On the banks of the Neckar

On the banks of the Neckar, I walked and sighed,

‘Could I have been living in a lovelier place?’, I pondered as I walked by.

I looked above at the setting Sun,

gleaming over the ruins of the majestic Castle,

And wondered if centuries-old misfortunes  could be undone.

I looked at the flowing river and stared,

Losing myself, as often, in the beauty and the  glaze.

I was delighted by a rush of cool breeze all around me,

And allowed it to penetrate my senses, gently absorbing me.

On the banks of the Neckar, I walked and sighed,

‘Could I have been living in a lovelier place?’, I pondered as I walked by.

I looked around to see the tree-covered hills ,

which seemed to cradle the city, by their will.

‘How long could the forest have taken to grow?’

I remembered the musings of a friend , not very long ago.

I smiled to myself as the thought crossed my mind,

And saw a falcon perched atop a roof, ready to take  flight.

I was distracted by the ‘Alte Heidelberg’ crossing the Neckar,

And a bunch of excited passengers waved across with a fervour.

I saw the ripples it created as it passed,

Disturbing the geese and the ducks,

As they honked and quacked their way past.

On the banks of the Neckar, I walked and sighed,

‘Could I have been living in a lovelier place?’, I pondered as I walked by.

I crossed people lazing around in the Sun,

Parents doting over their toddlers,beginning to run.

While little kids played dauntlessly all over the swings,

A tired rower seemed to be in his world of dreams.

A mile further towards the ‘Alte Brucke’ as I strolled,

I discovered some spots, which I hadn’t yet explored,

I saw the Bergbahn crawling over the steep tracks, in the distance,

And reminisced about that ride I took with my friends.

As I started walking back home, a thought occurred to me,

A mere rhetorical question, it was indeed!

My heart knew the answer and so did my mind.

For never before have I been happier living elsewhere,

Oh Heidelberg! You have stolen my heart and are all over my mind!