Shepherds Become Ruller Poem by kumar mukul

Shepherds become ruller
Shepherds can rule,
but rulers can't lead herds,
neither of sheep, nor men.
Rulers at the most
can turn despots! !

A simple man
can learn and grow wise,
An intelligentsia,
can't unlearn...
Can go insane though

Raise skyscrapers, should you want
but flattening the plain again is beyond Herculean.
Construct the walls of China,
as many as you want,
but they will only turn to
ruins, ashes, rabble
(look at Uttarakhand. eh?)

Translated from Hindi by ANUPAMA GARG