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Allegory of Life

Dr. Sarma talks of the various stages of human life in this evocative verse, exclusively for Different Truths.

Life is a bemuse, rambling ballard
Playwright and directed by the Lord
An amalgamation of high panicles
And the most dreadful dingles
Everyone has to enact on the universal stage
No exception even to the perpetual sage
Life starts with a tiny single cell
Dwell in the womb like a curtailed shell
Enters the world alone, crying at top voice
And makes all merrymaking and rejoice

Childhood passes swiftly with monkey jumps
hops, gambol, run, fun and bumps
Evanescent, dulcet halcyon phase in everyone’s life
Without stress, lassitude, onus and strife
Listen innocently to fairy tales in mother’s lap
Half spoken sweet words make everyone clap

Youth and adolescence is symbol of jollity
onset of puberty with vim, vigour and vitality
Aptitude for adventure and spiritedness
Age of consent and sprightliness
Temper of the will and liveliness
Predominance of courage and lustrousness
Educational settings and increase in cognition
Exuberance proliferate, physical growth cessation

Adulthood, hard pressed phase in every life
With burdens, responsibilities and strife
Work like a machine, day and night
Trouncing the stumbling blocks like a knight
Family and children are due preference
Notwithstanding their disrespect or irreverence
Feel as if the world rests on the shoulders
With gigantic will of breaking the boulders
At the end, energy and health degenerate
Ego, emotions and passions disintegrate

There comes the dreadful dotage
With all the thoughts of an esoteric sage
Withered teeth, hardly to hear and grey hair
Vivid recollections of past and none to care
Wrinkled skin, body bent and sunken eyes
Stick in hand, loss of sight and crumpled knees
At the close, like a clinging bat strikes to berth
Lose endurance, count minutes and invite death

Black camel of death kneels at the gate
The day of denouement is at the feet
Wealth, fame, memories, all bungled in pall
Either peer or pauper, death equals all
The lights are off, curtain drop, end of the ballard
Body perish, the departed soul reaches God

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Dr V.V.L.N. Sarma
Dr V.V.L.N. Sarma is a botanist with Ph.D degree in Botany. Besides being an antiquarian , has much interest in poetry , both in English and Telugu . Has several research publications to his credit , published in national and international journals. Apart from Five state awards and three national awards , he was felicitated with highest honour “Swarnabhishekam. ” He had a place in International Wonder Book of Records as Memory Wizard
26 Comments Text
  • Congratulations to Dr Sarma,

    excellent grip over the language, applied essence of his experiences in this thought provoking poem to authoritatively analyse various stages of life.

    Wish to read many more from this classic author

  • Congratulations to Dr.sarmaji.

    Dr.sarma is AMbidextrous.His MUltifaceted personality allures every body and makes them fan to him.
    His hobby is breaking the present records in all fields. His thoughts clasps the hidden invigorative feelings like a monitor lizard (Udumu pattu) .WHerever Dr.sarma is his thoughts moves like Flying saucers and to pass jubiliant aroma to the people who sorrounds him.
    The use of literary words by him, some times like swords and sometimes as gentle as flowers. In his present sonnet Allegory of life , describes the phases of human life, how it changes from birth to till death.
    Every stanza of this poem , takes the Aesthete, to remember their past life and how the life changed its colors in due course of time like chameleyon. After reading this poem , one has to recollect the rainbow colors of their childhood,and bubbling adolescent period, and the present stage..
    The chewing memories , once again makes us more jubilate and inviting the remaining life in search of god, without ego and emotions.
    Alsa! We passed our caterpillar stages of life and reached the final stage, with a vision, to pass our acquired knowledge to our future generations, by texting in the form of poems or prose.

    Though Dr.sarma is a Dendrophile, his interest in poetry makes him to scribble something on the paper to rech the hearts of aesthetes. Wishing him success in all endevours of his life.wishing to read many more from this classic author.

    • The author used the allegory to depict the truth about the life and society… His command over English is impeccable…My best wishes to him…

      • Congratulations and great effort to put down deep thoughts on the paper. Hope to see more such poems.

  • Superb Sir very natural your words are flowing like water from da river wonderful my hearty congratulations to you

  • Dear Dr. Sharma ,
    Various stages of life well depicted . Had it been a little simple language , could hv been superb
    Great job , congrats

  • “చిరస్మరణీయం” అంటే ఇదేనేమో… నాలుగు భాగాల జీవితాన్ని రచించించాలంతే మనిషి పుట్టుక తప్పదు.
    వాడి అనుభవాల తరంగాలు “సృష్ఠి” అన్న సముద్రము నుండి పుట్టక తప్పదు.

    ఆ తరంగాలు సముద్ర గర్భం నుండి ఒక బిందువు రూపంలో….ప్రకృతి పరముగాచిన్నగా ప్రారంభమైన ఉరకలు… క్రమక్రముగా ఉగ్రరూపం దరంచి,… అంతా నేనే.. మొత్తం నాదే”…. అంటూ భికరాతి భీకరముగా విజృభిస్తూ… చివరకు (దీలోనే పుటుక, బాల్యము, యౌవనము, ప్రౌఢము మరియూ వృద్ధాప్యం లలోని అన్ని అనుభవాలు వుంటాయి) చేరే సమయానికి, తునా తునకలు అయిపోతాయి.
    అవి తునాతునకలవుతున్న సమయాన వాటిని తెలుసుకున్న కవి వర్ణించే వర్ణనలు…. అద్భుతాలు…….
    అందనంత అద్భుతం గా ఉంటాయి.

    అవి తునాతునకలవుతున్న సమయాన కొన్ని క్షణాలలో వాట్టిల్లో కొన్ని అద్భుత … వర్ణనాతీతం రూపాలు పొందుతాయి.(అవే మానవుడు సంపాదించే కీర్తి)
    ఆ వర్ణనాతీతాలే కవి చేత సృష్టింబడే హృదయ స్పందన ఆలాపనలు.

    అటువంటి ఆలాపనలతో
    నిండి ఉండే మానవుని “పుటక నుండి కాటికి” వరకు వర్ణించి న మీకు మా హృదయ పూర్వక అభినందనలు.
    🙏(దుర్గ ప్రసాద్)
    🙏(కనక దుర్గ ప్రభావతి)

  • Grt depiction of stagess of human life… Dr. Sarma is a unique personality, who never sits idle, even in his 60s as enthusiastic as in 16s, would experiment in some or the other, language or literature, memory or magic, it goes on..
    Kudos.. and hats off..
    Best regards. ..

  • Congratulations mavayagaru, I admired to the poem it’s really awesome. It resembles me to conceptualize the world which you given birth to write the poem. Each and every word you related in the poem is significant and fantastic. Really you did a great job mavayagaru.

  • My Akshara abhyasam (in Hindu tradition) was happen from his hands.

    Dr. Sharma garu, an ideogram of immense talent is a true inspiration undoubtedly.

    Poem lines are very beautifully and easily narrated explaining life lessons.

    Cheers Sir!!
    Congratulations

  • Dr. Sharma sir is a ideogram of immense talent.
    Thank you sir for such beautiful words puts nicely in frames.

    Cheers!

  • చాలా చక్కగా ఆహ్లాదంగా ఉంది చదువుతూ ఉంటే

  • Sir, really amazing…the discription of human life through the different stages…u are inspiring many with ur multi-talented personality..

  • Dear Sharmaji.
    Amazing . Inever knew that such a great poet is hidden in you.
    Really wonderful explanation/ narration of life cycle . Definately it is a great experience god has given us .
    Hope your poem will shake many hearts.
    Regards

  • Sir you depicts the various stages of our life with wonderful words.You are multitalented and have creative hobbies.You wrote this poem like a professional scholar.Only very people realize how we start and end our life.Your poem is absolute classic with spiritual touch.Thank you for sharing.

  • This is a great work of art, the prose is on point and the couplet rhyme scheme really does the poem justice!

  • Dear Dr. Sharma, Yours Allegory of life, poem is an out-standing and needs whole – hearted appreciation. It is true as you said life is a mixture of panicles and also a deep valley of sufferings and fear. Life is stage, we have to act our part – A great phylosophy – you are an Esoteric Sage. Child-hood – starts with tiny cell, passes swiftly-by running, jumping, fun, injuries, no mental worries, anger, troubles, difficulties, – all are represented by you in an excellent manner. The Youth – full of excitement, cheerful Ness, temper, vim and vigour, full of energy with educational growth – depicted by the way is superb. The Adult – hood :the period of conflict, troubles, defeat, loosing balance of speech., machinery attitude-you have excellently concluded as all ends with – energy degenerate and passions disintegrate. Dr. Sharma only can dictate this. THE DOT-AGE-Dr. Sharma ‘s extraordinary reflections on this – old, weak, bent body, shrunken eyes, crumpled knees, none to care, invite death _ Dr. You Highly Deserve Praise. Dr. Sharma’ S conclusion : – death kneels at the gate, the memories, the memontoes, name and fame all are hanging on walls, after physical ignition – curtain drops _representation is fantastic and the poem is a credential for you – Dr. Sharma. I pray the almighty may bless you with such energies that you may publish many many poems that can be interpreted to reveal the hidden moral treasures of life. Dr Sharma can only take up such projects. I am proud to say that I am friend of you. God bless you. E. Sesha giri, M. Sc Botany, lecture, principal, R. I. O,& D. V. E. O,(MBNR) Regional Joint Director( F. A. C.) kadapa, edn dept.

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