In this poem the poet has described the story of a father who punished his son for disobedience. Then he felt sorry for his act. The child was misbehaving; therefore the father struck him and dismissed him with harsh words. Later on, the father wanted to see that weather his child is sleeping or not he went to his bedside but found the child was sleeping. The father saw that the boy had kept some toys on a table near his bed to comfort his sad heart. Later on he thought that God would also forgive His creature for their childish misdeeds.

STANZA NO. 1: "My little son ------------------------------------------- was patient being dead."

In this stanza the poet tells us how he punished his son for disobedience. The child walked and spoke like a grown up man. He made a noise. His father asked him to keep quiet, but he did not obey him. At seventh time, the father punished his son and asked him to go away. The child was much grieved. He left his father and went to bed. The child deserved sympathy as his mother had died due to some disease.

STANZA NO. 2: "Then fearing lest ----------------------------------------- late sobbing wet."

In these lines we are told how the father was, sorry after punishing his son. He realized his mistake after a while and felt deep remorse. He was afraid lest the child's grief should be keeping him awake, so he went to his bedside, but he found the child asleep. His eyelids were swollen due to weeping and his eye lashed was still wet with the drops of tears.

STANZA NO. 3: "For on a table ---------------------------------------------- his sad heart."

In these lines the poet tells us how the child consoled himself in his grief after the punishment. When the father went to his bed he found his child is sleeping. He noticed that the eyelashes of the child were still wet with tears. But the father became more emotional when he found that his son had very skillfully arranged some pieces of glass, a red veined stone, some shells and a bottle of blue bells for giving comfort to his sad heart. It was a touching scene for the father whose wife was dead and there was no one to console the child. Father bent over the child and kissed away the tears from the boy's cheeks, but tears from his own eyes dropped on his son's face.

STANZA NO. 4: "So when that ---------------------------------------------- commanded good.

In these lines the poet is talking his feelings about God who is merciful to all His creatures. The poet says that we human beings are like innocent children of our lord we disobey God, which annoys Him. The poet says when we are dead and are unable to annoy our creature but God will realize our innocence and childish weakness. Then like a father, God will have mercy upon His creatures that He had made from the clay. God knows that though we had been disobeying His commands and enjoying ourselves with worldly things. Yet He will leave His anger and will forgive us.

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MANSOOR ALI SHAH.