Valley Of Flowers

The Road is treachery, and long,

But I keep walking on, accompanied by a birdsong;

Savoring the dream of reaching the valley,

Where flowers bloom in plenty;

 

There I see them, in all colors and sizes,

They gleam as the morning sun rises;

The lazy ones are still in deep slumber,

But they are very less in number;

 

A river stream madly runs over a few,

As if it wants to make them anew;

Pink, yellow, purple, white and red,

Smiling at me, making me glad;

 

A bee kisses the purple one,

A butterfly runs hither-thither to have all the fun;

The mountains around protect them all,

From rain, sun and heavy snow-fall;

 

A narrow bridge takes one to the vast land,

Where all the colors blend;

Some feet away lies Lady Legge’s grave,

But to think she died here is too naïve;

 

She threw herself happily around,

In the ocean of flowers, unbound;

Mother Nature turned her into a beautiful flower,

Being one of them, now she stays here forever;

 

The search is over; the daaman is all over;

Time to go, but the heart says never;

Flowers wave merrily behind my back,

I promise to them I will be soon treading on the same track.

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* In 1939 Miss Margaret Legge, a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh arrived at the valley for further studies. While she was traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and was lost for ever. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial on the spot where she was buried by the locals. The thoughtful memorial is still there.

* Lines from Andaleeb Shadani's composition Der lagi aane me...

Shafak Dhanuk Mehtaab Ghataayen Taare Naghmen Bijli Phool,
Us Daaman Mein Kya Kya Kuch Hai Wo Daaman Haath Mein Aaye To ...

Shafak = break of dawn; Dhanuk = rainbow; Mehtaab = moon

* I visited the place in July 2008, but now also I remember the sensation of touching those beautiful little flowers. A must-visit place for everyone. Check out the pictures at : http://picasaweb.google.co.in/brijesh.gajera/ValleyOfFlowers#