by Terry 68 Replies latest social entertainment
Is there one line of prose or poetry that stopped you dead in your tracks and haunted your mind for days on end? Is there a line, a paragraph or a book that feeds your soul and there is no end to its craving?
Share it with all of us. Give us a dose.
Terry
the serenity prayer.. most especially the first part.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Don't walk behind me
I may not lead
Dont walk in front of me
I may not follow
Walk beside me,
and just be my friend.
- Albert Camus
GBL
This is my favorite poetry. I recite it to myself a lot (with Middle English pronunciation) especially at this time of year. (I just like the sound of it a lot)...
1 Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
3 And bathed every veyne in swich licóur
4 Of which vertú engendred is the flour;
5 Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
8 Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne,
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open ye,
11 So priketh hem Natúre in hir corages,
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15 And specially, from every shires ende
16 Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
17 The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
18 That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
I don't think this "feeds my soul" or anything, but it did stick with me...
Those who restrain their desires, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.
William Blake
Nick Cave - Wild Roses
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?"
On the second day he came with a single red rose
Said: "Will you give me your loss and your sorrow"
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
He said, "If I show you the roses, will you follow?"
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt (stood smiling) above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
When I had faith (most of my life), it was; "In the beginning, God"
It was profound and held all the ultimate answers. Though I sometimes miss the awe and inspiration words like that can instill, I have to say that I am happier now that I am enjoying reason, structure and debate.
"K, some of the personal writings on this board is the best writing i've ever read. And I read a lot.
"Do unto others before they do unto you..."
I read poetry and prose on a daily basis, it is part of one of my jobs. If I had to name anything that sticks to the soul, it would definitely be this piece of prose by Ehrmann. Enjoy..
Max Ehrmann
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
