Hello Friends,
I subscribe to a few "Poem-a-Day" sort of emails, and I received one the other day that I wanted to share here as I feel it may be relevant to our Zen way. In fact, it is a poem I have read many times before, as I am a huge fan of the poet, but reading it again this week really helped me see some connections with our practice/attitude.
Fernando Pessoa, if you are unfamiliar with him, was a Portuguese writer/poet born in 1888. What was rather unique about him was that he wrote both poetry and prose under the guise of a number of what he called "heteronyms". That is, he created multiple literary personalities, each with their own unique backstory/biography. As such, the work he attributed to each personality has a very distinct style and tone. One of his poetic heteronyms, Alberto Caeiro, is one of my favorites. He writes about living a simple life as a shepherd and prefers not to engage in speculative thinking (on the other hand, Pessoa has other heteronyms that LOVE to wax philosophical for pages on end).
Here is the poem I have been re-reading and reflecting on all week:
***
***
(For reference, this version was translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa)
I don't want to color anyone's reading of this too much, but I will say that the line that caught me and hasn't let me go is where he says "It’s far better always to see something as if for the first time than to know it . . ." Re-reading the whole poem with that one line in mind completely changed my view and appreciate of the piece. I now detect intimations of poets such as Ryokan when I read it. This may all be just a delusion of my own mind.
But regardless, I wanted to share in case it resonates with any fellow Treeleafers. If so, please let me know, and I will be happy to share other examples as I come across them in my readings.
Gassho,
Seikan
stlah
I subscribe to a few "Poem-a-Day" sort of emails, and I received one the other day that I wanted to share here as I feel it may be relevant to our Zen way. In fact, it is a poem I have read many times before, as I am a huge fan of the poet, but reading it again this week really helped me see some connections with our practice/attitude.
Fernando Pessoa, if you are unfamiliar with him, was a Portuguese writer/poet born in 1888. What was rather unique about him was that he wrote both poetry and prose under the guise of a number of what he called "heteronyms". That is, he created multiple literary personalities, each with their own unique backstory/biography. As such, the work he attributed to each personality has a very distinct style and tone. One of his poetic heteronyms, Alberto Caeiro, is one of my favorites. He writes about living a simple life as a shepherd and prefers not to engage in speculative thinking (on the other hand, Pessoa has other heteronyms that LOVE to wax philosophical for pages on end).
Here is the poem I have been re-reading and reflecting on all week:
***
93
Grubby, unknown child playing at my door,
I don’t ask if you bring me a message full of symbols.
I’m drawn to you because I’ve never seen you before,
And, of course, if you were clean, you’d be a different child,
You wouldn’t even come here.
Play in the dust, go on, play!
I enjoy your presence with my eyes alone.
It’s far better always to see something as if for the first time than to know it,
Because knowing is like never having seen something for the first time,
And never having seen something for the first time is the same as only having
heard about it.
The way in which this child is grubby is different from the way in which
other children are grubby.
Go on, play! When you pick up a stone small enough to hold in your hand
You know that it’s small enough to hold in your hand.
What philosophy has ever achieved greater certainty?
None, and none can ever come and play at my door.
I don’t ask if you bring me a message full of symbols.
I’m drawn to you because I’ve never seen you before,
And, of course, if you were clean, you’d be a different child,
You wouldn’t even come here.
Play in the dust, go on, play!
I enjoy your presence with my eyes alone.
It’s far better always to see something as if for the first time than to know it,
Because knowing is like never having seen something for the first time,
And never having seen something for the first time is the same as only having
heard about it.
The way in which this child is grubby is different from the way in which
other children are grubby.
Go on, play! When you pick up a stone small enough to hold in your hand
You know that it’s small enough to hold in your hand.
What philosophy has ever achieved greater certainty?
None, and none can ever come and play at my door.
***
(For reference, this version was translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa)
I don't want to color anyone's reading of this too much, but I will say that the line that caught me and hasn't let me go is where he says "It’s far better always to see something as if for the first time than to know it . . ." Re-reading the whole poem with that one line in mind completely changed my view and appreciate of the piece. I now detect intimations of poets such as Ryokan when I read it. This may all be just a delusion of my own mind.
But regardless, I wanted to share in case it resonates with any fellow Treeleafers. If so, please let me know, and I will be happy to share other examples as I come across them in my readings.Gassho,
Seikan
stlah
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