Thursday, August 6, 2009
East meets West
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Poems
Brahma
If the red slayer think he slays,
Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.
Far or forgot to me is near,
Shadow and sunlight are the same,
The vanished gods to me appear,
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.
The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven;
But thou, meek lover of the good!
Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.
1856 [1857]
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OMG, this post. I never read this by Emerson, and I am stunned by his insight. I always enjoy his writing, but this is so . . . NOW.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mennuin and Shankar, how breathtaking. And the percussionist with them.
This, again, was a terrific start to my day. And thank you, thank you for the gorgeous roses. I am touched.
We really are the wings, the doubters and the doubt.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful to technology, to make possible the sharing of good stuff, to make people feel together : One, Now, Here.