23 Oct 2007

Humility


When the moon and the stars loom up there
You glow on the universe of your foliage--
As the world goes to sleep.


Silently you come, without a fuss;
No announcement, no flaunting of beauty
Not any attempt to hold the passerby spellbound.


In the morning, before the world rubs its bleary eyes,
You silently drop down,
No clinging, no worrying
about getting crushed under walking feet.


Yet, you draw us--
By your plain scent,
Your unassuming beauty,
Your amazing way with stopping passersby,
Bringing them down to their knees,
To pick you up gently.

You just smile, silently.

Note: Every autumn, the Shiuli, a small flower with white petals and orange stalk, blooms in different parts of India. This delicate flower blooms in the dead of night and by morning, drops off the branches. It has a soft, mild fragrance and heralds the biggest Bengali festival, Durga Puja.

14 comments:

S. Kearney said...

You glow on the universe of your foliage.

Nice. :-)

cesarcarlos said...

What a lovely post. Makes us take a minute to look at he wonders of nature.

Bernita said...

Lovely and delicate as the shiuli itself.

Anthony Rapino said...

That was beautiful. I didn't know about that flower before reading your post. Very cool.

Frank Baron said...

Just sitting here, with a silent smile. :)

White Square said...

Hi Bhaswati,
Nice to see you posting once again:)
Your posts add to the beauty of the blogging world. I certainly loved reading and looking at this post.
Thank you...
PS- All well with me :) just too much of work these days.
Abhay

Paul W. West, Author said...

Beautiful writing and photographs. Nice. Being a botanist I can appreciate this even more, though I have to admit I've never heard of the Shiuli flower.

Bhaswati said...

Thanks, Shameless :)

Cesar, how true that is. With just a little attention, we learn so much from the natural world.

Bernita, the shiuli smiles back at you. :)

Oni, glad to introduce you to this floral gem.

Frank, :-)

Abhay, So glad to see you drop by. Thanks for the kind words, friend.

Paul, I am glad you enjoyed the post. 'Wish I could find out the flower's botanical name for you. I searched on the net, but couldn't find it. Good to see you drop by in any case. :)

Unknown said...

Lovely post! Beautiful picture! :) Great lyrics. Loved before the world rubs its bleary eyes.... Sweet!

Jeff said...

Beautiful photos and words to match, Bhaswati. Thank you for sharing.

Bhaswati said...

Puresunshine (what a lovely name!), thanks for dropping by. Thank you for the kind words, too. :)

My pleasure, Jeff

Joanne said...

Absolutely beautiful! I'm basking in the peacefulness you shared.

Anonymous said...

That was beautiful - very poignant.


Thank you for being such a wonderful blog buddy! I hope you and yours have a fabulous 2008!

Anonymous said...

Happy new year's, Bhaswati! I see you have not blogged in awhile, but your last post was quite beautiful. May 2008 be a very word-filled year for you. :)

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