RESEARCH-ORIENTED ESSAY SURROUNDINGS, THE MIND’S VIEW, AND HUMANITY IN HRH PRINCESS DR. LOVELYN EYO’S POETRY, Author - Dr. Manoranjan Das

SURROUNDINGS, THE MIND’S VIEW, AND HUMANITY IN HRH PRINCESS DR. LOVELYN EYO’S POETRY

Dr. Manoranjan Das
E-mail: manoranjandas20018@gmail.com

HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo of Nigeria, a poet and writer of remarkable distinction, demonstrates through her poetry how life, surroundings, the mind’s view, and humanity are interconnected with philosophical reflection. HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo is an African Royal, public figure, multiple award-winning poet and writer, 4x bestselling co-author, Academician at the International Academy of Literature and Artistic Science of Ukraine, Cultural Diplomat, Commonwealth Foundation Creatives member, Lifetime Ambassador of Literature, Women & Youth Advocate Leader, National Advisor of the G100 organization, Forbes Women community member, Global Peace Ambassador, Global Inspirational Speaker, Human Rights Activist, Peace Educator, Life Coach, SDG Ambassador at Sustainable Procurement & Supply Chain Aberdeen Scotland, Guinness World Records Holder, Women’s Empowerment Principles by UN Women Advocate, member of the Institute of Global Professionals, and member of Amnesty International.

She expresses the idea that quietness can become a space of reflection, where rainbow-like feelings contribute to the healing of the mind within its surroundings. Thus, she writes:

'In a world that discards trust
The wooly expanse folds self in quietness
With side-eye at the sons of men-
Arms wrapped into snowballs
Nomadic and so cold.
This vast curtain hung, torn with lost tones-
A blinded rainbow
Opening the colour of despair
Crimson eyes, burning embers
Footprints crushing stillness
The terror beneath the sun.'¹

She has been honoured with the title of Honorary Member of Maison Naaman pour la Culture, Lebanon. Her poetry and creativity have earned her numerous accolades across continents, including the Laureate of the 2022 Naji Naaman Literature Prize for Creativity, the Golden Medal of the Order of Dante Alighieri, the 2021 International Writer of the Year Award in a world-record competition involving writers from different continents, Poet & Ambassador of the Word of Great Excellence in South America, the 2026 Gold Medal of the Order of Alfonsina Storni, the 2023 Lesya Ukrainka International Literary & Art Award, the Gold Medal of Honor in Literature by the Yan’an Government of China, and the Laureate of the Hryhoriy Skovoroda Literary Prize in honour of Ukraine’s 32nd Independence Day. Referring to the wholeness of night, which intensifies the sharpness of truth and evokes a longing for peace, she explores the workings of the mind’s view. Thus, she writes:

'Night sharpens its teeth to fangs
Lonely soul waiting for what to find
Wobbly shadows behind sunset
Horror lacing its fingers through wailing light
Should the day fear the dark !
Even time pretends
O Smoky Sunset
Just like a forgotten dream
How long shall night fight light?
Even when fire falls
For rest it longs
This world not, but peace I trust
Douse the smoke
Shrouded love, where is Peace?
If only we crown our hearts
With a welcome to the PRINCE OF PEACE'.²

She has also received two Prashamshith Patras (Certificates of Honour for Literary Brilliance) from the Gujarat Government (Sahitya Academy) and Motivational Strips India on India’s 74th and 75th Independence Days. She has further received the Books For Peace International Special Award, Gold Medal of the Order of Victoria Ocampo, Arkhip Kuindzhi Literary Prize, 2026 Honour of Trailblazers, Laureate of the Vasyl Symonenko International Ukrainian Song Prize by Chumatsky Viz Volyn & Krynytsia, Universal Influencer of Peace, Diamond Duke Award by the International de Richelieu Literary Competition, Golden Quills, Pride of Poemarium, The Literary Icon, Ambassador of Literature and Human Rights at Books for Peace, and several other international recognitions.
HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo explores a form of greatness in which thoughts are connected with vivid images of truth and human experience. Thus, she writes:

'Only memories presented
A form of great appeal
Shaped with curves of silky elegance
Not to be resented
Young but adorned
In the colour of elderly earth
The thoughts she wore, transparent
Soft as a cloud without a home
Kneaded strength
Lost to the claws of fish bones
Choked beneath the two hills on her chest
Her vision blinded by his pointed finger.'³

She was also awarded the Poetry Luminary Award, Shield of World Culture Syria, Femini Nobili Award, Poet of the Year Philippines, World’s Golden Writer from 10 countries, and was named one of the 1001 Most Inspiring Women of the Earth by International Internship University. She has also received recognition as African Woman of the Year 2021, Woman of Culture & Peace Italy, Lifetime Achievement Award by Princeton Hive USA & Edukos Unite of Scholars, Laureate of the Nikolai Gogol Literary Prize, Matsuo Basho Literary Prize, Literary Luminary Nigeria, Global Women Icon Award, Poet Champion, International Literary Peace Prize by the International Academy of Literature Art & Communication Germany and Independent Embassy of Peacekeepers Germany, Winners Literary Medal, World Woman Leader of Logos & Spirit Greece, Nalanda The Pride of Knowledge, and Altruistic Woman of the Year Spain.
The Penning Royal of Nigeria conveys a sense of comfort through her poetry, offering a protective softness within the surrounding world. Thus, she writes:

'Crippled bed of stones
Chase comfort to a ruin
She holds her tongue so tensed
To avoid cold beards on pretense
Who raise swords against her femininity
With beaks of rocks
They peck till she is broken
The voice of water
Cracks from abuses
Sonorous softness strong sans selfish sacrifice
Is covered in a thick coat of pain
Only to be Used, Used!'⁴

She has received the Voice of Human Rights Award, Jose Rizal Lifetime Achievement Award Philippines, 2021 Top 50 Inspirational Iconic Diva, Inspiring Leadership Award, Icon for Peace & Human Rights, Pillar of Namaste India Magazine, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Award of Excellence, Global Woman Leader Award, Society Maker Award, Honorary Member and Lady of Honor of Funculatino Latin America Gold Award, Extraordinary Remarkable Icon of the Year, Mother Teresa Lifetime Achievement Award India, Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize, 2022 World Best Top Woman Icon of the Year, Golden Women Award for Leadership & Excellence (Creativity) Colombia, Beacon of Peace Bangladesh, Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Award, Suryodaya Excellence Award, International Award of Education, Arts & Culture Mexico, Gandhi International Literature Prize for Peace, Global Poet Award, USA, Diploma of Honours in Literature from the Balkans, as well as honorary doctorates in Literature, Humanity, Diplomacy, and Human Rights, among many others.
HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo conveys the beauty of dawn through memory, hope, and the mind’s view. Thus, she writes:

'Bronze lips, whose letters carry more roses
Yet abandoned, her right to dream snatched
They rather see it dead than fly
Caged in the belly-room
Locked in the bedroom
Use and Use till Useless?
Then, say she is primitive!
Yet she strides across like dawn on heels
Standing up again as beautiful as steel!
How much agony slide in the blackhole
How many memories does she hold
How many secrets safe and untold
When shall human intelligence find its lodge-
Where misogynistic ego becomes once-upon-a-time and dislodged!
Does this greeting of hope have an age !'⁵

She serves as Country Advisor of the G100, Academician at the International Academy of Literature and Artistic Science of Ukraine, Member of the Board of Experts at Noble Laureate Award National Committee, Ambassador of Education and Peace, Universal Cultural Ambassador of Honduras, Executive Director and Ambassador at the Confederation of Writers, Artists & Poets of the World, Director of Peace at Union International Literaria y de Paz, Lifetime Ambassador of World Union of Poets, Brand Ambassador of Noel Lorenz House of Fiction, Ambassador of Peace at the Institute of Peace & Development, Anti-corruption & Mediation Ambassador at Arbitrators Media Information Nigeria, as well as serving on the advisory boards of several organizations.
Nevertheless, she presents beauty and humanity as interconnected forms of hope and harmony. Thus, she writes:

'Bronze lips, whose letters carry more roses
Yet abandoned, her right to dream snatched
They rather see it dead than fly
Caged in the belly-room
Locked in the bedroom
Use and Use till Useless?
Then, say she is primitive!
Yet she strides across like dawn on heels
Standing up again as beautiful as steel!
How much agony slide in the blackhole
How many memories does she hold
How many secrets safe and untold
When shall human intelligence find its lodge-
Where misogynistic ego becomes once-upon-a-time and dislodged!
Does this greeting of hope have an age!'⁶

She also serves as Continental Director at the International Chamber of Writers & Artists (CIESART), Spain; Consultant and Editorial Board Member of Poetry Circle Magazine; Southwest University Chongqing China; President of the Superior Council of World Union of Poets; President of the Intercontinental Council of Advisors C.U.U. & CIESART Europa; Chief Advisor of How to Write for Success Literary Network; Governor of Literary Events & Relationships with Schools & Universities at World Union of Poets; Advisor and Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Chinese Literature Magazine, Hubei Federation; European Union Climate Pact Ambassador; National Director of the World Peace Summit by Vishwa Humanity United International Royal Council; Global Vice President, Africa, at Global Literary Consortium; Mentor at United by Ink; and Icon Ambassador of Book of World Records.

As a Princess of Nigeria, she seeks to maintain harmony and gentleness, presenting an atmosphere in which the waves of human relationships are transformed into something precious. Thus, she writes:

'The sound of humanity
Knocks at the door of the red apple
Shaking my ears and my very being
Like the quilt that covers my soul
Will not open to receive mail from the heavens!
Letters fluttering
Creating harmony
Immersed in passion of the waves and sea shore-
Love for self and for one's neighbor
Words drift forth
Calling to minds within hearts
To open up its pillows
That help one rise again
Wiping away tears with cradles.
Do not let them weep in the cold!
Then, polish your voice to gold
Stroking sweet melodies
So that a better world may unfold
Not by sharpening swords but pens of peace'⁷

She also serves as President of the Advisory Committee, Nigeria; National Director at Igniting Dreams of Young Minds; Country Director and Advisory Board Member at Positive Thoughts Consulting; National Chairman of Mother Teresa International Foundation; Honorary Committee Member of “Premio Intercontinentale Le Nove Muse” and “International Prize for Literary Art Daphne Song”; and Administrator for the League of Poets. HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo expresses a sensibility that seeks to nurture those who suffer, connecting their experiences with the greenery and vitality of the natural world. Thus, she writes:

'Stars hide under white flaps
Like scattered grains
This fragile truth tears me
The Earth is not poor
Is not childless
She is still a great mother
Birthing through the wind's mouth
She nurtures, unweaning the language of greens
Her palms wipe off the cries of trees
After being fractured and beaten
Her visions still melted into realms
Into rivers of uncovered caskets
Where love lowly shudders
Because it forgets where to run and hide.'⁸

As a stalwart in advancing and promoting literature and in contributing to a better world, she was elected as the sole representative and Beacon of Excellence of the International Chamber of Writers & Artists (CIESART), with more than 15,000 members, to the Red Cross, the Vatican, and other organizations. She is also an inductee at the World Poet Literature Museum, Northwest University of China; a member and Ambassador of the International Writers Association, Belgium and Albania; Ambassador at the World Association of Writers & Artists of Orbe; a member of the Charles Walter Society for Innovation & Research; and Ambassador at Yes You Can International UK, among many other roles. She emphasizes the significance of the treasures of earthly existence, offering humanity images of nature, history, and abundance. Thus, she writes:

'The Earth is not orphaned
This old chest, a crown of treasures
She wears the sun like a beret
Beneath her skin lies black diamond
Gold coins, greasy blood emptied in bountiful barrels
Her breath is food without thirst
A treasury beneath our feet and tongue
The Earth is not timeless
But time wears an armour
Names and bones eaten
Blood and tears, mingled unspoken
Swallowed, they blurred the divide
History walks with unshod feet
Teaching how to lock the rain.'⁹

Dr. Lovelyn’s poetry has been translated into more than 50 languages and adapted into songs by contemporary composers, including the renowned Petro Loitra. Her works have also been featured in numerous anthologies, literary journals, magazines, newspapers, radio programmes, and television programmes across continents, including Ukrainia Gazeta, Tajikistan Newspaper, leading Marathi magazines, “The Progressive People’s Slogan Special Annual Edition,” Diplomacy Magazine, Innerchild Press, Radio y America TV, Cadena TV, Canal Euro TV France, the 2025 World Poetry Yearbook by the Centre for Globalization of Chinese Poetry, Nankai University, The Journal of Rendition of International Poetry and Word Union of Poetry Magazines, World Poetry Encyclopedia, Campus Europeo Barcelona, Azahar Revista Poetica, Performance Radio Paraguay, Colombia, and poetry festivals including the Eurasian Literary Festival of Festivals, the 2023 International Congress of Education and Literature in Spain, and the Global Literature Conclave, among many others.
It may therefore be observed that HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo, the Penning Royal, presents moments of existence as reflections in which the gifts of nature and life are woven into the surrounding world. Thus, she writes:

'Tomorrow lurks behind the tree
Each tree a book without ink
Why then should we forget her kind eyes!
The Earth is not a mirror that cannot see
Spinning gifts, she gives and gives
More than rich, but giving everything away
Without asking for our wallets.'¹⁰

Princess Dr. Lovelyn believes that poetry is the heart that awakens, nurtures, heals, inspires, and strengthens humanity.

Above all, HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo’s poetry reflects the experiences and struggles of life, bringing together surroundings, the mind’s view, and humanity within society. Her poetic vision connects the natural environment with human emotions, suffering, hope, peace, memory, and the search for truth. In this sense, her poetry presents the surroundings not merely as a physical space but also as a reflection of the human mind and a field in which questions of humanity are explored.


References
1.“Smoky Sunset,” HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo, "The Raft of Dreams Literary Magazine" website, Ed. Md Ejaj Ahamed
2.Ibid.
3.“Feminity with Steeze,” HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo.
4.Ibid.
5.Ibid.
6.Ibid.
7.“The Pen of Humanity,” HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo.
8.“The Blue Jewel,” HRH Princess Dr. Lovelyn Eyo.
9.Ibid.
10.Ibid.


*Major help: Md Ejaj Ahamed*