Richard Vallance

Vallance Review 31 March 2004 Bhuwan Thapaliya, "Our Nepal, Our Pride" A Library Fund for Rural Nepal? Annapurna in the light of early dawn! Come, and trip it as ye go, On the light fantastic toe, And in thy right hand lead with thee, The mountain-nymph, sweet Liberty;     John Milton (1608-1674):  "L'Allegro" (v33-v36) While the Vallance Review normally targets sonnets, historical and contemporary, as the focus for our critical reviews, this month marks a noteworthy exception for us all, I am sure you will agree. I suppose this is perhaps fitting, in so far as this is the month of my own 59th. birthday. And so I have decided to offer you all a rather unconventional review of a lyrical poem which, although it is traditional rhymed verse, is not a sonnet. But this month's review is exceptional in other ways too. Our featured poet, Bhuwan Thapaliya, is not an Occidental poet, but hails from Nepal. His native tongue is not English, but Nepalese, though he has spoken and written English most of his life. Bhuwan Thapaliya is eminently qualified both as an Oriental and as an Occidental poet, for his poetry truly marries the traditions of East and West, and in a way which is immediately appealing and cohesive. Bhuwan has a special touch, a sensibility few poets ever master, that of being able to harmonize East and West in a singular World vision, which in many ways imaginatively mirrors the very spirit of his natal land, Nepal, with her almighty Himalayas, mountain cordilleras and their summits, with such mysteriously evocative names as Annapurna, Machapuchre, Kanchanjanga and Manasulu, forever capped in white snow and subject to the fierce vagaries of winds, and her vast, open spaces found in so few places on this cramped Earth of ours, now overrun with humans, too many of whom are either at the very brink of starvation or are starving to death outright. It is at once strangely ironic and astounding that a nation as small as Nepal in its landmass should be at the same time a focal point and, as it were, a prism of Eternity. What Nepal lacks in horizontal space, it more than makes up for in the unimaginable immensity of her vertical spacial acuity. Just as Canada and Russia are horizontally vast, so is Nepal vertically. As a Canadian poet and poetry critic, I venture to posit this observation: only those poets who hail from nations blessed with almost unbounded spatial expanses can be said to truly appreciate the sense of the sheer enormity of life, in all her avatars, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. This special seventh sense we Canadian poets might call, "wilderness", while Nepalese poets, such as Bhuwan Thapaliya, might call it this.... Our Nepal, Our Pride Our Heaven on Earth, Nepal, our Pride, Our domicile of God is free as infinite as the Sun's portentous rays leading far and wide its celestial balm to all alike! Earth has, believe me, so little to show fairer Than this, our facsimile, inimitable paradise; Illustrious as far as Milton's ranging rhymes [1] & [2], Even to the Goddess [3] it did add such delight As manna slipped from the skirt of heaven To eternize our Earth, an inward and an outward sign, Adding celestials sublime here to shine more Than Twilight on Earth, where Everest, ours, is A Heaven's stairwell for all Nepalese tribes alive! All Hail, holy land, clear offspring of Heaven, From Heaven not far off, yes, in precincts of light Where even God with Goddess [4] dances Hand in hand, from birthing dusk till dawn, Eyes, theirs and ours, uplift in amazing pride © by Bhuwan Thapaliya, 2003 & 2004 Why I am a Poet, by Bhuwan Thapaliya Percy Bysshe Shelley, Defence of Poetry (1821) §341 Poets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration, the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present, the words which express what they understand not, the trumpets which sing to battle and feel not what they inspire: the influence which is moved not, but moves.  §342 Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World. I was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. I’ve an enormous love for my wonderful nation, though it's not just that I love only my nation. I love all the nations of this precious world of ours with equal grace because humans are the offspring of the divine seed called love. I believe that globalization of love is the cry of this Century, if not indeed for the entire Third Millennium. Today, we call our modern world "the global village". But the bitter truth is that modern world is as fragile as ever. You might be forgiven for exclaiming in astonishment: can the globalization of love ever be realized? My answer is yes. Let us love each other, and light this lamp of love to lift the darkness from every village of this world. I sincerely believe that humans are all closely interrelated, and are stalwartly fastened by the quintessence of their humanity. We are all, as it were, analogous one to another. There are really no separate humans. In this entire universe, they are same. Their eye wishes to see the panorama of love. Their ear wishes to hear the symphony of love. And their heart wishes also to be embraced by love. So I don’t believe in a personal God. I believe in the universal God called love. I suppose I am not a "literary" personality. I am just an ordinary servant of my heart. I write whenever my heart urges me to write. But the greatest irony is that my heart always urges me to write. It’s hard to cope with my heart because it often motivates me to burn the midnight oil. But till now I am coping with my heart and I know my heart and I will never part until the demise of my bodily form. Yes, I love to write and now it is as essential as the wisp of oxygen for my very survival. Each of us is here for a brief sojourn. We know not why we are here. But I know why I am here. I am pretty sure by now that I was born to write and spread the message of love and unity far and wide. NOTE by Richard Vallance: This is a realizable poetic Vision of the world, which Bhuwan Thapaliya obviously shares with Percy Bysshe Shelley before him, and with so many contemporary poets, amongst whom we may unflinchingly count such names as Sara Russell and Robin Ouzman Hislop of the United Kingdom; Helga Ross, young Bradley Alexander Bucsis (age 16) and myself, of Canada; and Jim Dunlap, Carmen Ruggero, Deborah Russell, C.S. Snow and the Neo-Romantic editor Esther Cameron of the United States [5].  And I am barely scratching the surface!  We may also count amongst such poets all the members of The New Pleiades = la nouvelle Pléiade (Smartgroups: UK), a positively buzzing international forum of some 30 poets from 8 nations, all of whom share ideals having a good deal in common with those of Bhuwan Thapaliya himself (who is also a member of this socially active Neo-Romantic Poetry Forum for the New Millennium). Bhuwan continues: I have always deeply cherished only one desire and goal, that by the messages my several poems convey I may become instrumental in mitigating the woes and miseries of mankind. With this humanitarian zeal, I have engaged myself day and night wholeheartedly in this primordial branch of literature Shelley called poetry [6]. Poetry to me is the blood that circulates in my veins. It is the very foundation of my survival. Writing is no hobby for me. It’s the way of my life. It is no mere transient desire of my mind. It is the eternal desire of my heart. I don’t write because I am free. I write because writing makes me free [7]. Writing takes me into different world, which is much better than this but being optimistic, I share my visions and my opinions with all to boost the morale of the Earth. Here, yet again, Bhuwan so starkly echoes the compelling words of Percy Bysshe Shelley in his own "Defence of Poetry", composed almost two centuries ago: §85  Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world; and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar; it re-produces all that it represents, and the impersonations clothed in its Elysian light stand thenceforward in the minds of those who have once contemplated them, as memorials of that gentle and exalted content which extends itself over all thoughts and actions with which it co-exists. §86 The great secret of morals is Love; or a going out of our own nature, and an identification of ourselves with the beautiful which exists in thought, action or person, not our own. §87 A man to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. (italics mine) How We Can Help Bhuwan Thapaliya Improve the Lives of his Compatriots in Nepal: If there is any generalization to be gleaned from Bhuwan Thapaliya's poetry, I believe it is the necessity for us to embrace an absolute love of love. Perhaps, with love we can conquer any obstacles with greater ease. From every word Bhuwan writes, we can readily discern that faith in a universal religion for all humankind, firmly founded on love, may indeed have far-reaching effects. In the long run, we can only benefit from a newfound belief in human goodness and in our real capacity to love. Where does mankind stand today? Where is mankind going? By objectively analyzing Bhuwan Thapaliya's poetry, one can perhaps discern a better future for mankind [8]. A Fascinating Soul! If you would like to delve further into the mystic world of Bhuwan Thapaliya's poetry and become better acquainted with him as writer and as a person, please consult this site: Author's Den: Bhuwan Thapaliya. Here are a few other Poems by Bhuwan Thapaliya on Nepal, which you may wish to read, found on these pages on Author's Den: [1] Suppression, I accept not.  Exploitation of the poor by the rich, lean by the strong, ignorant by the so-called intellectuals, and peace by the barrels of gun is suppression to him. [2] Oh! Hope.  Though hopeless seems the state of his nation, he is very hopeful of seeing the jovial pulchritude of his mother soon. [3] We are as diverse as the stars.  We are as diverse as the stars. This serves as the emblem of struggle for the existence. [4] He is fed up with the turmoil and the civil war [5] Then my friend you are free.  Freedom is the religion of his soul. Bhuwan is also affiliated with, Rowe Publishing, where the Editors have this to say about Bhuwan's poetry: Regarded globally as one of the best emerging poets of the modern generation, Bhuwan Thapaliya is a reputed name in the contemporary literary circle. A master amongst poets, his poetry is a human cry for the truth; that truth be represented in our speech, our thoughts and our prayers. "Waltz Of Love", is an exotic collection of his most popular love poems written straight from the passionate core of his compassionate heart. The Poetry Life & Times Nepalese Library Book Fund 2004: Book Contributions Sought for Bhuwan Thapaliya's Rural Project to Assist the Poor in Nepal On yet another, equally vital point, Bhuwan Thapaliya is aiming to open at least one library in the rural area for poor Nepali folks. He is already collecting books for them to read. The project is going great guns. This Vallance Review can hopefully serve as a focal point for sharing more about this desperately needed project.  As of the release of this untimely Vallance Review, unquestionably the most socially pressing one we have ever published, with the promotional support of Sara Russell, the Editor of Poetry Life & Times (UK), I, Richard Vallance, poetry critic and assistant editor (rhymed verse) urgently call upon our readers to please send us any and all books you may have in your own library, which you have read, which are in duplicate copies, are books you feel you can part with etc., and send these to me at my address: Richard Vallance, 297 Blake Boul. #4, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA, K1L 6L6 Also, please feel free to e-mail any inquiries about our Nepalese book fund to either: Richard Vallance at Sympatico OR:  Richard Vallance at Coolgoose. OR you may send books directly to Bhuwan Thapaliya at his address in Nepal: Bhuwan Thapaliya P.O.Box 11046 Kathmandu, Nepal I will endeavour to contact the appropriate Canadian government or non-governmental volunteer agencies with a view to distributing as many books as possible to Bhuwan Thapaliya of Nepal, shipping these books to Bhuwan hopefully by the end of 2004. So send me your books and I shall stockpile them until I have amassed a small library to forward to our beleaguered friends in Nepal. Books in English and in Nepalese are most welcome. Please be sure the books you send us are in reasonably good condition. Please do not send tattered, damaged or "dog-eared" books. Thank you. I myself pledge to contribute at least 50 books. How Does Bhuwan's Poem Speak to me? How I came to review this truly enlightened lyrical encomium: Actually, the whole thing happened quite out of the blue. But, as the old saying goes in English, "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time!". Bhuwan contacted me by e-mail late in 2003, asking me if I would be willing to review his poem, "Our Nepal, Our Pride", even though it is not a sonnet.  I never hesitated a moment, for I have always been deeply touched by the sincerity and great compassion that lies at the heart of all of Bhuwan Thapaliya's poetry.  This poem is not only no exception to the rule, but in fact, is the most shining example of our poet's unerring devotion to humankind and our sufferings, speaking to the Light out of the darkness that seems otherwise to engulf humanity. And no, I do not intend to critique this poem in this month's review, as I normally do. To do so would be to detract our much-needed attention from the poem's manifest intent, its mission, clearly one of Peace and understanding for all humanity's long sufferings.  And so, dear readers, in the final analysis and what's more, in the final synthesis, I leave it entirely up to you to judge for yourselves whether this exquisite gem of a poem speaks as intimately to your heart and soul as it has to mine.  It surely has stirred me deeply, and beyond even this, has moved me to take at least a modicum of action, so that we, who are all poets and lovers of poetry all around the world, may generously share in Bhuwan Thapaliya's vision to bring a library to his fellow country folk.  It only remains for us all to act.  So, if you have a dozen or so books to send, please do so at your earliest possible convenience, though I somehow think the urgency of the situation cries out in the face of mere convenience. Richard Vallance (Ottawa, Ontario,Canada) © 2004 by Richard Vallance, February 25 2004 REFERENCES & NOTES: [1] Cf. John Milton's sonnet, "On the Late Massacre in Piedmont", which so vividly and so tragically illustrates the theme Bhuwan Thapaliya implicitly echoes here in his lyric verse, and elsewhere in his poems, 5 of which are cited above in this review. [2] Although I, for one, cannot be certain whether Bhuwan Thapaliya had any particular poems by John Milton in mind, two immediately leap to my attention, as I read, not only this particular verse, but his entire poem. I find myself irresistibly drawn by the mellifluidity of his "Our Nepal, Our Pride", right back to Milton's twin sublime Odes, "Il Penseroso", and, even more strikingly, the exquisitely rhythmical, balletic and joyous, "L'Allegro", music incarnate in and of itself.  These latter poems have always held enormous emotional and rhythmical appeal to my ears, outer and inner alike. [3] Bhuwan Thapaliya is here referring to Hindu goddess, Saraswati, Goddess of knowledge (BT).  This goddess might be conceived as the approximate equivalent of Athena, the Greek goddess of Wisdom (RV). [4] Here again, Bhuwan Thapaliya speaks to us of the divine Eros dance of the Hindu goddess, Rati, goddess of sexual desire and love. [5] For an astonishlingly perceptive and truly insightful and compassionate critical review of Percy Bysshe Shelley's, "Defence of Poetry (1821), be sure to read Esther Cameron's heartfelt and thoughtful essay in issue # 122 of The Antigonish Review (Canada): Shelley's "Defence" Today.   approximately 16 pp. printout + bibliography. Esther Cameron is the Editor of the prestigious American poetry Journal, The Neovictorian/Cochlea.  P.O. Box 55164, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, U.S.A.  Esther Cameron's main Web site is: Point & Circumference. [6] §6  "... Poetry is connate with the origin of man.", in, Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Defence of Poetry: Part First (1821)" [7] Again, in the Defence of Poetry, with reference to England, though the very same observation could be made about the poets of Nepal, Shelley opines, "§333 For the literature of England, an energetic developement of which has ever preceded or accompanied a great and free developement of the national will, has arisen as it were from a new birth." [8] Yet again, Shelley stresses, and with ethical force, "§14  ... the future is contained within the present as the plant within the seed; and equality, diversity, unity, contrast, mutual dependance become the principles alone capable of affording the motives according to which the will of a social being is determined to action, inasmuch as he is social;..."

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