Noon
by Harindranath Chattopadhyaya
The noon, a mystic dog with paws of fire,
Runs through the sky in ecstasy of drouth,
Licking the earth with tongue of golden flame
Set in a burning mouth.
It floods the forest with loud barks of light,
And chases its own shadow on the plains . . .
Its Master silently hath set it free
Awhile from silver chains.
At last, towards the cinctured end of day,
It drinks cool draughts from sunset-mellowed rills . . .
Then, chained to twilight by the Master’s hand,
It sleeps among the hills.
On Wednesday, a mermaid. Today, a mystic dog . . .
This poem grabbed me right away--the creativity of equating noon with a dog of any kind is unique. But then to give that dog the power of the sky is brilliant.
That first stanza emanates heat right off the page/screen: fire, flame, burning, and the drouth is not just a drought, but has the dog in ecstasy.
In the second stanza, the poet gives us more dog-like description, while not abandoning the midday heat. And we end with the end of the day, the coolness of twilight, and the sleeping dog.
Although this poem has end rhymes, I don't find it heavy-handed. There's also lots of alliteration, assonance, and consonance, which I always enjoy.
The poet born in1898 in Hyderabad, India. He was not only a poet, but a songwriter, an actor, a politician, and a singer. Chattopadhyaya's entire family was a mix of art, politics, and education. This is one of his best-known poems. He died in 1990.
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