The
flower withers, but the seed remains
The man dies, but his smile remains,
The day passes, but the memory remains,
The author departs, but his word remains
The body perishes, but the soul remains!
A hymn, a prayer, a namaz in Magreb--
A hymn, a prayer, a namaz in Magreb--
Worthless stands if He even exists,
From abbey in east to parish in Zagreb.
The fanatic flames like cancerous cysts,
Let us live and leave these in cobweb.
Be happy and try to be a human first;
Be happy and try to be a human first;
No
nation, no cult, no waging wars.
Let the reason decide: not the outburst!
History has seen Kings and Czars:
None remains, but remains the thirst.
So, my friend let me live and you live too!
So, my friend let me live and you live too!
None has the elixir: all to depart,
Some die in early teens, some at ninety-two
What matters the out-most art?
A productive thought; hate apart!
--Anna Botkoveli
Charles tells me, "This poem was written the night after my hometown saw a communal riot. With an emotion indescribable in words, it was the first time that I saw what fear and hate a common man possessed out of religious differences. The poem is an earnest and solemn request; hence, 'An Adjuration'."
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