want to write a brief artible about this amazing, haunting love poem, which I feel is probably the best love poem ever written. It was written many centuries ago, by a young poet who knew he was going to die, for having loved the king's daughter. His love lament survived, and was translated by E. Powys Mathers, and quoted in the novel Cannery Row by John Steinbeck.
It is a poem which has been one of my biggest influences.
At the bottom of this article you will find a link to a page which gives the history of the poem.
Here is one of my favourite stanzas:
Even now
I bring her back to me in her quick shame,
Hiding her bright face at the point of day:
Making her grave eyes move in watered stars,
For love's great sleeplessness wandering all night,
Seeming to sail gently, as that pink bird,
Down the water of love in a harvest of lotus.
In fact, you can dip into this poem (all 50 stanzas of it) anywhere and find something to delight and amaze:
Even now
By a cool noise of waters in the spring
The Asoka with young flowers that feign her fingers
And bud in red; and in the green vest pearls kissing
As it were rose leaves in the gardens of God; the shining at night
Of white cheeks in the dark; smiles from light thoughts within,
And her walking as of a swan: these trouble me.
One thing that gives this poem such enduring beauty is the references to gorgeous, exotic Asian flora and fauna:
Even now
If my girl with lotus eyes came to me again
Weary with the dear weight of young love,
Again I would give her to these starved twins of arms
And from her mouth drink down the heavy wine,
As a reeling pirate bee in fluttered ease
Steals up the honey from the nenuphar.
....I love the imagery of the "reeling pirate bee", and until reading this poem, had never heard of the nenuphar flower. The poem opens up a whole world of colour, light, spice and passion to me, flooding my senses and emotions, which is exactly what a poem should do. Many people all over the world have fallen in love with this poem. I hope that anyone reading this will treat themselves, and click the link below. I promise that the last few stanzas will give you tears of awe, sadness and wonder. And you too will see that the poet Chauras did not die in vain; the magical splendour of his verse will live forever.
