Kind Ruler Poem by Mehta Hasmukh Amathaal

King on hunt spree mission,
To assess the situation and frank admission,
Petition from subject for ready submission,
Judgment on spot without any commission,

Lost track while in disguise,
Went away without any guide,
Was difficult to unrevealing and hide,
No transport, no horse and difficult to ride,


Tried hard but found no way out,
sweating, pushing and asking about,
Norms to one side and rules flout,
No one should know what clout is,

Managed horse to venture further,
No guidance, no means and ways other,
Forgot instructions and advice given by father,
His rule praised as cap with feather,

Alighted kind when seeing a hut,
Made of straws, no comforts but,
Ideal place to go and rest,
Not to receive the garland beet,

Poor and simple peasant got the wind,
Not an ordinary person here to find,
Went inside to converse with mother,
Mother advised not to so bother,

Long live king but have little to offer,
Nature so cruel and yield we suffer,
States levy is salt in wound,
No other means for life found,

Cut piece of sugar cane and crushed,
Combined many with force pushed,
So sweet juice filled in little pot glass,
Ruler happy with treatment of fine class,

Cane juice ready with so sweet test,
Ruler thought yield may be more and best,
Not paying state with revenue on rest,
When back in capital Think more how to wrest

Ruler still thirsty asked for more,
Went old lady to take out and pour,
Suddenly lady got wind and felt sour,
Why king thought to drink on tour?

Sugarcanes further put for crush and press,
No trace of juice or found very less,
Never had it happened just this before,
Surely the king has bad ideas more,

Long live price but sorry to offer,
Crop has lost its inherent quality,
No more juice even pressed and crushed,
Something we fear and may be finished


Water is so sweet and harvest bumper,
still people poor and always suffer,
Why to burden peasants with heavy tax,
leave them to enjoy more and just relax,

brought grandma slowly sugarcane, juice
More worry on face with shaken voice,
offered it with honour but king felt ice,
surely I did wrong and not nice,

Why sugarcane should loose sweetness?
ruler may be sour with more bitterness,
The ruler may punish and cause more ruin,
all our efforts may go in simple vain,

Ruler was thinking not of reprisal,
But simple answer for it’s addressable,
Grandma gathered courage and apology tendered,
what is worrying you more? Less service rendered?
Your identity or totality,

the land has lost fertility and corps its flavour,
you are savior king not brutal killer,
save the country from danger,
No further wish but make us free from hunger,

the prince realized mistake and got real wind,
was this his gravest error, struck in mind?
never thought of welfare and solution not find,
pushed them to corner without being kind,

Grandma, I forgot my duty so today lost path, ,
days have been passed without any bath,
kingdom might have been lost for simple reason,
Now you be worry free without any pain,

With change in thought,
Blessings were sought,
Wrong step averted,
Sweetness back converted