A lyrical mini-opera about loss, regret, and the quiet duty of nurturing hope in others.
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Legend tells us that away from the hustle and bustle of life and beyond the light of the setting sun, there is a forest — the emerald forest of imagination. Deep within this forest is the silver pool of glimmering desires.
Surrounding the pool are the grey boulders of regret, and on one of those boulders, sat an old man dressed in a tattered black robe. He held his head within his palms and was pulling on his grey hair in anguish.
‘Oh! I had a dream, and that dream just died
Oh! My poor dream has breathed her very last
‘But where has my poor dream vanished?’ He cried
You must know, you’re my Present and my Past’
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The Past was an old man dressed in moving shadows, while the Present was a young woman dressed in brilliantly colored flowers. They looked at each other with despair darkening their eyes and then addressed the mourner.
‘Your dream is dead as you say, you poor old man!
Death is the beast that is cruel to all and spares none
She has been taken to a graveyard as per the plan
We share your pain but are afraid, nothing can be done’
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The old man raised his head and looked at them in turn, dark sadness permeating his soul. Then, forcing his tears back, he asked:
‘And where is this graveyard of the dead dreams?
I have never heard of it; it’s probably just a story
But if real, I want to know how it really seems
I want to see my dead dream and lament her glory’
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The Past and Present thought for a moment and then spoke in harmony once again.
‘Far away from the dazzling dimensions of existence,
hidden in gloom, lies the graveyard of dead dreams
It borders a quiet lake and is visible from a distance,
and if you try hard, you can hear the silent screams
Filled with many graves, both large and small,
there are even some black urns filled with ashes
So many pretty flowers to be found even in the fall,
and also broken pieces, whatever this life trashes
Sitting at the broken gate, there is the old keeper,
his head is grey, and his eyes are filled with sorrow
All lonely and tired of his vigil against the grim reaper,
hope is something so far off, he can’t even borrow
‘What’s there to guard?’ he is often asked to elaborate
‘They are just broken dreams, need no looking after
They are all dead, you see, so what do you await?’
The people don’t try to hide their taunts and laughter
‘You are of course, right, and I do not blame you’
The old man says with shadows lining his brow
‘But, they are my sleeping children, it’s my view;
graves are their beds, where flowers need to grow’
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The old man heard all this with silent somberness and then left in search of the graveyard.
He walked and walked and then walked some more,
through the valleys filled with dark pain and loss
He looked and looked and then looked some more,
for the forgotten ruins covered in green moss
He walked and walked until he could walk no more,
his heart grew heavy, and his feet bled raw with each stride
He looked and looked until he could look no more,
his spirit lost its resolve, though he determinedly tried
And then one day, when he was about to quit his quest,
he at last reached the graveyard, that of the dead dreams
He just turned a corner and saw it from afar, due west,
the graveyard beside the silent lake, alive with screams
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He carefully approached the ancient custodian, who was quietly smoking an old pipe. On hearing the footsteps, the custodian raised his head and looked questioningly at the old man, his piercing blue eyes peering out from between the silver strands of hair.
‘What do you need, son? This is no place for the living
You look miserable, though, as if you are dead inside
What is that you seek? Or what is it that you bring?
You are all broken, though you hide it well with pride’
Hearing this, the old man fell at the Custodian’s feet.
‘Misery…yes! Broken ….Yes! But there is no pride
I am just here to see my dead dream one last time
My dream was my child; for her, I have always cried
I reared her with my blood; alas! She died in her prime’
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The Custodian was touched by the old man’s pleas, but he was helpless.
‘What you say wrenches my heart, I assure you, son
But I cannot do anything; your dream is gone forever
Yes, you can place flowers on the grave and mourn,
but you cannot caress its forehead and see it never’
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The old man gripped the Custodian’s ankles, and his tears fell in torrents.
‘Have mercy on me, I don’t want to abandon my child
She was my only possession under the lofty skies
Let me sit by her side amidst the flowers growing wild,
mourning the loss of her smile and the shine in her eyes’
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The Custodian thought for a moment and then, holding the shoulders, raised the old man to his feet.
‘Tell me, son, are all your dreams dead or just this one?
If you had just one dream, are the others’ dreams dead too?
Go nurture them, as all dreams become gold under the sun
Go nurture them, as to everyone, their dream is the one true’
‘Now you know the value, when your own dream is dead
Now you know how it feels, the loss of your dearest dream
Go and nurture the dreams of others, and pat their head;
make all those dreams come true and solace, you will redeem’
Shehryar khawar 