O Thou Mysterious Bird Poem by Aniruddha Pathak

By whatso name they may thee call,
I still love thine myth-imbued name—
Bapaiyo1, nor royal bulbul,
None else comes close to thine tall fame.

O thou black and white bare beauty,
Measuring a foot from the tail,
Black top, white throat, chest and belly,
Black feathers falling on white trail,

It's thine crest, blackish triangle,
That every bird-lover's eyes draw,
Still, royal bulbul's too regal,
It's Chatak1that evokes my awe.

And from far off lands do thou call,
Sizzles when Indian monsoon season,
You spend rainy months, autumn-fall,
And then ye prepare to return.

You breed here, raise a family,
Careen in close where water is,
Yet, what fascinates all and me
Be the resolve of thine and this:

That, ye no water ever drink
Save a few droplets that may fall
Straight in thine op mouth— so we think,
Or none till the rains again call.

And that seems whence cometh my wow—
For steadfast resolve tenacious,
It is this, rain gods to thee bow,
Why they be to thee so gracious.

Far from pitiable art thou,
Not wretched with holes in thine throat—
Unfair a guess that's been afloat;
But I know thou far better now.

Nor art thou dud to destined fate—
That whatso is passed not in charity
Haunts one in life sooner or late,
No, this makes little sense to me.

Let it whatso and howso be,
I shall ne'er stop admiring thee,
As has many a poet ere,
O for thine resolute mind's dare!
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Bapaiyo1: A bird akin to royal bulbul, known popularly as Chatak1in Sanskrit literature. It is believed that it drinks not but rain water directly falling in its mouth. The bird has been used extensively in furthering poetic idioms, and popular beliefs— that the bird has holes in its throat and can't drink normally like other birds, that it failed to share water in its previous birth and hence this punishment.
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Musings | 05.07.16 |