Today's Beautiful Gem: `Soft Voice' by Wei-teh.

        The yaksha in Kalidasa's Meghaduta pleads with the clouds to
fly over his lady love's abode and convey to her of his love and of his
tender feelings. Separated lovers hope to find something that reminds
them of their love in all animate and inanimate objects they come across.
Many a time Nature is a splendid mirror for this fantastic vision.
The following poem of the Chinese writer Wei-teh reflects these
beautiful feelings in a very poignant manner.

"I count the stars in the sky,
And I ask: `Which one is it,
That now shines over her home?'
The stars are silent,
Tonight
Dewdrops fall on my cheeks.

"I cross a river,
And I ask: `What time was it
When you passed by her home?'
The water gives me no answer,
Tonight
Silence falls on my heart."

Om s'aantih: Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao

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