Fool


Very often we feel frustrated with our work and lives. often comparing ourselves with others. This poem tries to bring out a similar feeling of a court jester from medieval times also known as fool.


1. The King and the Fool

In a land far far away, a time long long ago,                          
Of regal blood of the wise ones of the lore,
Of might and foresight, but no trace of ego,
Reigned a king a reign of prosperity galore.                

The king's court adorned one score and one more,
Master of art and craft, of the word and of sword,
Of healing and dealing; those of wealth and stealth,
But the one the ruler's heart doth rule was the fool.                    

Of heart pure, the fool; Of his loyalty, very sure,the king;
Merry the tunes from his lute, astute the wit in his verse;
Doth one and all in his art, not just revels, reveals also he,
The truth, through his foolery, that they fear to bring forth.

2. A Fool's Lament

Inky stinky hankie, a king had a donkey;
To the kingdom's fortunes hold I no key;
The cow even, can jump over the moon;
The fool uneven, is but a stupid old loon.

Not a healer of wounds am I, an interpreter of maladies;
Not the master of sounds am I, a composer of melodies;
Not a general vanquishing foes am I, a veteran of wars;        
Not a merchant sailing the seas am I, a trader of wares.

Not much learning have I, just a heart full of yearning;
No fame have I, just for seekers of mirth a fair game;
Nor gold and lands have I, just a pair of funny hands;
No influence have I, just a tiresome  life of diffidence.

This life pell-mell hell, the fool fell in a well.
A fool from his folly yell only a death knell.
The land of angels, of eternal bliss and joy,
Is calling; I shall no longer be a court's toy. 

3. A King's Lament

Over the entire realm a dark shadow cast,
For dear fool, thou hath ceased to amuse.
Over time shall memories of thine jest last.
Beloved child of Thalia, of comedy, muse.

Greater the need for healing, hearts laden with sorrow.
Sweeter than divinest music, melody of merry laughter.
Sharper than the sharpest saber, wit of the clever fool.
Rarer than egg sized rubies, hidden words of wisdom.

What learning can teach a rustic fool his native wisdom?
What fame can win a place in the heart of the emperor?
What wealth can buy one wisecrack or a pun, random?
What influence can, the control over a laughter, mirror?

Wisdom had you deserted, my friend.
Else, would you your heart have rend?
For is no trade in itself, small or great.
In his own mind, man decides his fate.

Related Post: Three things I want to change: I, me and myself

Writer’s Notes :
The King and the Fool creates the setting. The first stanza shows the king to be a wise and able ruler like Akbar or Ashoka. Second paragraph shows the king’s court and the 21 talented and/or powerful courtiers like the 9 gems in Akbar’s court and the high place ‘The Fool’ holds in the king’s hear among this talented bunch. Third paragraph introduces the Fool and his valuable contributions.
Fool’s Lament is described by the Fool. The first stanza shows a broken heart amidst the foolery. Thats why mixture of sad and nonsensical lines.The second stanza the Fool compares himself with other courtiers, here a doctor, a musician, a warrior and a merchant. Third stanza the fool decries his worthlessness saying he has no fame, wealth, power or education, the things most people value. Final stanza indicates his committing suicide. Thats why his words of foolery get nonsensical in a hysterical sense.
The King’s Lament is the King’s reaction to the fool’s death. The first stanza indicates the loss the king feels and the high esteem he has for the Fool. The second and third stanzas are partners to the second and third stanzas in The Fool’s Lament. Each line in King’s Lament has the answer to the respective line in The Fool’s Lament. In the last stanza the King summarizes the moral of the whole poem with a few final words of wisdom.

30 comments:

T F Carthick said...

Please do post your feedback regarding my post. I may not be able to reply immediately as I am on vacation and may not have computer access. Shall reply once I am back. Other Blog-a-ton writers, I shall read your posts from blackberry and cast my vote. Shall post comments on your blogs once I am back.

aativas said...

Good idea and well experimented.

Unknown said...

nice! all the best :)

geeta said...

Good one..loved reading it
All the best for BAT9

Tavish Chadha(sensible-bakwas.com) said...

Hey that was nice! All the best for BAT!!

P.S. it was really funny seeing ur comment on the BAT page

The fool - fool lolz

All the best once again. :)

Guria said...

Very interestingly done! An encyclopedia is not so versatile aor engaging! But the you are "The Fool"! :D

P.S. I love poetry pieces that are so well-executed!

swayambhu said...

good idea...and nicely experimented with the topic, u did ;-)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

quite innovative try...
atb for bat.

Unknown said...

Brilliant poetry!!

Best take on the subject so far...best of luck!!

Mural! said...

One of the best posts I have read till now (I am in the last leg of posts!!)

I am not a good judge of english over eras, but what I did like is the way you have expressed the story!!

Here is my BAT post::Murali - FOOL

Neeraj Shinde said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Neeraj Shinde said...

Nice composition... You have brilliantly carved the words to build those beautiful lines! Very Very creative! All the best!

T F Carthick said...

Thanks to all who have given encouraging comments. Shall reply individually once I am back. Right now have just 5 minutes access at hotel office in Nainital. Have been reading some of your posts - read 9 so far. Shall post my comments on your blogs once I have longer duration connection.

Vipul Grover said...

Hi, you may e-mail me ur votes. But do follow the pattern of mailing that i have mentioned in the post.
Safe travelling!

Chatterbox said...

Excellent execution of the prompt :)
Very impressive :D

Keep up the good work & best wishes for the contest.

Cheers!!

Dreamer said...

That was a most interesting interpretation of the topic. All the best :)

T F Carthick said...

Thanks a lot for your encouraging comments, dreamer. I am glad you liked my post.

Karthik said...

I've not read anything like this so far, man. Just too good. Not everybody is capable of writing something like this. You have read a lot of books, esp. classics, I suppose. You are an amazing wordsmith really.
Poetry is not my cup of tea. No matter how simple it is, it's hard for me to understand, until I read it at least twice. But this wasn't anything like that. I thoroughly enjoyed. Kudos!
P.S. I remember your recommending me to read this and some other posts. Couldn't do it till now. Have now started digging your archive. Better late than never, right? ;)

The Fool said...

Thanks, Karthik. I really feel flattered that an accomplished writer like you found it worth you while to actually dig up my archives. I am glad you liked this poetry. Had put in a week into this. Was very disappointed with the Blog-a-ton response for this post.

Megha said...

well..that was very good..I am sure it must have taken lot of thinking to bring the output, right ?

Nice work..keep writing :)

The Fool said...

Thanks for your encouraging comments, Megha. It took me a whole week to write this one.

Anonymous said...

The rhyme, the rhythm and the story was really good. I enjoyed reading it.

Jess PJ said...

A well told story. It seems we always want what we can't have or what we think others want of us.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks a lot, jaanpehchaan and Jessica.

Gayathri said...

When I watched movies like Avatar, Harry potter and lord of the rings I cannot fathom the amount of imagination those creators would have put in to build a completely new world... I felt the same way when I read these poem of yours... You are gifted and OMG! You are awesome.. I loved A fools lament the way it started..! You have BIG fan following! :)

T F Carthick said...

That is a big compliment, Gayathri. As I mentioned to you, this is my favorite work. Thanks.

T F Carthick said...

Thanks a lot, Punam. I look forward to seeing more of you on my blog.

Aravind R Sankar said...

I dont think entertainment and message can be better delivered than this poem and the style employed!

T F Carthick said...

That is superlative, Aravind Sankar. Thanks a lot.

Ankita said...

wow! awesome! so well penned :)

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