Ravana, hear me now
Ragam:
Rhythm:
Story Play (Attakkatha):
Characters:
Ravana, hear me now; O feared
king, listen to my words
My words don’t depend on your moods
only the truth I am going to tell you
The story of Indra’s capture
by your son, and
helpless gods taking flight —
who doesn’t know all that!
At the mere mention of Ravana’s name
all the gods are left trembling;
not just that, what’s more,
all living beings are scared of you
It’s a small little matter when you think of it
but I must tell you that now;
only the crazy Bali has against you
some spite, though that’s a trifle
The mighty Bali’s comments
I do not have the guts to tell you
“Ravana is like a mere blade of grass to me,”
says he with no qualms, Oh my God!
Though this is no big issue,
it’s better to quickly test his resolve,
before such insolence
becomes public knowledge.