Guest guest Posted December 3, 2008 Report Share Posted December 3, 2008 A poem by permission of Ivan Granger--- On Wed, 3/12/08, Poetry Chaikhana <ivan wrote: Poetry Chaikhana <ivan[Poetry Chaikhana] Rolf Jacobsen - Moon and ApplealanadamsjacobsDate: Wednesday, 3 December, 2008, 5:35 PM Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- Moon and Apple By Rolf Jacobsen(1907 - 1994) English version by Robert Bly When the apple tree blooms,the moon comes often like a blossom,paler than any of them,shining over the tree.It is the ghost of the summer,the white sister of the blossoms who returnsto drop in on us,and radiate peace with her handsso that you shouldn't feel too bad when the hard times come.For the Earth itself is a blossom, she says,on the star tree,pale with luminousocean leaves. -- from The Winged Energy of Delight, Translated by Robert Bly Amazon.com / Photo by Athena's Pix / ============ Thought for the Day: Love and compassion are effortless.The soul is exhausted by the effortto stop this natural outpouringof the living heart. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Quarteto Nuevo El Musico Listen - Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -It's past the summer season of apple blossoms and even the autumn of ripe apples (or, for those of you south of the equator, it's much too early), but something about this poem spoke to me today. The blossoms of the apple tree glowing beneath the shining moon. And a reminder to us all that even when things seem difficult, the Earth itself -- and each one of us -- "is a blossom... on the star tree." If we are blossoms, that must mean we are quietly ripening with the season, and in the natural unfolding of things we will become sweet fruit in the cosmos.--Rolf Jacobsen's poetry often explored modern subjects: urban life, cars, industrial machine. But Jacobsen's view of the technological 20th century was nuanced and expressed a melancholy awareness of how nature, quiet, and the interior life were overlooked in this new enthusiastic haste.Jacobsen was born in Oslo (then called Kristiania). His father was a dentist and his mother a nurse. He was raised for part of his childhood by his uncle, a railway engineer. Jacobsen studied several years at the University of Oslo without graduating.He married in 1940 and had two sons. He appeared to be happily married, and wrote several poem about his married life.World War II was turbulent for Jacobsen. Like many in Nazi-occupied Norway, he became a member of the Norwegian Nationalist Socialist Party. When the Germans were defeated, he spent nearly four years in prison for his affiliation with the occupiers.Afterward, he settled in Hamar, north of Oslo, and became a bookseller and journalist. During this period he converted to Catholicism. Only after several years did he return to poetry, writing with renewed compassion, continuing to meditate on the shifting pace and focus of life in the modern era, becoming a greatly loved and respected poet later in life.(I've never been to Norway, but in my early 20s I worked for a company called Rail Europe in the United States, and as part of my job I intimately memorized the maps of Europe. Something about seeing the city names of Oslo and Hamar feels like a strong flashback to that era of my life, traveling the rails in my imagination...)Ivan Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary... New on the Poetry Chaikhana BlogIn addition to the daily poem, other recent blog posts include: Video: Tibetan Sand Painting - I once had the opportunity to watch Tibetan Buddhist monks construct a sand mandala on Maui. It took them a few days... More Video: Thomas Merton and Chatrul Rinpoche - Christian and Buddhist Mysticism - Comments (2) Merton’s meeting with Chatrul Rinpoche of the Nyingma Buddhist tradition. A meeting of Christian and Buddhist views of enlightenment. More - More Support the Poetry Chaikhana Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you! Click here You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you! Click here A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Video Channel www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel". 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