The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Sat 1/21/06)

[RetroLounge]

Ithaka

When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.

Constantine P Cavafy

*******************************

Another reminder that all I have is this now-moment...

((( . )))

RL

[Callalily]

1. I'm unclear as to the

meaning of your statement. Anyway . . the way I interpret this poem . . . to enjoy the journey, to experience all along the way, the bad experiences along with the good, and of course to enjoy that long, lasting journey, to relish to the fullest.
I always enjoy your selections, even if I don't get a chance to respond.

Wishing you a great weekend RL

[RetroLounge]

2. A great weekend to you also

:hi:

RL

[wildhorses]

3. to me it is saying that life is an adventure

savor every moment, do not hurry the learning experience, your soul knows the lessons you need to learn and will put those tasks in front of you so that you may become wise. The soul is protected.




I like this one :)




:hugs: hang in there

[RetroLounge]

11. "life is an adventure"

it sure is...

:hi:

RL

[xchrom]

4. living is it's own reward.

if you think about the homecomeing -- interesting that one should tarry.

i wonder what odysseus would think of this?

of course he's the one splainin where he's been all that time?

;-)

[RetroLounge]

12. living WELL is it's own reward

and the best revenge...

RL

[miss_american_pie]

5. Oh wow

This:

"you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you."

May have just cured my writer's block.

Thank you.

[RetroLounge]

7. You are welcome!

Those are great lines!

:hi:

RL

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. I ran across this one before, my dear RetroLounge......

And I love it still.....

Live in the moment, baby, live in the moment. Yesterday's history...tomorrow's mystery....Today is LIFE!

As the pages of our lives unscroll through us.....all that really matters is the bright living bit we occupy NOW...

I think we spend too much time yearning for tommorow, and too much time dwelling on yesterday.....

Thank you for this poem, and for the reminder of what truly matters!


:loveya: :hug: :loveya:

[threehensandacow]

8. this is my favorite

so far. yes, this journey is quite terrifying at times. but, my goodness, it's at least interesting. i love this. thank you.

[RetroLounge]

10. it's at least interesting...

Oh, hell yeah... :D

:hug:

RL

[undeterred]

9. a poem for shabbat

HEBRON POEM: Shabbat patrol
by John Lynes

The young have no time for miracles.
You must forgive an old man. Today I pray for a miracle.
Miracles? Why not?
Apartheid ended without bloodshed;
the Berlin Wall fell;
Leningrad became St Petersburg;
the IRA gave up their arms.

A Jewish child, I hid my eyes
from the pictured corpses of Belsen and Buchenwald.
There but for the grace of God --
Resurrection was not a word I knew.
How could I believe I would live to see
children and grandchildren of the Holocaust
crossing the fields of the Promised Land
to synagogue on Shabbat?

Could there be a more heavenly vision?

But surely not for this world?

Yet two by two, there they walk as I write,
not to any old shul:
to synagogue on the very spot where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Leah, Rebecca and Sarah, lie buried.

"Shabbat shalom," I greet the worshippers.
Some have learned to recognise my red hat
the mark of a Christian Peacemaker in Hebron,
and they spit at me
and they curse me as a Nazi. And it hurts.

It hurts.

You must forgive an old man --old enough to recall real Nazis.
Today I pray for a miracle.
I long to be part of that miracle, whatever the cost.
Will you pray with me?

"Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth,
lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust,
lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe."

Shalom - Salaam - Peace.