Ozymandias of Egypt


I met a traveler from an antique land 
Who said:—Two vast and trunkless legs of stone 
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, 
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown 
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command 
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read 
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things, 
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed. 
And on the pedestal these words appear: 
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: 
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" 
Nothing beside remains: round the decay 
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, 
The lone and level sands stretch far away. 


~ by Percy Bysshe Shelley 

All The World's A Stage


All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.


~ William Shakespeare

Who Among You Will Take Up


XXXI


"Who among you will take up the duty of feeding the hungry?" Lord Buddha
asked his followers when famine raged at Shravasti.
Ratnâkar, the banker, hung his head and said, "Much more is needed than all my wealth to feed the hungry."
Jaysen, the chief of the King's army, said, "I would gladly give my life's
blood, but there is not enough food in my house."
Dharmapâal, who owned broad acres of land, said with a sigh, "The drought
demon has sucked my fields dry. I know not how to pay King's dues."
Then rose Supriyâ, the mendicant's daughter.
She bowed to all and meekly said, "I will feed the hungry."
"How!" they cried in surprise. "How can you hope to fulfil that vow?"
"I am the poorest of you all," said Supriyâ, "that is my strength. I have
my coffer and my store at each of your houses."


~ Rabindranath Tagore

CHUPKE CHUPKE RAAT DIN




Chupke chupke raat din
aansu bahaana yaad hai
Humko ab tak aashiqui ka
voh zamaana yaad hai
Chupke chupke raat din
aansu bahaana yaad hai

In the hush of night and day
I remember spilling tears
Those days of heady love
I remember my age of romance
In the hush of night and day
I remember spilling tears