Soft Storm

The poem 'Soft Storm' was written by acclaimed poet Abhi Subedi. He is Nepal's most recognized academic personality. He has taught at various universities for over 44 years and has also made significant contributions to literature by authoring poems, essays, stories, and dramas in both Nepali and English.

This poem depicts the speaker as a rebel in society. He dislikes society's meaningless and harsh actions. This poem subtly criticizes Nepali society's bad habits. The poem is slightly lengthier than the other poems in this volume. It's written in free verse. It is a lovely combination of descriptions of nature and society.

In the opening line, the poet portrays the environmental instability in Nepali society with phrases such as turbulence, spooky, quiet, sky-like crocuses, stones, skidding moon, torn ceiling, and so on. Similarly, he connects those physiological diseases to human society's behaviors by employing terms such as politics, postures, rituals, and justifications. In the final line of the first verse, the poet employs the term seamless city, which refers to the problem-free or unified metropolis of the past. It is simply a reminder of a time when society had far fewer social difficulties.

In the second stanza, he refers to destitute children wailing in Thamel. They are also sobbing out of hunger beneath the bat-bearing trees of Kesharmahal. He uses the phrases to convey the harsh reality of a developing country. It is a severe societal problem for the country that must be addressed at all costs. In the same verse, he used the word 'unwedded gardens of history' to refer to the past unflourished instances of the society, which implies a lawless, unsettled, and chaotic situation caused by social and political oppression in Nepalese society.

Similarly, in the third stanza, he describes a bereaved boy with a transistor radio around his neck who is pleading to find his mother. This phrase describes the miserable state of street children. There is also a mention of a man who was brutally beaten for no cause. Similarly, in the poem, he refers to an injured guy wearing a blood-stained shirt and screaming for humanity. When these cries of suffering are not heard, it symbolizes the situation of lawlessness, which eventually leads the speaker to revolt against the system.

In the subsequent stanzas, the speaker describes the confused paths of our society and our nature. The dominant person is unable to communicate because his voice is locked. It is similar to the game of hide and seek. Crocuses growing over the stone, rain tears, sun laughter, deforested areas, rhododendrons blossoming in January, mournful bird calls, and so on all demonstrate a decline in societal values and environmental conditions. The contemporary people's indifferent, greedy, and unlawful activities have disrupted and spoiled the earth and its species. The speaker closes the final verse by expressing his yearning for independence, as well as that of all other animals on Earth. He prefers the magnificent, wonderful, and calm sky with the sweet music of a soft storm.

Some Important Questions

1. What is the speaker like? Is he a rebel? Why? Why not? 

ans: The poem 'Soft Storm' reflects the speaker's inner emotions as he sees modern life. The speaker shows their chaotic nature and conveys his emotions with compassion. The poet discovers our society in full disarray. Corruption affects both society and the individual. Hungry people can be seen everywhere on the streets. He sees modern folks disregarding wonderful history.

On the other hand, most things are odd and illegal. People have forgotten about humanity and are behaving inhumanely towards one another. They've forgotten about mutual respect and sympathy. In the poem, the poet appears to dispute these notions. So we can call him a rebel, even though his rebellious attitude is not explicitly stated.

2. The poet uses the word ‘soft’ with the words like ‘storm’ and ‘gale’, which generally refer to disorder and violence. What effect does the poet achieve through the use of such anomalous expressions?

ans: Abhi Subedi's poetry 'Soft Storm' conveys the poet's compassion as well as his inner distress. The term itself honors the poet's emotions, which were unsettled but not calamitous.

In the poem, the speaker employs the word 'soft' with adjectives like 'storm' and 'gale' to portray his inner turmoil. In general, an anomalous statement is syntactically correct yet has no semantic significance. In the poem, the phrases soft storm' and softness ascended like a gale' are uncommon and contradictory. They are used to describe the psychological impact of a speaker. By connecting such ideas, the poet is trying to achieve the ability to express his inner state through psychology.