The blind jumbo, the twisted tusker
The Galgamuwe King of the jungle
I most solemnly kneel at your feet, at your graveyard
On behalf of all Sri Lankans
And beg forgiveness from you
As I too happened to be one of the species
Of that callous breed, mankind.
In the prime years of your dignified life
A gang of bloody barbarians
For the sake of easy money
In greed of your precious ivory
Put an end to your noble life
And your unsuspicious gigantic body
Was an easy target for the heartless poachers.
This heinous crime upon a blind noble creature
Is a disgrace to all mankind
An unpardonable shame
And the pain you had undergone
Is unimaginable to the animal lovers
To the sensitive mind.
Yet we can imagine your tragic fall
The fall of a majestic mighty king
We can imagine how silently
How heartily you bore the agony
with your big heart.
A decade ago
The wicked poachers
Had deprived you of your invaluable sight
And since then you wandered like a helpless pauper
What a pathetic plight
For a noble creature like you!
Though you are no more
We who have boundless love for fauna and flora
Share your untold pains, sorrow and tears
We apologise to you
The tortured pride of Sri Lanka
not once, but a thousand time
We pray
“May you never come across man’s mean acts
Man’s inhuman, shameful, wicked deeds!”
- D.H. Shanthiratne