Dedicated to the memory of PM Dissanayake, Deputy Director of Education, Gampaha District
As the first streaks of sunlight
Filter through the leaves
In my home yard early morning,
I spy the place you are resting in peace.
Your grave under the shade of a huge jak tree.
Memories keep bubbling up,
The tea cup I warmed up
Every morning, for you.
The days that passed with cheer and laughter,
The cherished memories of travels
Driving with me to distant places,
To religious and archaeological sites.
You gave me all support and guidance
To perform successfully the duties, my career sought.
I am so grateful to you,
My dear Dissa.
You were a lover of nature.
A social worker too, who donated land
For the common cause.
You loved ‘those dear folk and gentle people
Who live and die in our home town’.
Dedicated to your profession,
A true friend to my colleagues in the SLAS
And to your friends too in the SLEAS.
And now – we all miss you.
The trees you planted
Wherever you served
Are bearing fruit.
So are the herbs of medicinal value.
So much for your hobbies.
Your sudden illness shocked me!
Day by day in every way
You were getting weaker and weaker.
But you had a strong mind
So from time to time
You became better and better.
Until you finally succumbed.
I bring to mind how you advised me
To strengthen my mind
To continue the good work we together did.
But you have left me, leaving behind
Only memories!
These memories of you are forever.
They are safe in my heart
Till the end of my days.
Now I feel that you are around me, Dissa,
When I clamber to the heights of my sleep,
Suddenly I meet you face to face
And hear you word to word.
Once you were a father to me,
When I lost my dear parents.
Then you were a brother to me,
And most of all a loving husband to me.
As the soft moon beams
Come filtering through
The leaves and the trees,
In the night. Oh! Silent night!!
The fragrance of the flowers
That bloom in the night,
The branches swaying through the wind
Bring to me the murmur of your name
Ever so silently. ...
Under the shade of the great, green trees,
You’re resting in peace in your grave.
A little candle will glow for ever
You are safe in my heart, for ever more.
Remembering your qualities of honesty and humility,
Loving kindness to me and to everyone else
And the meritorious acts you have performed,
I wish and I know you certainly will have
A renewed birth, the finest rebirth
Just as the Great Sambuddha taught.
As for me the memories will never die.
I have to silently weep
Until I rise to the levels
That my Dissa did rise.
By his beloved wife Chandra Dassanayake