Potent Youth

a poem by Gummadapu Narasimha Rao

Once, a tribal hilly twain blessed pretty kid
Of traits, of legendry hero of stature candid,
Trained well in array arts of the battle field
Grew up as redolent youth of placid mould,
Still attained rare acclaims of patent knight
Rustic lads and lassies adored youth bright,
Played he, country sports as veteran athlete
Never stood next to none, aye first stalwart,
Crawled trees syn squirrel squeezing honey
Shared to all chums as that nectar heavenly,

Swan as whale mighty and saved drowning
In deluges, even drew out pearls of heaping,
Chased wild beasts, as a terrific hunter best,
Fed fellow chums tasty feast, that too finest,
Toiled without break dawn to dusk in fields
Letting food to pinching stomachs of yields,
Tamed teens leaping in war as furious lions
As and when motherland opted at invasions,
Kingpin of folk dances with perfect rhythm
And won hearts of youth as the damsel vim,

Tunes of bamboo flute echoed whole valley
And allured of isle ilk, flora, fauna virtually,
Sung trills like melodic bard at fire of night
To keep kith and kin in gleeful moods right,
Knight fell in love with a virgin of crescent
And desired to marry her of tribe fight cute,
Quested she for quick eternal wedlock knot
When, ilk-head opted his lass to the knight,
Knight told her it must be at the tribal fight
With fellow pals of mighty traditional right,

Cognizing facts head called game of sword
Offering his daughter to wed winning ward,
But the youth averted site of fetching lassie
Told he saw all as sisters except his fiancée,
Later won sword fights and gained beloved
Married the virgin with traditions of sacred,
Head of ilk isle declared youth as successor
To protect race against evils akin preceptor,
Accepted potent youth as leader of majestic
Pledged he to put all ilk in tack of etiquette,

Knight yielded not to physical gains pseudo
Adhered to protean oracle that do and undo,
Though men art mortal, but youth concepts
And morals remain as noble eternal incepts,
His acts and ideals stand just epics fragrant
Aged narrate aye, episode of youth eminent.

Once up on a time, there lived an ardent youth with inordinate qualities and gifted virtues as he never stood second to none and also blessed with high moral standards, when the wealthy tribal head offered his daughter for wedlock, he refused as he already loved mediocre damsel and as a loyal lover he married her, so as so the isle head and folk haled and decreed as the successor of the ilk.