Kappad Beach (Kerala) Poem by Rajendran Muthiah

The shipmaster
Vascodakama
set his daring foot
with all his sea-dogs
off Calicut,
on a rocky coast
where the tides fail
to ripple the sand.
.The billows lose
their whirling fury
on running near it
and lull those there
in a nap to fall!

‘Kappad Beach’,
the natives call it
to keep alive
in memory
as the voyager’s foot
trod there on first.

The Arabian nymph
on an even placid
was yellowing
and gleaming golden
while kissing that
kneeling weary Sun,
who heaved a sigh
and sank his head
into her bosom
and beamed above
with heavenly hues
to the souls pleasing..

The watery clouds
slowly rose
and shrouded him
from our view.
An eerie silence
prevailed then.

The breeze solacing,
the sparrows flying
with sharper chirps;
the clapping minstrels
the tardy molls
with booby traps;
Our dancing youths,
the long drawn waves
making ‘chalak’ sounds;
the vaulting bream
and the drunken men
who drawled on aloud
-all stopped a while.

A dead tranquil state
in that hush of dark!
A rolling beacon
breathed life and light
to the circling ships
round the spinning globe.
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