The Divine Warrior
(Rendered from Sri Narayanprasad’s martial song in
Hindi,
“Tuma to chale ho yuddhame jaya prapta karne-ko
yahan”)
March to the battle-front and wrest a noble victory
here and now,
In loyalty to God’s own call with soul’s
irrevocable vow:
“For the Truth Supreme I count no cost and for His
heights my life I stake
To Immortality through shipwreck and all for His
Grace’s sake.”
When thou hast flung the gauntlet down to phalanxed
hordes of inky hate,
Be thou a warrior for Love, behold, the hour is big
with fate!
How shall he fight for the Lord of lustre whose
heart is still the serf of sleep
With desires unburnt to ash how will he scale
ascents so pure and steep?
Crusader! on the Way to Light awake thy fires and
forge ahead
To the open, proud and panoplied with courage meet
thy foemen dread.
If fain thou be of real laurels thou must to the
King of kings belong,
And, helmeted with His authority, declare thy
pledge and song:
“Let darkness swamp, abysses yawn, let mountains
crumble lightning flash,
“Let deluge drown, flame-tongues outleap, black
hell upsurge, blue heavens crash.
“I still must onward, undismayed, from the Goal of
goals I cannot turn,
“Farewell to my Night o’erpassed ’tis for His young
Sun of gold I yearn.
“Untrembling like the Everest, affianced to the
hoary Faith,
“That God on high must move in those who move for
Him through life and death.
Crusader! on the Way to Light awake thy fires and
forge ahead
To the open, proud and panoplied with courage, meet
thy foemen dread.