The man is old but odds are new
His lamp is lit when lights are few

The lamp is like his soul by side
If not a leap at least a stride

The lamp will lead, the man will know
In the darkest space, a light will show

A way to live and a goal to try
Till time would stop, the soul would die

To hope and joy, a way will go
The dark and lonely street will glow

Atop a hill, a road to tread
The wind whispers, the man is led

In brighter skies when the sun will rise
Where God is the light and men are wise



The Story Behind

This is a commonly observed sight. It is seen mainly in the villages or on a very cold hill station. The roads in the night there have no street lights and they are very lonely and deserted.

This poem describes a very similar sight. It describes an old man who is walking down this street. Now this man who presumably has a weak eye sight is further disabled by the poor road conditions and the dark around. It is obvious that he finds it very difficult to walk or see anything at a far away distance. It is impossible for him to tell where he is leading to for not a single scene lies in his vicinity.

That is when his lamp comes in to use: literally and also metaphorically. The lamp comes to his rescue as if it were a dear soul mate and shows him the way. Of course with just a small lamp he can't see much but the point I want to make is that he doesn't need to see much. What he needs to see is where his next step falls. He just has to make sure that his next step is safe and secure for such slow and steady steps will only make him reach his destination. He needn't worry about his final step or what lies at the horizon. That lamp helps in taking one small step without actually worrying about the final step and that's how he reaches his destination.

That is exactly how we should live our lives. As we live in a present, we can never accurately forecast the future. We have no choice but to live in the present but we forget that the present links directly to the future.

If we take such small but steady steps in the present, the future is secure automatically; dreams start to take shape. What you need in life is the light of that lamp which in this context stands for hope. Rather that wearing rose tinted glasses for looking in to the future, that mildly bright but visible light is enough an inspiration for us to be bold and courageous, to have a hope in our heart, to think about the present and to live in the inspiration that can derived from today at every moment with every step taken for when you took the very first step there in half the battle was already won.

I also intend to highlight the concept of enlightenment through this poem. What Buddha, Christ, Muhammad achieved was the universal truth about God. By treading on their path if we all believe in our Gods, through our devotion and/or meditation combined with our good deeds we too can get connected to God just like these Messiahs. What you need to have is sublime faith and a pure heart. Like in this poem, that lamp is also a symbol of his faith and his belief, that the lamp will be always his lone companion on his journey of life. Don't all theists feel that way? All of us feel, a guiding force, an omnipresent personality helping us all the time. A Divine hand that is capable of pulling us out of any difficulty and showing us the way to glory and success. I mean that is why people pray to God. The brilliance of that lamp shows in the dark night and just a ray of light is enough for the darkness to vanish. That lamp contains the essence and presence of God and an assurance that one day the Divine light of God will shine on you.

Call it heaven if you want to, or a better place to live in but our ultimate goal in our life should be to reach that destination. As is mentioned in this poem, climbing that peak where in the Divinity lives. Here the peak, symbolizes a tough and dangerous path. The physical height of the peak symbolizes the unseen and a mystique.

The poem compels you to climb that peak, not just literally but spiritually. That is we must learn to rise spiritually in our lives and have complete faith in our God. Only then will a transition in the soul occur, the sins will be burnt, an eternal bliss will instead take its place and the truth and the ultimate reality will dawn upon you. The two ingredients for this unique taste of reality are devotion and patience. If you have both of them, only then will you reach at the top of the peak. That is when the light of God will be visible to you.

This was thus an alternative perspective to this poem. The fourth stanza and the last two stanzas especially emphasize on this perspective.