Triveni Journal
1927 | 11,233,916 words
Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....
BY ‘MADHAV JULIAN’
(Rendered from the original poems in Marathi)
AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR
Whose is this imposing tomb? Kings come to place wreaths upon it.
Numberless warriors coming from all sorts of places fought and fell on the field of battle. A nameless corpse was picked up whose tomb the world honours today.
One takes to the soldier’s profession merely as a means of livelihood, or comes to challenge Death in a fit of despair; he takes life and lays down life and all the while he has no personal quarrel with the enemy–ah, who will see the truth?
This soldier may have fought in another field, may have struggled against cruel circumstances–we do not know whether he lost or won that fight, nor whether some one else robbed him of his glory.
The name of that battle is unknown as the name of the warrior is unknown, and here is the memorial to nationalism! Verily the world is easily deceived.
In life he might have borne neglect or furious injustice, he might have pined away for want of a word of love–and now in death, the band pays glory to him.
O nameless one, your struggle is over. Sleep low down there, though above you there be noise and bustle–empty talk of world-peace and the rattling of swords in their sheaths.