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Spirit News Blog - Poetry
As I wandered the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a Wild Flower
Singing a song.
"I slept in the earth
In the silent night,
I murmured my fears
And I felt delight.
"In the morning I went
As rosy as morn,
To seek for new joy;
But oh! met with scorn."
Image from Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
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I used to shun my companion if his religion was not like mine; but not my heart accepts every form. It is a pasturage for gazelles, a monastery for monkss, a temple of idols, a Ka'ba for the pilgrim, the tables of the Torah, the holy book of the Qur'an. Love alone is my religion, and whichever way its horses turn, that is my faith and creed.
Anonymous
From Music of a Distant Drum, Bernard Lewis - Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew Poems
God's Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs --
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
By: Gerard Manley Hopkins
Photo from: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
As Once The Winged Energy
As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges.
Wonders happen if we can succeed
in passing through the harshest danger;
but only in a bright and purely granted
achievement can we realize the wonder.
To work with Things in the indescribable
relationship is not too hard for us;
the pattern grows more intricate and subtle,
and being swept along is not enough.
Take your practiced powers and stretch them out
until they span the chasm between two
contradictions...For the god
wants to know himself in you.
Photo by Kamalika Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Intelligent people know others.
Enlightened people know themselves.
You can conquer others with power,
But it takes true strength to conquer yourself.
- Lao Tzu
Photo by Tejvan, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
'T is so Much Joy
’T is so much joy! ’T is so much joy!
If I should fail, what poverty!
And yet, as poor as I
Have ventured all upon a throw;
Have gained! Yes! Hesitated so
This side the victory!
Life is but life, and death but death!
Bliss is but bliss, and breath but breath!
And if, indeed, I fail,
At least to know the worst is sweet.
Defeat means nothing but defeat,
No drearier can prevail!
And if I gain,—oh, gun at sea,
Oh, bells that in the steeples be,
At first repeat it slow!
For heaven is a different thing
Conjectured, and waked sudden in,
And might o’erwhelm me so!
By: Emily Dickinson
Photo by Tejvan Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
THE SANCTUARY
It could be said that God’s foot is so vast
That this entire earth is but a
field on His
toe,
and all the forests in this world
came from the same root of just
a single hair
of His.
What then is not a sanctuary?
Where can I not kneel
and pray at a shrine
made holy by His
presence?
By: St Catherine of Siena
From “Love Poems From God” by Daniel Ladinsky.
Copyright © 1999 by Daniel Ladinsky. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Photo by Sharani Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
The Moon Shines
The moon shines in my body, but my blind eyes cannot see it:
The moon is within me, and so is the sun.
The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me; but my deaf ears cannot hear it.
So long as man clamours for the "I" and the "Mine", his works are as naught:
When all love of the "I" and the "Mine" is dead, then the work of the Lord is done.
For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge:
When that comes, then work is put away.
The flower blooms for the fruit: when the fruit comes, the flower withers.
The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it wanders in quest of grass.
By: Kabir
Translated: Rabindranath Tagore
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Love's Philosophy
THE fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle—
Why not I with thine?
See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea—
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
By: Percy B. Shelley
Photo by Phoolanjaya: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
If
If you can disentangle
yourself from your selfish self
all heavenly spirits
will stand ready to serve you
if you can finally hunt down
your own beastly self
you have the right
to claim Solomon's kingdom
you are that blessed soul who
belongs to the garden of paradise
is it fair to let yourself
fall apart in a shattered house
you are the bird of happiness
in the magic of existence
what a pity when you let
yourself be chained and caged
but if you can break free
from this dark prison named body
soon you will see
you are the sage and the fountain of life
By: Rumi
Translation by: Nader Khalili
Photo by Prabhakar: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Leisure
WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
By: W.H.Davies
Photo by Pranlobha: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
- Poems on Life at Poetseers.org
Looking at my life
I see that only Love
Has been my soul’s companion
From deep inside
My soul cries out:
Do not wait, surrender
For the sake of Love.
- Rumi
Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. It has its roots in the Qu’ran and the Islamic tradition, but at the same times encompasses the universal mysticism that we see in other spiritual traditions
Despite the difficulties of describing their experiences, the words of the Sufi Seers still tease, cajole and inspire us to look beyond the page and into our own hearts. For those who love words, it is necessary to have poetry, which can take us beyond the domain of the intellect. Hafiz beautifully describes the purpose of a poet.
“A poet is someone who can pour light into a cup, then raise it to nourish your beautiful parched, holy heart.”
The Ecstatic Poetry of the Sufi's at Poetseers.org
Photo by Unmesh Swanson Sri Chinmoy Centre galleries
You are in Me
Brightest being
In sun-surprised February
Flower out of season
You illuminate the night
A falling star
Shower after shower
My sky is empty now.
You are in me
Artwork: Angelee Deodhar (India)
New poem of Gabriel Rosenstock - lines written in Bangaram Lakshadweep Islands
See also: Haiku Poem
Spring
by William Blake
Sound the Flute! Now it's mute.
Birds delight Day and Night;
Nightingale In the dale,
Lark in Sky,
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, to welcome in the Year.
Little Boy, Full of joy;
Little Girl, Sweet and small;
Cock does crow, So do you;
Merry voice, Infant noise,
Merrily, Merrily, to welcome in the Year.
Little Lamb, Here I am;
Come and lick My white neck;
Let me pull Your soft Wool;
Let me kiss Your soft face:
Merrily, Merrily, we welcome in the Year.
By: William Blake
Photo by Richard Sri Chinmoy Centre Gallerie
Poems about Spring at Poetseers.org
"The truth mind could not know unveils its face,
We hear what mortal ears have never heard,
We feel what earthly sense has never felt,
We love what common hearts repel and dread;
Our minds hush to a bright Omniscient;
A Voice calls from the chambers of the soul;
We meet the ecstasy of the Godhead's touch
In golden privacies of immortal fire."
Excerpt from "Savitri" by Sri Aurobindo, Book I, Canto Four, lines 78-85)
Live Your Life
Live your life that the fear of death
can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views
and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life,
beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long
and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day
when you go over the great divide.
The Marriage of the Soul
Descending to the earth, that strange intoxicating beauty of the unseen world
lurks in the elements of nature.
And the soul of man,
who has attained the rightful balance,
becoming aware of this hidden joy,
straightaway is enamored and bewitched.
And from this mystic marriage are born
the poets' songs, inner knowledge,
the language of the heart, virtuous living,
and the fair child Beauty.
And the Great Soul gives to man as dowry
the hidden glory of the world.
By: Mahmud Shabistari
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
The Way to Peace
If anyone speaks ill of you.
Praise him always.
If anyone injures you,
Serve him nicely.
If anyone persecutes you,
Help him in all possible ways.
You will attain immense strength.
You will control anger and pride.
You will enjoy peace, poise and serenity.
You will become divine.
By: Swami Sivananda
Photo by Pranlobha Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
To Change the World
To change the world around you.
Give the World
What you have
And Serve the world
With what you are.
By: Sri Chinmoy
Photo by Pavitrata Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Such is a Saint
When the heart burns at the sufferings of others,
That is God's own heart.
When eyes strain to see others happy,
Through them God Himself sees.
When hands toil for others' relief,
These hands move only by God's will.
When the tongue sings His Name,
That voice is the voice of God.
Such is a Saint - God's own image!
By: Swami Ramdas
Photo by Ranjit Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Swami Ramdas was born Vittal Rao in a devout Hindu home in Kerala, South India. His father initiated him into the use of a mantra Rama. This repitition of Rama transformed his life into a great God seeker and God lover
The Hour Came
By: William Blake
The modest Rose puts forth a thorn, The humble sheep a threat'ning horn: While the Lily white shall in love delight, Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.
By: Wiliam Blake
The Awakening Age
O ye who travel the meridian line,
May the vision of a new world within you shine.
May eyes that have lived with poverty's rage,
See through to the glory of the awakening age.
For we are all richly linked in hope,
Woven in history, like a mountain rope.
Together we can ascend to a new height,
Guided by our heart's clearest light.
When perceptions are changed there's much to gain,
A flowering of truth instead of pain.
There's more to a people than their poverty;
There's their work, wisdom, and creativity.
Along the line may our lives rhyme,
To make a loving harvest of space and time.
Copyright Ben Okri, 1999
By: Ben Okri
More Poems of Ben Okri
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
An African Elegy
We are the miracles that God made
To taste the bitter fruit of Time.
We are precious.
And one day our suffering
Will turn into the wonders of the earth.
There are things that burn me now
Which turn golden when I am happy.
Do you see the mystery of our pain?
That we bear the poverty
And are able to sing and dream sweet things.
And that we never curse the air when it is warm
Or the fruit when it tastes so good
Or the lights that bounce gently on the waters?
We bless the things even in our pain.
We bless them in silence.
That is why our music is so sweet.
It makes the air remember.
There are secret miracles at work
That only Time will bring forth.
I too have heard the dead singing.
And they tell me that
This life is good
They tell me to live it gently
With fire, and always with hope.
There is wonder here
And there is surprise
In everything the unseen moves.
The ocean is full of songs.
The sky is not an enemy.
Destiny is our friend.
By: Ben Okri
Photo by Phoolanjaya Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Love
What is Love?
It is something that has
Infinite possibilities
To enlarge and expand.
Love is the inner bond,
the inner connection, the inner link between man and God,
between the finite and the infinite.
We always have to approach God through love.
Without love, we cannot become one with God.
What is love?
If love means possessing someone or something then that is not real love;
that is not pure love.
If love means giving and becoming one with everything,
with humanity and divinity, then that is real love.
Real love is our total oneness with the object loved and with the possessor of love.
Who is the possessor of love? God
By: Sri Chinmoy
From: Quotes on Love
Photo by Ranjit Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Cosmic Consciousness
I have wrapped the wide world in my wider self
And Time and Space my spirit's seeing are.
I am the god and demon, ghost and elf,
I am the wind's speed and the blazing star.
All Nature is the nursling of my care,
I am its struggle and the eternal rest;
The world's joy thrilling runs through me, I bear
The sorrow of millions in my lonely breast.
I have learned a close identity with all,
Yet am by nothing bound that I become;
Carrying in me the universe's call
I mount to my imperishable home.
I pass beyond Time and life on measureless wings,
Yet still am one with born and unborn things.
By: Sri Aurobindo
Photo By: Phoolanjaya from: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Prayer
Great God, I ask for no meaner pelf
Than that I may not disappoint myself,
That in my action I may soar as high
As I can now discern with this clear eye.
And next in value, which thy kindness lends,
That I may greatly disappoint my friends,
Howe'er they think or hope that it may be,
They may not dream how thou'st distinguished me.
That my weak hand may equal my firm faith
And my life practice what my tongue saith
That my low conduct may not show
Nor my relenting lines
That I thy purpose did not know
Or overrated thy designs.
Photo from: Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Because I could not stop for Death
by: Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.
By: Emily Dickinson.
Photo by Unmesh Swanson Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Poem - Hope
Hope, my pilot-star, hope
I have seen your face.
I have felt your heart.
Therefore
In ignorance-night
I shall no more grope.
Hope, my pilot-star, hope
You are humanity's peerless rope
For human souls to climb
God's transcendental height.
By: Sri Chinmoy
From: Excerpt from Eternity's Breath by Sri Chinmoy.
Photo b yRichard Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Who is it That Suffers?
Sri Anandamayi Ma
"Who is it that loves and who that suffers?
He alone stages a play with Himself.
The individual suffers because he perceives duality.
Find the One everywhere and in everything
and there will be an end to pain and suffering."
Poem - The World
by: Sa'adi
The world, my brother! will abide with none,
By the world's Maker let thy heart be won.
Rely not, nor repose on this world's gain,
For many a son like thee she has reared and slain.
What matters, when the spirit seeks to fly,
If on a throne or on bare earth we die?
Poem By: Saadi
Photo by Sharani Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
faint sunlight
faint sunlight
injecting the veins
of a falling leaf
By: Gabriel Rosenstock
-- from Haiku: The Art of Disappearing, by Gabriel Rosenstock (unpublished manuscript)
Photo by Richard
Poems of Gabriel Rosenstock at Poetseers.org
Poems of Gabriel Rosenstock at Poetry Chaikhana
Quotes by R.W. Emerson
"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
" What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. "
"People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. "
"Is it so bad to be misunderstood?
Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton,
and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh."
By:Ralph Waldo Emerson
Photo by Jogyata Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
The Children's Hour
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the- night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the days occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet
...
View: Video of Poem being Recited at You Tube
click more for rest of poem
Oh God
Let all lovers be content
Give them happy endings
Let their lives be celebrations
Let their hearts dance in the fire of your love.
From: Love poems of Rumi - Deepak Chopra
To celebrate the 800th birth anniversary of mystic poet Jelalludin Rumi UNESCO has announced that the year 2007 will be the International Year of Rumi Year. During the next year there will be special ceremonies and programs held all over the world to commemorate this great Persian poet. In particular celebrations will focus on Rumi’s place of birth and Turkey where he lived for many years.