Madras Congress
Tell me not in scornful numbers
Congress is an 'empty' show 1[1]
For though many a delegate slumbers
Seats are 'full' in every row.
Congress is earnest ! Congress is real!
Self-Government is its goal;
Action said, a high ideal
Is always good for the humen soul!
In the congress field of battle,
In constitutional strife
Indulge internal rattle,
Never lift a chair for life.
Lives of Moderates all remind us
We should wisely keep from crime,
Open sedition only finds us,
Shelter in a far-off clime 2[2]!
Let us then lie up and speaking,
Speaking at a furious rate:
Not always some benefit seeking
Learn to be loyal and to wait".
- ↑ 1. The first two lines resemble -
H.H. Long Fellow's poem "A psalm of life".
(Tell me not in mornful numbers, Life is an empty dream) - ↑ 2. Perhaps a reference to the prison in Anandaman Islands.
