Durga Poem by Susanta Pattnayak

Mother and Peace, thou dwell serene, yet storms obey thy call,
From breath of thine the stars arise, by glance the shadows fall.

Thou cradle life, thou end all sin, thy steps through aeons tread,
Thy mercy feeds the newborn flame, thy wrath strikes devils dead.

Thy brow a moon, thy gaze a fire, thy smile both balm and blade,
The saint adores, the sinner flees, by both thy path is laid.

Within thy calm all tempests sleep, yet thunder guards thy name,
In thee the meek find tender grace, the cruel their rightful shame.

When pride-bound men defiled the womb, and crushed the soul unborn,
Thou heard the weeping silence bloom, yet rose through pain and scorn.

Through widow's sigh, through maiden's cry, thy spirit tore the chain,
And raised her voice to pierce the dark, where silence long had lain.

O Mother rise through every heart, through girl, through sage, through seer,
Let justice bloom and fear depart, let dawn of truth draw near.

When love and strength as one shall reign, beneath thy boundless sky—
O Mother, guard our mortal hearts, till falsehood learns to die.

Susanta Pattnayak