A Thing called Hope

Those times of chaos, when, your mind's berated.
That wilderness grows, overpowering,
You venture about, lost, misdirected,
Deeper in the woods;
Deeper! Steeper!

But beware, the deeper you go,
more the light fades
and the gloom transcends,
from that foreboding moderate,
to the despondent melancholy.
The fire foes out,
the ashes remain, smouldering.

But fear not, O' brave heart,
the ashes will smolder,
Forget, and on.
Cease them, you know them.
These are the thoughts,
that floats you on;
on those waters deep, where
you get smothered.
Or in those woods where,
the silence is stifling
and this predator looms about
in the shadows, and,
you hear the beating,
the grafting rhythm of your heart.

But listen, O' valiant soul,
there may be no light,
to guide you back to
your isle of joy, of happiness,
and away from these woods of loathing
from these waters of depression, of sadness.

But there always is,
that path you traversed,
and there will always be
A thing called Hope.

Immortal Talks - A Book Review

“Are you aware that you are not a body? You have a body.” chorused the elder Mahtangs.

Introduction:
GENRE: Spirituality
AUTHOR: Shunya
PAGES:160
YEAR OF PUBLISH: 2017

Mahtangs (better known as Mathangs) are the tribal people residing in the forests of Mount Piduru in Sri Lanka. This tribe, similar to the sentinelese, choose to be cut off from modern civilisation but save for this they cannot be more different from the sentinelese. Mathangs are the followers of Lord Hanuman and descendants of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana from The Ramayana. Apart from this, the Mathangs are said to be very spiritual and with good reason. It is said that the Mathangs are visited by Lord Hanuman in every 41 years. Quite interesting isn’t it?

All of this came to light in the year 2014 when a researcher was studying the behavior of the tribe and completely oblivious at the time as to what he was going to find! Fascinating!

Lord Hanuman is said to be among the 7 people who are said to be immortal. It is believed that every 41 years Lord Hanuman visits the tribe to teach and imbue divine knowledge to them. The Mathangs record the teaching of Lord Hanuman every 41 years in a Log book. Fortunately, the log book is now with an organization called ‘Setu Asia’which is trying to translate the book. Okay this was a short introduction to who the Mahtangs (or Mathangs) really are. Now let’s jump on to the book.

Summary:

The book begins with Hanudas, a devotee of Lord Hanuman, who along with 2 other devotees is following some tribal people in order to observe and try to establish communication with them. Hanudas used to live an elite lifestyle with his family in Toronto and was neither religious nor spiritual. His wife dies in a car accident and later he loses his only son to drugs and paranoid schizophrenia. This leaves him to be completely hollow – ‘like a hoop which lets things pass through it. No sorrow. No pain. No regret.’ It was then that he encounters an unusual scene. He leaves for India and comes in contact with a Guru who gives him the name ‘Hanudas’ and explains to him that it was not a hallucination indeed. Gurudev explains it was because only pure souls can experience that. He explains that Hanudas encountered such a scene because after his son’s funeral his mind was absolutely blank, completely free and detached from everything the external world has to offer –

‘Your soul, like the majority of humans of this era, is asleep. Your soul awoke for a brief period of time on the day you buried your son’

After that moment he experiences a divine epiphany and leaves to wander – in search of nothing – in a pursuit to awaken his soul. He eventually feels that he has reached his destination when he comes across this tribe known as ‘Mahtangs’. He along with 2 more sages tries to approach the tribe but are rebuked by the leader and hence finds himself following and observing the tribe. Very soon he deciphers the meaning of the set of seven symbols he had collected from the Mahtangs. It translated as follows: ‘The immortal Lord Hanuman comes every 41 years to impart supreme knowledge to his disciples, the Mahtangs’. Over the course of next several months, he collected thousands of such symbols, or the puzzles wherin lay enshrined the entire knowledge Lord Hanuman imparted to his disciples.
He, with the help of other sages, deciphers these puzzles and documents them. These finding are henceforth explained in the form of different chapters in this book.

My Review:

The religion – Hinduism (it actually is Sanatan Dharma) – is the oldest religion that exists today. It is the only religion in which even if you are an atheist, you are still a Hindu. It is the choice of the seeker whichever and whatever form of god he/she wants to embrace. Even the belief that he/she does not believe in god is a form of belief and hence that person is still a Hindu. It is a religion which is based on the practice of looking for the absolute truth which involves science more than anything. I will not be exaggerating when I confidently claim that all the things that modern science is discovering now has already been mentioned in the Vedas and Upanishads many thousands of years ago. It is more about Spirituality than being a ‘Religion’ in the strictest sense of the meaning of the word, and is FAR different from what is perceived by the masses. It is a way of Life, which is clearly evident by the contents of this book.

The book is written in a very simplistic manner which enables the reader to understand even the most complex workings of the truth of what the soul is, what is life, the movement of the soul from one body to another, the life and death cycle, the Karma-Desire, etc. If I have to describe my experience of reading this book in one word, I will choose – enlightening. The way in which everything was explained is very simple and effective. The reader is able to imagine every scene as if it is happening right before their eyes. The way in which everything is explained is extraordinarily simple, effective and quite enjoyable at the same time. The prologue of the book describes how Hanudas comes to find all the symbols and puzzles and the rest of the book in chapters and in the form of stories of the same tribe explains the subtleties of the extraordinary way in which the universe works, who we are and how to get out of this endless cycle of birth and death in Maya.

Those of you do not know, Maya is everything you experience. It is everything that you sense i.e., see, feel, hear, taste, touch. Maya is said to be an illusion. It is the physical world which follows the rules of space-time and the human soul which is stuck in this Maya thinking that it is the only reality experiences endless cycle of birth and death. The purpose of the human soul is to break this cycle and attain Moksha viz., unification with the absolute – the Bramh.

The book along with this also explains what the soul really is. How it goes from one body to another and what it experiences when it is out of a body. Not only this, the book also explains the type of souls there are, what are the characteristics of the soul which resides in birds, animals and humans. The struggle between the soul to be free from the shackles of birth and death and the limitations posed by the human body which understands this world to be the only reality and the Karma-Desire scale of balance is beautifully explained in one of the chapters titled ‘The Mermaid’ in the form of a story.

I definitely enjoyed reading this book. I’d say that it must be read at least once in a lifetime irrespective of which religion, caste or sex you belong to, or what belief system you have. Read this with an open mind because as the Vedas says, there is only one absolute truth rest everything is different realities varying from person to person.

सब चुप क्यों हैं?

(कल्पना करिए आप 12-15 वर्ष पहले के भारत में हैं। जैसे जैसे मैं समय में आगे बढूंगा आप समझते जाएंगे)

रोज़ाना चलते जीवन के यापन में,

सब चुप क्यों हैं?

अंतर्द्वंद के स्थापन से भी,

सब चुप क्यों हैं?

 

सर उठा कर देखते हैं जब लोग,

पता लगता है कि रास्ते तो अब खाली है।

खुली आंख से देखते दुनिया को,

संसार की हालत भी निराली है।

आकाश में लोभ के पंछी दिखाई पड़ते हैं,

अपनों के परिवेश में पराये दिखाई पड़ते हैं,

चहुँ ओर स्वार्थ की धुंध का विस्तार है,

मंदिरों की जगह मैखाने दिखाई पड़ते हैं।

सत्य के वाक्यों में बहाने दिखाई पड़ते हैं,

झूठ की हवा भी क्या चली है,

मित्रों में अब अनजाने दिखाई पड़ते हैं।

कौन कहे सत्य और निष्ठा के लक्षण सुप्त क्यों हैं।

जानते हुए भी न जाने सब चुप क्यों हैं?

 

भारतवर्ष के भीतर भी दुश्मन हैं,

द्वेष और क्रोध से भरे ये जाते हैं,

क्षति पहुंचती है जब देश को,

मुख खोल ये गधे-सा मुस्कुराते हैं।

राष्ट्रहित की बात जब होती है,

झूठ फैला ये दंगे भड़काते हैं,

आतंकियों के मरने पर ये,

काली पट्टी बांध संसद में आते हैं,

जी भर के ये आंसू बहाते हैं,

और वर्षों तक बिरयानी उन्हें खिलाते हैं,

AFSPA और TADA जैसे कानून भी हटाते हैं।

तब, आतंकी इतने मुक्त क्यों थे?

ये देख उस समय सब चुप क्यों थे?

 

जब बढ़ा था अंधकार बहुत,

सरकार में आया था अहंकार बहुत,

जनता ने बाहुबल दिखाया था,

लोकतंत्र को सार्थक करवाया था।

उद्दंडता की जब पराकाष्ठा थी,

वंशवाद से मुक्ति की आकांक्षा थी,

विधान-पटल पर सर्द शीत छाई थी,

सरकार जब वामपंथ की अनुयायी थी,

भूमि आतंकित हो दहलाई थी,

पूरे देश की बात तो छोड़िए,

सिर्फ मुम्बई ही कई हमलों से थर्राई थी।

सेना को ज्यादातर निष्क्रियता के आदेश क्यों थे?

नेतृत्व करने वाले तब चुप क्यों थे?

 

संसार का यही नियम है मित्र,

बदलाव ही केवल स्थिरता है मित्र,

वर्षों की विचारधारा से जब अति हो जाती है,

उन्नति की राह में वह अनुपयुक्त हो जाती है।

बदलाव से वही लोग तो डरते हैं,

लूटपाट के स्थापित साधन जिनके हाथ से फिसलते हैं।

विकास के लिए बस इतनी बात ही काफी है,

सिर्फ सौ अपराध की माफी है,

नेतृत्व कोई भी हो -

जब सत्ता शिशुपाल बन जाएगी,

जनता से माफी नहीं वह पाएगी,

द्वेष में दुर्व्यवहार बढ़ेगा जिसका,

सुदर्शन से सर कटेगा उसका।

 

देखें, देखें असत्य के लिए वे कितनी आवाज़ उठाएंगे,

देखें उनके चेले कितनी गोली चलाएंगे,

देखें वे कब तक रक्षकों का लहू बहा पाएंगे,

देखें वे कितने जनों को गुमराह कर पाएंगे,

देखें अपने ढकोसलों से कब तक - "आज़ादी" के नारे लगाएंगे,

देखें वे कब तक पत्थर उठाएंगे,

देखें वे कब तक बसों को जलाएंगे,

देखें वे कितनी पुलिस चौकियों में आग लगाएंगे,

देखें भले लोग भी, आखिर कब तक शांति का पाठ पढ़ाएंगे,

देखें हम सब भी आखिर, कब तक चुप रह पाएंगे।

A Fool still in Love

Every time and again you love me, you say,

I light up then, like a warm summer's day.

In the minutes that come,

I am like a kid,

so full of joy and having fun.

That fun is so much more than you think,

it is blissful, joyous, serene, cheery, sprightly, exuberant.

I pop a smile and I dream,

sitting alone of what the life with you could be.

I start weaving those memories of the future,

scenarios of love playing over and over.

Then I stop!

And suddenly the past comes back,

of what you had always done to me,

practically, stabbed me in the back.

I wonder! Will this time it will be different?

The next day comes and here we are again,

in the same place we always attain.

I lay fallen wretched, in despair,

while you find something else for you to entertain.

And then again, you put me to recycle, repair,

come when bored, to use me as a spare.

No more, I say!

And once again I leave,

with fresh wounds on my heart,

learning to forget, yearning to heal.

And you come again,

again the same cycle begins,

playing on my feelings,

so lovelorn in your dealings,

that me, a fool still in love, fall again.

The Poet

Is a poet not a poet unless he is known?
Or unless his name, upon the carcass of a tree,
Blinding, in golden letters beautifully shone?
Is he not someone, to lead with might,
and raise a din of soundless voice,
to address every whim in the world's plight?
It is said, 'The pen is mightier than the sword'
Or sometimes it may be so true,
For a humble poet writes and stays,
to his intentions, sincere and in lieu.

Immortal Talks - A Book Review

“Are you aware that you are not a body? You have a body.” chorused the elder Mahtangs.

 

Introduction:
GENRE: Spirituality
AUTHOR: Shunya
PAGES:160
YEAR OF PUBLISH: 2017 

 

Mahtangs (better known as Mathangs) are the tribal people residing in the forests of Mount Piduru in Sri Lanka. This tribe, similar to the sentinelese, choose to be cut off from modern civilization but they cannot be more different from the sentinelese. Mathangs are the followers of Lord Hanuman and descendants of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana from The Ramayana. Apart from this, the Mathangs are said to be very spiritual and with good reason. It is said that the Mathangs are visited by Lord Hanuman in every 41 years. Quite interesting isn’t it?
All of this came to light in the year 2014 when a researcher was studying the behavior of the tribe and completely oblivious at the time as to what he was going to find! Fascinating!
Lord Hanuman is said to be among the 7 people who are said to be immortal. It is believed that every 41 years Lord Hanuman visits the tribe to teach and imbue divine knowledge to them. The Mathangs record the teaching of Lord Hanuman every 41 years in a Log book. Fortunately, the log book is now with an organization called ‘Setu Asia’which is trying to translate the book. Okay this was a short introduction to who the Mahtangs (or Mathangs) really are. Now let’s jump on to the book.

 

Summary:

 

The book begins with Hanudas, a devotee of Lord Hanuman, who along with 2 other devotees is following some tribal people in order to observe and try to establish communication with them. Hanudas used to live an elite lifestyle with his family in Toronto and was neither religious nor spiritual. His wife dies in a car accident and later he loses his only son to drugs and paranoid schizophrenia. This leaves him to be completely hollow – ‘like a hoop which lets things pass through it. No sorrow. No pain. No regret.’ It was then that he encounters an unusual scene. He leaves for India and comes in contact with a Guru who gives him the name ‘Hanudas’ and explains to him that it was not a hallucination indeed. Gurudev explains it was because only pure souls can experience that. He explains that Hanudas encountered such a scene because after his son’s funeral his mind was absolutely blank, completely free and detached from everything the external world has to offer – 
‘Your soul, like the majority of humans of this era, is asleep. Your soul awoke for a brief period of time on the day you buried your son’
After that moment he experiences a divine epiphany and leaves to wander – in search of nothing – in a pursuit to awaken his soul. He eventually feels that he has reached his destination when he comes across this tribe known as ‘Mahtangs’. He along with 2 more sages tries to approach the tribe but are rebuked by the leader and hence finds himself following and observing the tribe. Very soon her deciphered the meaning of the set of seven symbols he had collected from the Mahtangs. It translated as follows: ‘The immortal Lord Hanuman comes every 41 years to impart supreme knowledge to his disciples, the Mahtangs’. Over the course of next several months, he collected thousands of such symbols, or the puzzles wherin lay enshrined the entire knowledge Lord Hanuman imparted to his disciples.
He, with the help of other sages, deciphered these puzzles and documents them. These finding are henceforth explained in the form of different chapters in this book.

 

My Review:

 

The religion – Hinduism (it actually is Sanatan Dharma) – is the oldest religion that exists today. It is the only religion in which even if you are an atheist, you are still a Hindu. It is the choice of the seeker whichever and whatever form of god he/she wants to embrace. Even the belief that he/she does not believe in god is a form of belief and hence that person is still a Hindu. It is a religion which is based on the practice of looking for the absolute truth which involves science more than anything. I will not be exaggerating when I confidently claim that all the things that modern science is discovering now has already been mentioned in the Vedas and Upanishads many thousands of years ago. It is more of Spirituality than a ‘Religion’ in the truest sense and is far different from what is perceived by the masses. It is a way of Life. And this is clearly evident by the contents of this book.
The book is written in a very simplistic manner which enables the reader to understand even the most complex workings of the truth of what the soul is, what is life, the movement of the soul from one body to another, the life and death cycle, the Karma-Desire, etc. If I have to describe my experience of reading this book in one word, I will choose – enlightening. The way in which everything was explained is very simple and effective. The reader is able to imagine every scene as if it is happening right before their eyes. The way in which everything is explained is extraordinarily simple, effective and quite enjoyable at the same time. The prologue of the book describes how Hanudas comes to find all the symbols and puzzles and the rest of the book in chapters and in the form of stories of the same tribe explains the subtleties of the extraordinary way in which the universe works, who we are and how to get out of this endless cycle of birth and death in Maya. 
Those of you do not know, Maya is everything you experience. It is everything that you sense i.e., see, feel, hear, taste, touch. Maya is said to be an illusion. It is the physical world which follows the rules of space-time and the human soul which is stuck in this Maya thinking that it is the only reality experiences endless cycle of birth and death. The purpose of the human soul is to break this cycle and attain Moksha viz., unification with the absolute – the Bramh.
The book along with this also explains what the soul really is. How it goes from one body to another and what it experiences when it is out of a body. Not only this, the book also explains the type of souls there are, what are the characteristics of the soul which resides in birds, animals and humans. The struggle between the soul to be free from the shackles of birth and death and the limitations posed by the human body which understands this world to be the only reality and the Karma-Desire scale of balance is beautifully explained in one of the chapters titled ‘The Mermaid’ in the form of a story.

 

I definitely enjoyed reading this book. I’d say that it must be read at least once in the lifetime irrespective of which religion, caste or sex you belong to. Read this with an open mind because as the Vedas says, there is only one absolute truth rest everything is different realities varying from person to person.

I miss you then

Whenever newer events arise,
I miss you silently in disguise.
Disguise of an empty smile,
sometimes crooked, mindless all the while.

When I wake to the chirping sounds,
outside my window, all around.
Breaking away from your dreams
All I long then is to hear,
your soft whispers in my ear,
your gentle coaxing for me to rise
to stand up and face the day
with all that's best,
not needed to say.
I miss you then and all minutes to come.

As I slowly, in a daze,
discern tiny droplets touching my face,
it slowly dawns upon my mind
it's raining outside, with a pain.
I wish then to take a ride,
with you throughout, by my side.
We go to the hills perhaps,
a silent, overwhelming, beautiful space,
your sweet kiss and warm embrace.
I miss you, sitting in this crowded yet, a lonely space.

The lonely evenings spent alone,
without your concern, without your scold,
I loose myself in my closed room,
and go to the place where memories bloom.
I miss you then in every breath,
as I slowly drift between disguised smiles and gloom.

Fearless

For those who are sad, in despair, giving up or just disappointed and discouraged. This will help and give you strength, you might be able to relate at least a few lines to your own life.

When crossroads came and I had to,
I always chose the hardest of them all,
they bent me in those twisted ways,
which made me stand apart and tall.

I am glad they did not kill,
and I knew my mettle through the tests,
which came and went as swift,
as the sun and moon's unrest.

I often shivered of the fear,
as crippling as it can be,
to face those demons that stood before,
but struck them nonetheless therefore.

There are far more wiser and braver still,
many people that I know,
gone through even harder times,
but vigilant, in the summers, rain or snow.

But I must not be sad or even shy,
to admit a person's worth.
For I am not less, and can't deny,
I have been bloodied too, and tasted dirt.

So even when the flames engulf,
the consequence of my sweat and blood,
I will not crumble or fall apart to lose,
but get up and rebuild, again by worn out tools.

Even if I am hung to dry,
by fools upon those steady gallows,
I will breathe again, and be heard,
by my thundering roars and bellow.

Embrace

I wrote this some time back. Though the situation is very different now, the feeling was worth writing about.

 

A warm summer's sweet delight,
closer, looking in her eyes,
sitting huddled in the sand,
beside the tides, earth's heaving sighs.

Passions high, entangled limbs,
kisses balmier than a rose's lips.
Sunset, dusk and moonlit nights,
all merry, all rejoice.

Heavenly abode, where else it is?
where lies mankind's most craving smiles?
Where but in love's most embracing arms!
Where but in those stolen glance!

Mine?

Oh! How exquisite are the flowers!
How enthralling their smell!
that wafts with the breeze.
How poised is the moon!
gleaming above, full with beauty,
hooking the heart with such an ease.

In the moonlight there stood she,
a hand outstretched, lazily, towards me,
a wounded battle-scarred young man which shook
of terrible aches of heart and body and mind,
the damsel, mending me, but slowly it took.

I was drawn towards her in that pleasant rain,
getting up, mending, slowly, inspite the pain.
I looked up towards the life I want,
embraced in the soulful dance, love entrant,
Delved so deep, no can or can't.

She took withered hands of mine in hers,
and kissed each in turn with her lips divine,
waking me up, shaking me up,
swelling with joy, welling tears of love enshrined,
her soothing whispers, kisses untimed.

I was halfway up to her embrace,
halfway through to complete this race,
a race with myself, to leave behind,
insecurities, torments, timidity and memories unkind,
And then, I belonged, from my heart and mind.

She smiled and kissed me leaning halfway down,
murmuring those words & I was a king without a crown,
I prayed and prayed and yearned the end,
the doubts in my heart and my body to mend,
I was happy, jovial - in bliss, without pretend.

I was about to reach to my fullest height,
towards that dream of divine love at first sight,
Yet her hold slackened upon my hand,
and her gaze turned cold as Hades's land.
I was drifting again to the world of pain,
with no hand to pull me out of this shame.

I woke up sweaty and with a start,
in hope to hold onto whom I gave my heart,
But where was she? Where vanished that appeal?
Where was that world, that girl and those feelings ethereal?
Was it all inside my mind? Or was it real, truthfully, love defined?
I hope to know, I hope to find,
through all the tribulations and promises kind,
were they false, a figment of mind or was she mine!

The truth of Life

Beyond this day, if we shall find,

a loss of will to yearly stroll,

and seek the meek embrace,

of beloved sleep and swelling toll.

 

It means we will soon in time,

see life's greatest truth.

An old friend will come and greet,

in the morning chirps or night owl's hoot.

 

He, the death, is most trustworthy of our ends,

rest were just mirthless games,

of old friends or foes, doubtful,

devious, with varied masks they played.

 

He stands behind every door,

to shake your hand one day

just nod and smile, same jovial mood,

when maybe few times in your life

you pass those menacing corridors.

 

Do not fear but be delighted,

it is the fate of every being.

Like the butterfly from its cocoon,

it is a new, another journey yet to be seen.

 

Live the life free of hate,

and grasp his hand with a merry look.

Pass free of any bounding yearning,

as there is no question in the end

of what you made and what you took.

 

It is the divine truth of life,

ugly sometimes it may seem.

But death is the ultimate absolute,

of every mortal, every life, resolute.

 

He is the constant companion of every being,

Oblivious to their actions in life.

Standing between heaven and earthen layer,

as an unalterable truth,

with every soul and every prayer.

Thoughts....

A lonely traveller on the silent sea,
Travels in hope to be free,
From the wretched woes of his mirthless life,
No affairs of wisdom or love ever,
Came across in face or disguise.

He sails aloft a merry boat,
Yet alone, in search of that place,
Where there is that love that chokes his throat.
In the moonlight, aghast,
He reached a land, on black sand it dwelled,
Where stood a damsel, a shrouded figure,
Closer looked the eye, beautiful as hell.
She casts a glance so tender and sublime,
That turned him besotted, all through time.
Her devilish charms worked magic throughout,
That he forgot about his strife,
Of what he was made, what he was about.
He cured himself of that terrible disease,
World calls it loneliness and solitude,
By just hearing her voice, he did it with ease.

By time again coursing, he was smitten to the core,
He forgot the mark, of that curse he wore.
Sand shifted within his feet,
Departing was the beach, the moon and so was she.
She went afar with a crooked smile,
Taking the land with all its glory,
With closed eyes, to the sky he asked
Was it truly love, or was it her guile?
He opens his eyes and find himself again,
In those lonely quarters, those same faces,
Same thoughts and the same pain.
His eyes glistens, heart skips a beat,
On the thought of her,
If her he could again see.
Were those moments a reality of his mind?
Or were those times a dream divine?

Thoughts...

A lonely traveller on the silent sea,


Travels in hope to be free,


From the wretched woes of his mirthless life,


No affairs of wisdom or love ever,


Came across in face or disguise.





He sails aloft a merry boat,


Yet alone, in search of that place,


Where there is that love that chokes his throat.


In the moonlight, aghast,


He reached a land, on black sand it dwelled,


Where stood a damsel, a shrouded figure,


Closer looked the eye, beautiful as hell.


She casts a glance so tender and sublime,


That turned him besotted, all through time.


Her devilish charms worked magic throughout,


That he forgot about his strife,


Of what he was made, what he was about.


He cured himself of that terrible disease,


World calls it loneliness and solitude,


By just hearing her voice, he did it with ease.





By time again coursing, he was smitten to the core,


He forgot the mark, of that curse he wore.


Sand shifted within his feet,


Departing was the beach, the moon and so was she.


She went afar with a crooked smile,


Taking the land with all its glory,


With closed eyes, to the sky he asked


Was it truly love, or was it her guile?


He opens his eyes and find himself again,


In those lonely quarters, those same faces,


Same thoughts and the same pain.


His eyes glistens, heart skips a beat,


On the thought of her,


If her he could again see.


Were those moments a reality of his mind?


Or were those times a dream divine?