away people.
Naked, kneeling in mortuary-like places
they recall your verses.
Cry, Tagore, cry.
Your nation knows you not.
Your poems matter not.
You are so soon forgotten.
Yes, truly forgotten.
Dead-Dead-Dead.
(A poem written for the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore)
