SHLOKA

The Sanskrit Bhagavad Gita
A poem of divine teachings
Is written in Shloka Meter
Or lines of eight syllables each.

It has oft occurred to me that
Shrinkage of means enhances meaning
Thus, Dear Reader, I choose to write
By the shores of Gitchee Gumee.

Vyasa the Compiler
Tells the story of Arjuna
Receiving Lord Krishna’s wisdom
On the eve of a Battle:

“Viewed by the Equanimous Eye
Success and failure are the same.
Grieve not for the Living or Dead
Dear One, neither will cease to be…”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Wrote his poem Hiawatha
In trochaic pentameter
Like the Gita, to be chanted!