Verses from Iron Ring
by Lloyd Alexander
1. A king must ever be polite
Even in the middle of the night
2. A stranger, lost, from riverbed I rise
To lose myself once more in lotus eyes
And dark-hued grace no king has ever seen
What realm is this, so blest with such a queen?
A queen am I, with all I could desire
My place is the pasture and the byre
My royal robe, a cowgirl’s rough attire
If made of flowers, as poets tell
How do love’s arrows fly so well?
Swift to my breast they go and there strike deep
A heart no longer mine, a gopi’s now to keep
3. Fresh in their colorful array
Flowers that blossom in a day
May by evening fade away
On lotus, dew soon turns to frost
Gopis discover, at their cost
A heart can be too quickly lost
4. Village lads and cowherds vie
Striving to catch a gopi’s eye
Gopis raise melodious voices
And declare their loving choices
A wreath of flowers is the token
Of a pledge that’s never broken
Handsome youth and maiden fair
Join to make a happy pair
Feast are set, musicians play
To mark this joyful wedding day
5. What seems to be love beyond any question
Is usually a case of simple digestion
6. A king never forgets
To pay his debts
7. Respect is a brahmana’s due
His wisdom merits reverence, too
8. A piece of advice that is always sound
If you have no wings, keep near the ground
9. Let patience ever be my goal
It helps to fortify the soul
10. Wrong is wrong, right is right
Clear as the difference between day and night
11. Once, long ago, we danced like this
In a forest, by old stones of
Ruined temples. Do you remember?
That night, we heard a flute play
The notes were trembling and shy
Who was the player? Who were we?
King and queen, or god and goddess
As we had been forever
What interrupted our eternity?
Time stopped and held its breath
Waiting for us to rejoin each other
Now it begins anew
Forever then
Forever
Once again
12. Not for the warrior’s code
Not for honor’s sake
But for your heart and mine
Though at the end they break
13. Though at the end they break
Death will not keep them apart
No ring can bind us closer
Than your heart that holds my heart
14. Friends who part in deepest sadness
Meet again in greatest gladness
15. A lordly hawk once told a sparrow
“Dear bird, your nest is far too narrow
With barely room to hatch your eggs
To spread your wings or stretch your legs
You need a home that’s far more ample
Larger chambers, for example”
“How true,” the smaller bird replied
And so, with diligence and pride
She added terraces and bowers
Balconies all decked with flowers
The hawk observed with envious eye:
“Fit for a king to occupy
This better suits a bird like me”
He drove her out and said, “You see,
Instead of tearing you apart
I spared you. I’ve a tender heart”
16. One day, beside a brook
A half-grown boy
Played in the grass
And laughed with joy
To see a Naga
Hatching from its shell
The lad is strong and fearless
And could well
Have crushed the feeble snake
Beneath his heel
Without a second thought
And need to feel
Remorse or grief. But no
He turned aside
And let the Naga live
That might have died