KING
JATINDRA
MOHAN GANGULI
On
throne he sits, the great king,
But
he is not king;
Who
made the throne, made him king,
They
command, he obeys,
Their
laws he proclaims;
Not
he the king.
His
legs follow, lips their words speak,
When
to rise, when to sleep,
What
to do, what to say,
They
tell, he obeys,
He
is not king.
In
palace a prisoner, the poor king,
More
than one jailor watch him;
His
time they hold, steps control,
For
the throne he is sold,
He
is not king,
On
who goes as steps take,
None
to tell, none to direct;
No
fear, no care, what comes on way,
He
is king,
He
sits on grass green,
Under
sky serene;
His
gaze spreads far and wide,
And
thoughts fly light and free;
He
is king.
His
kingdom vast over land and sea,
No
challenge, no frontier confine,
His
vision, his fancy alone define.
True,
he is king.
He
commands, no command takes,
His
domain the world pervades,
Gold
and diamond on streets lie,
His eyes but turn to jewels in the sky.
Who
can give, to him what to give,
He
has all, lust and greed he is free.
Lord
of himself,
Whom
to care, whom to hear,
Lord
of the world,
Whom
to beg, whom to fear,
He
is king,
The true, the Great King.