In my continuing effort and, no doubt, never-ending effort, to organize and declutter, two poems fell into my hands recently which have struck a chord over the years and so I want to share them.
The first was written by James Thin. I picked it up at the bookstore in Edinburgh in 1999, which used to bear his name and that of his ancestors. It was printed on the back of a bookmark. Here is what it says:
This is a little poem written by James Thin (Jimmy, to his friends) 1923 - 1997
Where are you going?
(This is the most frequent question posed to the trekker in Nepal, en passant - a damn silly question really, as almost inevitably there is only one place to which one could possibly be going. This is an attempt to answer the question.)
- o -
Where are you going? Nowhere, I said,
Up to the mountain to clear my head.
Why are you going? What does it matter,
Away from the world of bustle and clatter.
What will you do, when you get there?
I'll take a deep breath of wonderful air.
Why do you want to go so high?
To watch the clouds float over the sky.
Why are your feet so itchy to move?
For fear they stick in a mundane groove.
Why are you here, so far from the city?
Mortals below are worthy of pity.
Why can't you sit and enjoy the sun?
A lotus eater has little fun,
And man - if he really wants to survive -
Must always be doing, to stay alive.
Can you not be? Why must you do?
Why can't you sit and enjoy the view?
A man will rot if he stays quite still,
He must always see what's over the hill.
Won't you just wait and rest for a day?
Sorry, I can't, for I am on my way.
- o -
The second poem is by John O'Donohue and is called 'Beannacht', which is the Irish word for 'Blessing'.
Beannacht
On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.
- o -
James Thin sure sounds like he was a driven man always on the go, which I can somehow relate to. Though sitting still and enjoying the view is very much an activity that is worth pursuing as well, and just being and not only doing has a lot of rewards, but can be hard work for the driven and restless personality ...
And, John O'Donohue's words are just always inspiring, beautiful, meaningful, and full of love and care for the world and its creatures.