Poetry from Mongolia
Dashdorj
NATSAGDORJ
Four Seasons
A spring of
thousands is under the eternal welkin
Every spring
is mellow in beautiful Mongolia
Humanity is
cheerful in this gentle season
Animals are
complacent at the verdure of spring
Anew life is
born while an old one is replaced
By the snow
thawed at the sun rotates near the eath
Trees are in
blossom and children play outside
An old man
feels like living to a green old age
Migratory
geese flew in and honk
Ahersman was
deeply moved by what he heard
Streams and
rivulets burble in mountain slopes
Lamb and
kids bleat and make joyous melody
Atangible
aura of holiness is emitted
Aman is
enchanted with his green memory of past and present
Herdsmen
take pride in his young animals
Parents take
delight in their baby in its cradle
Summer
This planet
is how pleasant
When
gorgeous summer
Has cpme to
the Khangai ranges
Where
cuckood pipe sweetly
Ahaze hangs
in space and mirage deludes
A proud
steed tunely neighs and pines for its
birth place
Arain of
flower purifies the surface of the earth
Young
sweethearts yearn for each other
Beautiful
mountains teem with fresh waters in summer
Three mainly
sport games are the celedtial joy of Mongolia
The chants
of horse riding children are melodious
in the valley
The hasty
entrance of swift racers is the admiration of Mongolians
The warbling
tune of festive enjoyment lilts in the vast steppe
The five
kinds of animals at their will graze in the fields and mountains
The scent of
air and fermented milk assails everybodys nostrils
How it is
pleasant and joyful
Autumn
Autumn sun
shines upon you and me
Change of
seasons can also influence life
The bellow
of stags and moose makes countryside entertainment
The friendly
butts of steers encourage the cattleman
The snowwhite
clouds scud across the boundless space
The youth
leave to study in a far country
The limpid
and noiseless river gently flows
The
reflection of the moon in the racung
water convinces an air of romance
Spangled
dewdrops glisten like pearls
Aspirited
horse hitched without feed shives
The head of
the family went out to hunt fox and wolf
His wife
distilled vodka at the still yard and waits for her husband
Autumn wind
stirs the grass and sways the trees
Youth and
old both feel sad at the turn of season
The trees
turn yellow and their leaves fall down
Awistful
melancholy oppresses us
Winter
An icy wind
is a nip in the air
The
mountains and valleys are mantled with snow
The stars in
winter walk in spangle
The song of
caravan drivers is echoed in the vast steppe
The tops of
high mountains are clad in mist and fog
The snow on
the vast valley dazzles the eyes
Ayoung
herdsman whistles and rounds up his
grazing animals
Their fluffy
coats are stirred in the wind
Upland
coldness freezes you to the marrow
There is
brightness in the faces and sparkle in
the eyes of Mongolian youth
There are
six Pleiades at the zenith and the light of the ghee lamp dim
The old man
and the woman poke the fire and spin a yarn
Winter
summer autumn water sun and moon are
In association
with mount and water sun and moon
Farewell to
the departed and welcome to the new born infants
Life goes
on thousands over thousands of years
without interruption
The title of
the sequence of poems Four Seasons is itself significant.While the number four might mean stability and endurance on one level on
another it might suggest the four sights that disturbed the young prince
Siddhartha They were a crippled old man a sick man a decaying corpse and an
ascetic monk.When Siddhartha became the Buddha or the enlightened one he taught the world about the
four noble truths They are—the nature of suffering origin of suffering cessation of suffering and the way to cessation of suffering.
The phrase four seasons might mean each
of the four divisions of the year in summer autumn winter and spring. Indeed Mongolia has four seasons in
spring summer autumn and winter. Spring lasts from March to mid May. Summer
lingers from mid May till late August.
And Autumn consists of September and
October.. Winter rules Mongolia for the rest of the year One wonders whether
the poet through his delineation of the four seasons in Mongolia indirectly
hints at the four stages of man or at the four sights witnessed by the young
prince Siddhartha or at the four noble truths. The pointed ness of the word four before the word seasons
raises different kinds of expectations in the reader
The poem
opens with the delineation of Spring. It begins with the line == A spring of
thousands is under the eternal welkin..
Welkin means the sky or the vault of
heaven.In fact Mongolia is described as the land of eternal blue sky. The blue
sky is the abode of God The blue sky is
God . It alludes to Tangrism the primordial philosophy of Central Asia It
reminds one of the Vedic lore that tells us of Dyaus or the Sky god. Mongolia
being the land of the blue sky is the chosen country of the Sky god.The Sky god
holds a canopy on the gray earth
especially Mongolia and hence Mongolia is protected from disasters if any. It
is a country that is destined to linger through all futurity, The sky might stand for the cosmic mind where every thought
and thing might find a room . Or else the sky stands for the emptiness that
envelops the existence. It is what else but Bodhichitta It was from the sky that the great Mongol
chief Chenghis Khan received commands.
So under the canopy of eternal Skygod a spring shows up for thousands or
countless beings and objects.. With
spring the sun comes near the earth and the ice melts.The brooks and streams burble down the mountains.
The migratory geese return to Mongolia.
In the myths of Central Asia the sky god
is often depicted as a white goose
ceaselessly flying over an endless
expanse of water symbolizing Time. The
goose might remind an Indian of the hamsa of Hindu mythology. The return of the
geese implies the descent of the cosmic
mind on Nature. Their honk echo in the mountain scapes and landscapes and the herdsmen
are charged with a zest for life.
The poem on Spring is as it were a symphony of sounds. Lambs bleat. The hills
and dales are loud with the shouts of
the playful children. The poem finds no
difference between man and animals.
Herdsmen
take joy in their animals.
Parents take
delight in their baby in its cradle
Herdsmen
love their animals as much as we love
our children. In fact farmers and herdsmen constitute 42 percent of the
population of Mongolia and they are the
majority in Mongolia. In this season of new birth flowers blossom. Men are
cheerful and animals are complacent. The poet finds that there is a holy aura
diffused all over Nature and it is
tangible. Even the old men in this season become green They have no repentance
for the past.They have green memories. In other words they seem to enjoy their
failures of the past and learn there from
Summer
follows the Spring.. The poet exclaims
This planet
is how pleasant
When
gorgeous summer
Has come to
the Khangai ranges
Well the
very name Khangai is significant It
means a bountiful and gracious king The Khangai mountain range about 400
kilometres away from Ulaan Bator in the west is lush green with coniferous
forests. Its peaks are often dome like. It feeds the rivers and lakes with
water. Khangai mountain range is therefore a deity or an abode of a deity. No
wonder that the gorgeous Summer in
Mongolia comes to the bountiful king of a mountain range Khangai and at once
the planet the Earth becomes pleasant.
The Sky god is our father and the Earth is our
mother.When the summer comes to Khangan mountain range from the skies
the Earth becomes happy and pleasant indeed.. And does the cuckoo pipe only to
show how happy the Earth is?
During the
summer a hazy brightness hangs in the space and mirage deludes. A proud steed
however neighs and pines for its birth place In other words dazed by the summer
blaze one is apt to be deluded by mirages. Presently proudly enough men who
have the spirit of youth
seek the
truth behind the show of things . They seek the truth which is their homeland..
This search for truth is blessed by a
rain of flowers from heaven.The rain of flowers or the rains cleanses and
purifies the surface of the earth. And now on the surface of the earth young
lovers pine for each other.This is a beautiful imagery. B ut do we not remember
that the summer is the season of hazy
brightness when mirages show up to delude? One wonders whether the young lovers
are deluded or not by the bright haze of the passion of love.. Beautiful
mountains that are the ab odes of gods teem with fresh waters. The environment is thrilled
with three manly sports in horse riding
archery and wrestling. They are the indicators of celestial joys
embracing the society of Mongolia.. Everyone
in Mongolia can ride horses and the children riding horses and racing
with one another show how Mongolia is charged with fresh vigour during the
summer. These manly sports take place
amidst the trills and quavers and runs
sung by the birds charging the
environment with graceful rhythm..Right now in summer there is abandon and
abundance of food for the animals. And camels horses goats cattle and sheep
grazing to and fro could be espied and heard in the echoing green of Mongolian summer..The animals overflow with milk. And this fine excess
could be realized when the smell of the
kumis or fermented milk assails ones nose. Thus the poem not only appeals to
our eyes and ears it makes us smell as well.
Summer
changes yielding place to Autumn. The autumn sun shines upon everyone. The
cries of deer and the large moose echo
in the hills and steppe. The cut of beef known as butt of steer is feasted upon.. The snow white clouds move swiftly in the boundless space. In other words the sky god
has changed his attire.. The youths set out for studies abroad,The rivers are
now full to the brim with clear and transparent water.The summer heat seems to
wear out. Dew drops dazzle like pearls.
A horse fastened suffers from hunger and looks feeble.The horse is the symbol
of Sun. The horse getting morose only suggests that the noiseless noise of the footsteps of
winter is being heard. The approaching
winter impels the Mongolians to take meat. So the man goes off to hunting foxes
and wolves, Hunting wolves during winter in Mongolia is easy. The wife prepares
vodka and waits for her husband to turn
up from the forest. The wind sways the
grass and the trees. It is strong wind that blows through the forest. The
leaves turn yellow and they fall
down. A wistful melancholy seems to
hang heavy on the environment
The poem
Seasons thus reads like a drama in four
acts. The first act takes place with the advent of Spring That is the rising
action. Spring implies new birth and childhood. Spring is followed by Summer.
With summer the joys of youth and
manhood are manifest We reach the climax as it were. Then Autumn turns up and
the falling action sets in. The tangible holiness of summer has disappeared in the common light
of everyday and a wistful melancholy
reigns supreme Finally the denouement takes place with Winter. An icy
wind is a nip in the air. In other words
they drink deep in the icy wind-- biting wind of winter Upland coldness freezes
living beings to marrow.Nature that was green earlier has now changed its
apparel. The mountains and valleys are mantled with snow. It dazzles the eye. The mou ntain tops are no longer discernible. They are veiled with
mist and fog..But is the winter that soul killing?. When the ghee lamp dwindles and becomes dim,in the middle of the
night six Pleiades show up in the nocturnal sky. It is the Pleiades that appear during spring and augur farming
season and seafaring , show up during
late Autumn and mark the seasons end. It is the Pleiades again where the
creator god meets other sky gods to resolve the problems of the earth. So the
Pleiades signify fresh hopes. Hence there is brightness in the faces of youth.
It sparkles in them like stars. A young herdsman whistles and rounds up the
grazing cattle The fluffy coats of the animals
are stirred with the wind .To get rid of the chill the old man and woman
poke the fire and spin a yarn Mongolia is famous for cashmere yarn of natural colour It is very soft and warm .
At the same time the old man and woman spin a story to depict the narrative of
the seasons.
Thus the
poet describes the four seasons that come and go with deft objectivity. Nowhere
does the poet speak in first person unless in the line – Autum sun shines upon
you and me. The line only reveals how the poet looks upon the readers. The readers
are his friends as it were. The same Bodhichitta shines upon both the poet and
the auditorium. The poet takes the
reader in confidence and addresses him in the second person that makes the poem
informal. The whole poem is bright with different shades of light and reminds one
of impressionistic painting. A nimbus of holiness is descried during the
spring. A haze of brightness is espied
in summer. The tangible aura of holiness of the spring incarnates in the
celestial joys of the summer. The reflection of the moon in the racing water
however transforms the heavenly atmosphere of the earth into a world where
romances could be enacted. The shine of the snow dazzles our eyes in the winter.
The winter is apparently very cold that freezes one to the marrow. But if
winter comes can spring be far behind? In the deepest darkness of the night the
Pleiades shine. Do they speak of a fresh birth in the offing ? And there is
brightness in the face of the Mongolean youth. Does not the old man spinning a
yarn give us the fore taste of a spring to be born ? The whole poem, a description of the four
seasons, is stamped with the real life
and Nature of MongolIa. It speaks of a
landscape under the eternal welkin -the sky god It dwells on the chief occupation
of the people of the Mongolia. It dwells on the livelihood of the people with
great veracity. They graze the cattle . they hunt wolves in the winter. Even their
three important sports have been vividly suggestedThe pointedness of
description in – the manly sports and five kinds of animals in the poem reminds
us of PreRaphaelite art. Despite the fact that every sinew of the poem speaks
of Mongolian people, their beliefs customs and the changing Nature that
influences their way of life,the poem could be read as an instance of symbolist poetry. The four
seasons of Mongolia might speak of four stages of human life in infancy and
childhood, youth, middle age and old age. Every stage of life has its points of
excellences and shortcomingsThat is realistic. The whole poem is permeated with
a joy of life that accepts the challenges that human life encounters with a sporting
spirit. In a sense the poem depicts a journey of the celestial goose along the
waters of timeOnce we witness the changing seasons and how they influence human
life we no doubt feel the transitoriness of existence. Surely change is the category
of life. And yet the same sequence of
change recurs over and over again. If winter comes spring is not far behind. And
there is stability behind the apparent movement
of time through the seasons . The poem is like a drama in four acts reminding
one of Shakespeare’s tragedy. A Shakespearean tragedy on the surface puts
life out of joints. But they always end in the depiction of ceaseless flow of
life despite the vicissitudes in the contingent. The present poem also
concludes with the stranza.
Winter,
summer, autumn, water, sun, and moon are
In association
with mount and water, sun and moon.
Farewell to
the departed and welcome to the new born in fants.
Life goes on
thousands over thousands of years without interruption.
Though a
year’s journey through winter, summer& autumn signify changes in the contingent, the
mountains water sun and moon signify
persistence and endurance.. Hence the poet transcends the wistful melancholy of
autumn and says farewell to the yellow leaves that fall on the ground and the
departed and welcomes the newborn infants. In the contingent there are births
and deaths . Behind the changes in the phenomenal world. Inscrutable life goes
on thousands over thousands of years without interruption. The poem in its
sheer objectivity reminds us of the negative capability of the poet. But the
dreamer must be there in a dream. May be herdsman taking pride in his young
animals or the cuckoo piping sweetly in summer or the old man spinning yarns in
winter could be the reincarnations of the poet.
His poetic
talent speaks of negative capability. Nowhere does the poet speak in the first
person. But the dreamer must be
somewhere in the dream. May be the poet has been the old man and woman spinning
yarn with words. Does not winter stand for old age? A man who has lived long
has seen the vicissitudes of life He looks upon the changes taking place in
life with great equanimity of mind and kindness. He derives aesthetic pleasure
in every turn of events.
