Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar Poems

A shepherd tends his sheep
Till they are useful to him.
People tend me for them.
Helpless, I’ll die alone.
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Living in clusters begot societies,
Which bred cultures which in turn bred ethics.
Defiance is shame, which rules one’s conduct.
The stronger the shame, the richer the culture.
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I was in love with you
More than you were with me.
It was the privilege
With which I was honoured.
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Unless you share the trouble of the one
Who loves you enough,
You will fail to give the one a chance
To love you enough.
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Oedipus was king of Thebis;
Jacarta was wife of Oedipus.

Oedipus was sincere in his duty.
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If someone hurts you and intends to mend,
Accept him with grace, his pardon unasked,
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To regret is a kind of joy.
To repent is a kind of joy.
To render yourself pitiable
And to lament the loss of yours
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What is death? Why is it? Who causes it?
Living things are animated objects.
The dead are so when unanimated.
Cessation of animation is death.
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What is birth? Why is it? Who causes it?
The birth is the fusion of matter and force
That came into being by accident
And since then evolves like planets revolve.
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I love someone for the influence I have.
I love playing where I employ my force.
I love judging to assert my power.
I defend and offend to stay afloat.
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