Asoka, The Great Emperor. Poem by RAVIKIRAN ARAKKAL

He inherited a small empire,
Through valour and bloody
Wars he made a huge empire
Through the years of
His early rule from Iran
To vietnam, from Himalyas
To the south of India, suppressing
All that who rose against him.

Once when he was the banks
Of Ganges, which turned red,
With the bloody war he led,
He saw an old woman searching
For her dead son's boody,
Weeping all the while, making
The lion hearted melt in pity,
And hating the acts he did.
Thence came a saint and told
Him of Buddha and his ideals,
Of giving alms, oneness
Of mankind which Asoka
Adopted and spread throughout,
His empire which one and all
Took to for centuries together.
Asoka did build monuments,
In the name of Buddha and love,
Which spread all over the east.