Poem — Helen of Troy

Shri S.K.Bhatnagar was born in 1937 and brought up at Beawar, Rajasthan. After post-graduation in Botany from Ajmer, he dabbled in agricultural aesearch for a couple of years and then became a lecturer for a short period. He started his career as a civil servant in the Rajasthan Administrative Service. He joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1961 and retired in 1999 as the President of the Customs Tribunal.

Shri Bhatnagar's interests lie in the field of biology, literature and mythology. Under the pen name of Santosh Ratan, he prefers to write on scientific topics in poetic format instead of prose. He likes to draw illustrations from Indian mythology and that too in both English and Hindi. He has published 6 books so far — two in English and four bilingually, including poems on the natural wonders of the world. One of his books, Jeev Jagat Ki Aadharshila has been published in paper format while the others are online at http://santoshbhatnagar.weebly.com/ and https://www.scribd.com/user/379765454/S-K-BHATNAGAR-SANTOSH-RATAN.

Helen of Troy

It was the dawn of civilization
Lo Sun had risen in the west!
Beauty of the streaks of red light appearing
On the horizon, was simply enchanting
A gentle refreshing breeze, blowing
through the green hills and dales, was cheering
the hearts of handsome Greeks, and sending their spirits soaring
higher and higher, in the blissful blue sky, lining
that land of the beautiful and the brave
as they were enjoying merrily bountiful nature’s blessing.

And then suddenly
The fate intervened
The tide of time turned
and brought in its wake
a storm of such make
that entire Greece Trembled
with its pace
as even Gods had taken sides
and played tricks with Man’s Destiny
which changed the course of History
such was the traumatic effect of the great war
between Greece and Troy in times afar.

And what for!
A sweet smile of that lovely maiden
Young queen of Greece whom they called Helen
Admired by all Hellas for unsurpassed beauty and grace
And the prince Paris of Troy who loved her with great passion
Well beyond measure of time and space
Alas! it brought only suffering and disgrace

Oh! Oh! Ah! Ah! God alone knows
Why beauty, attraction of beauty
Man’s pride and his Vanity
Has such dire consequences

Oh! What a pity!
Man doesn’t seem to realize
Inspite of his frailty
That they lead without exception and without fail
From time immemorial in Nation after Nation
which follow this trail
To great grief and woe by far
Such as Greece and Troy suffered
in the times afar.

Apparently
When Paris eloped with Helen that time
Treyta yug’s Sita-haran virtually got reenacted
there, that time
Both led to a great war
which changed the very course of time.
When a thousand ships sailed
to reclaim that pretty face
but a Trojan horse had to be used
to win the race

This and other tricks and all that happened
During and after the War there
Reminded one of Mahabharat and events
therein and thereafter here
principles, values, virtues and ideals
went asunder all
very foundations of civilization shook
and transformed society once for all.

Kaliyug crept in step by step stealthily
Turning topsy-turvy the world crazily
But it Created History and taught lessons to Human race
How to face challenges and how to respond in times grave
All said and done
Past is past
And let begone be bygone
But not before we wait to ponder
What to make of these happenings!

Life’s uncertainties and wonder
O! Man you are just a Kathputli!
Being manipulated by Nature’s forces
Invisibly
And all that is left to you is to
Struggle & Pray
Let not strength and skill lead you astray,
Kind heart, compassion, courtesy do pay
as realized by bhagwan Krishn, Gautam
Budhdh, Mahavir, & Jesus they say
And that is what all the saints say.
So let us go on doing our duty and pray:

Oh God please be kind and make sure
Such wars do not take place any more
Let good sense peace and love prevail
Today tomorrow and day after tomorrow
Till very infinity eternity and more.

— Santosh ‘Ratan’