Ferghana

From the old valleys of Ferghana to the plains of Indus
Travelled they far, with fear and purpose, to create
Foundations of a great empire and heritage
Of all their struggles that were to take place,
From gardens of Kabul to the heat of Punjab
As the landscape changed, so did they
With arrival of old symptoms of grandeur and pomp
Gone the old fervor, of battles and progress
Now they had music, and days to live
Now they had fortune and wisdom derived
From mistakes and greed in lands acquired
Cut off the hands, as the rebellions occurred
Cut off the ties, as the relations broke
The momentary glance, the transient feel
Still remains, in distance, the old ancestors
In the valley of Ferghana and its tombs
The story of old struggle and demise
As I hear those steps, in the land of empire
An old promise, to write again, to create
The old civilization from its days and nights
As they travelled far with fear and purpose!

Kashkin