“Bad Times”

They never come announced,
They arrive quite unexpectedly,
Like rocks falling into a river,
They create a devastating turmoil.

We wish for good,
Cheerful times in life,
We never want
The arrival of bad times.

Time is simply time;
It has a will of its own.
It does exactly what
It has decided in its heart.

What is bad and what is good—
It is difficult to decide.
What is a good day for one
May be a bad day for another.

The bright, scorching sunlight
Brings happiness to the potter and washerman,
Yet the very same sunlight
Brings sorrow to the farmer.

When our interests are served,
Those days seem very good;
But with the slightest trouble,
The mind becomes restless and sad.

“Profit, loss, life and death”—
Nothing is in our hands.
The One who holds them all
Is not always beside us.

We always wish
For good times in life;
A thief wishes to steal,
And a swindler wishes to deceive.

We keep wishing
That bad times never come;
May there always be good days—
This is what we keep praying for.

Vidya