1.Mysterious Palms
On the bank of the east flowing river
the tall trees stand under blue sky cover
A few huts appear in the far away glen
surrounded by green fields and men
That is
the mysterious village of Markand
In the beautiful cave -land
of Jharkhand
Nanda dynasty had once ruled
the land
The ancient stories
made it so grand
The caves of Markand tell tales of mankind
The mysterious palms stand in the river sand
Their murmur blends with the blowing wind
They sing stories of past like a musical band
The murmuring palms are as old as the village
They murmur grisly tales without language
2. Grand Markand
Oh grand Markand sun's arc and history's mark
you've fascinating mysteries of forts hidden in dark
Game of thrones, bizarre wars broken artifacts
Who knows the facts about the king's cruel acts
You are full of twisted tales of love scenes
Sculptors commanded by sensual queens
General's phantom walks over the graves
and dances with deceased queen in the caves
As long as your poets and singers were happy lovers
They produced soul stirring music with all their powers
The wind that carried sweet music of your mark
now carries only the cacophonous street dog's bark
Driven by king's brutal power and queen's desire
Markand was covered by the ash of history's fire
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| murmuring palms |
3. Ratnagarh Fort
With taintless purity built so stately
Surrounded by hills and charming silence
appearing like piece of paradise broken lately
Ratnagarh fort is famed as God's residence
Studded with rich stones shines Ratnagarh fort
Beholders thought it was beauty's port
Nothing can ever match the king's court
Time can never again see a fort of that sort
The fort's temples and the queen's dimples
The gigantic Tuscan pillars are examples
of ecstatic beauty that hides the mysteries
of untenable wars of romantic victories
Uncanny defense making it impregnable
Ratnagarh fort is totally unapproachable
4. The Rose Lake
Charming roses red, white and yellow
warm up your heart like the music of cello
They sing quiet hymns in the garden by lake
They sting until they're cut for the queen's sake
The sprawling rose lake mirrors the fort
spreading the grandeur of king and his consort
amid the lake lies a small pillar palace
The bored queen plays there with red gallus
The queen's men ten baskets cut and carry
They hurry up the hill to fulfill queen's worry
beauty is her worry so they make roses curry
some are for her pool some of for her surrey
The queen's day begins with pretty roses
With roses the queen her passion exposes
5. The Queen's Pool
Atop the hill is the queen's beautiful pool
The water in the pool is blue and cool
Mules and elephants everyday the pool fill
They pull carts and carts of water up the hill
The pool is a pearl in the day light bright
In the luminous moon's silvery light
tiny winged souls of life dance with delight
and the queen enters with handsome knight
Each full moon night she comes with a new knight
when dawn breaks on hills the knight's out of sight
everything vanishes but blood stains at poppy bush
But everything is hushed but the little singing thrush
Derring do.. derring do the fort's quiet
Derring do the queen's always right,
6. Song of Thrush
The queen waits on hill night after night,
The king is out of sight he is in the fight
The queen's heart cries her pain's not light
The sprawling hills are calm and quiet
For years the king has the swords adored
For years the queen kept her love stored
The king went on battles leaving territory
Now he's back but spends in recuperatory
The voluptuous queen's desires roared
In full moon night her romance soared
she has hidden steel swords in her eyes
with her simple glance many a knight dies
She swallowed many a knight's sword
She eyed on handsome royal court bard
*Thrush is nothing but sparrow
7. The General's Specter
O great general of the proud army
stop your march the night is stormy
The moon in the sky is clouded
your trunk in the grave is shrouded
O great general of the proud army
stop your march the night is stormy
Your head is hanging to the fort gate
Hero of great wars, is it your fate?
O great general of the proud army
stop your march the night is stormy
where do you go walking over graves
why are you going into the caves
I am a weird timeless specter
I am charred lifeless vector
I melted in the fire of her desire.
I stood the storm of her affair
O great general of the proud army
stop your march the night is stormy
8. The queen's call
O! Brave knight
The moon in the sky is crawling
The night is young and enthralling
The passions are my spirits hauling
O hear! O hear! the queen is calling
submit to the queen's command
my tongue is the whip in the hand
tonight let passions be fanned
let's together land in the magic land
shy not, slowly sink in the wet land
Remove the belt and armband
merge in the rhythm of my movement
submit to queen's pure amusement
Melt in cadence of my sigh and moan
O brave knight! don't be a stone
9. The Poppy Bush
O poppy bush you are always fresh
like a little rock fish you're red and lush
I am not cheerful, my visage is so doleful
Last night was so fateful I am so tearful
I saw the grand poet of the royal court
whose foot the king adored in the fort
his body is floating in river near palms
he killed himself that gives me qualms
O little thrush the queen chose knights
for years to spend her full moon nights
She now glanced at the royal sculptor
Anyone can guess what happened later
10. Murmuring of Palms
O grand poet where have you gone?
you won the hearts of king and queen
your son the sculptor is another pan
In the hands of the voluptuous queen
Heaven is a better than earth
the king knows your worth
you served your land till the end
the king woke up from the sick bed
But he could not put an end
to the queen nor he could mend
what happened in Markand
no one has its history penned
The poet curse brought Markand to an End
we the murmuring palms sing and commend
