Oh! that gentleness! how far more potent is it than force!
~Charlotte Brontë
When I'm feeling tired of how unkind, judgmental, and righteous people are on the Internet, poetry can be a nice antidote.
Here are old posts with peace poems, peace prayer, peace art, acts of kindness, more acts of kindness, and Buddha.
Wind
by Su Tung-po (1036—1101)
The rigging whines in the sky
as we pitch and heel.
The boatman’s sound asleep
though the waves bloom white.
Those mooring-lines
must understand how I feel :
Weak in the world’s long wind,
yet holding tight.
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Keri has the Poetry Friday round-up today.
As always, a lovely choice, and what a fine, modern translation. You picked the best phrase for your title, but I also love "the waves bloom white." It fits your mood very well, too.
ReplyDeleteI needed to read your post today, Tabatha. We are, after all, and all of us:
ReplyDeleteWeak in the world’s long wind,
yet holding tight.
Tara took my words, Tabatha. The poem is lovely, and moreso that it was written so very long ago. Now we have a thought for that poet and his poem. That's special.
ReplyDeleteSu Tung-Po's poems speaks to me, Tabatha, as I just experienced pitching and healing and waves blooming white! I love that image of waves blooming. The line about thee "world's long wind" is so descriptive of where we are, I feel. The tension, the challenges and struggles go on and on with no break, yet somehow we hold tight.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the Buddha's poem offers one of the ways to hold tight:
"the fragrance of goodness
travels with us
through all the worlds."
Thanks for all of your peace offerings today!
Well, that poem described my life, and I'm probably not the only one. Excellent choice, Tabatha. Hey, I was curious, how do I get to be a part of the Summer Poem Swap. I'd love to participate.
ReplyDeleteHi Charles! I always post on my blog about the swaps. I post about the summer swap in the spring, and the winter swap in the fall. All you have to do is email me to sign up.
ReplyDeleteI love the ancient Asian poets, they have the power to reduce words and images to the essentials. Keep "holding tight," Tabatha.
ReplyDeleteYes, Tabatha, "holding tight!" Winds will forever come, won't they? Thanks for linking to these older posts. xo
ReplyDeleteYou are a treasure for helping us to hold on, though the winds blow. xoxo
ReplyDeleteAs others have said, this is so touching - and the last 2 lines are perfect. Thanks for sharing, Tabatha!
ReplyDelete