Text of the Poem
Alexander on horseback
Leapt over the Indus here,
Or so the storytellers say,
And on the other side
Of that hill in a grove
Of mango trees he listened
In rapt attention
To a naked sadhu
Talking of immortality.
Overview
In this poem, Kamal is talking about Alexander, the king of the
ancient Greek Kingdom, Macedon. In a few words, the poem mentions the incursion
of Alexander into India, which was limited to the Indus River basin area.
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Summary
The poet briefly speaks about the arrival of Alexander to the
northwestern subcontinent. According to the poet, it has come to the knowledge
of the people by the storytellers that Alexander came on a horse and crossed
the River Indus. On the other side of the river, there were mango tree
plantations. Alexander saw a naked Indian sage discussing eternal life. For
him, it was a fascinating notion and he listened to the sadhu with spellbound
attention.
Analysis
History tells us that Alexander encountered an Indian
philosopher, known as Mandanes, lying naked in the woods near Taxila. Kamal has
briefly described that particular historic occurrence. His encounter with naked
philosophers and sages in India is generally known in western literature as gymnosophists. Alexander’s
image on horseback is quite famous in history. The poet has used the same image
to show that Alexander came and crossed the river Indus on his horse. The poet
says that this is what storytellers tell us. Thus, there is a hint of doubt on
this particular historical information, as there are numerous stories told
about Alexander and only a few are from authentic sources.
In this short poem,
Kamal is discussing the major historical event of the arrival of Alexander in
India in 327 BC. He was greatly impressed by exotic India. During his short
time in India, he came across different Indian sages and philosophers. The poet
tries to depict the great aggressive Alexander as the one who was impressed by
the idea of spirituality. Kamal has not discussed the power or greatness of
Alexander, instead, he has highlighted the power of the land of Indus to
bewitch such a great conqueror. Although his encounter with the land of Indus
was a brief one, it turned out a fundamental event in history.
Alexander’s leap of
faith over the gulf of death (River Indus) took him to the promised land of
immortality. The poem gives out the message that we all could take a leap over
our problems like Alexander did over the breadth of Indus. As Alexander found a
whole new world across the River Indus, we could also find new things in our
lives if we are courageous enough to cross the large river of difficulties of
our lives. The other side of the story is accessible to those only who dare to
cross the river.
Themes of the Poem
History
The most prominent
theme in this poem is history. The poet has summed up a major historical event
in a few lines. It tells the readers about the great leader, Alexander, who
came to India and found himself fascinated by mysticism and other-worldly
aspects. His invasion of India has been narrated quite often, and there are
numerous stories about his interactions with Indian sadhus during his brief
time in India.
Nature
In the poem, the poet
has mentioned the River Indus, hills across the river, a grove of mango trees,
and a naked sadhu. These images of nature give the readers a depiction of the
Indian subcontinent. With the help of the theme of nature, the poem also shows
a transcendental experience of an individual. It shows how after crossing the
river, Alexander becomes interested in the talks of everlasting life by a
sadhu.
This article is written by Saba Alam, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
